Monday May 8
The sheepfold was a simple enclosure in which sheep belonging to various shepherds were kept by night, with a guardian at the gate. “I am the gate of the sheepfold,” Jesus said. It doesn’t seem at first a very personal image: a gate. But for someone seeking a way out of slavery or imprisonment, or seeking entry to a place of well-being, there is nothing of greater interest. There are several similar images in the New Testament: the door, the doorkeeper, the keys, the way. All of these have this in common: that they are perfectly ambiguous. You can travel in two different directions along a way. A gate or door can lock you in or out, include or exclude you. And even inclusion is ambiguous: it can be protection or imprisonment. Keys symbolize power, but it can be power for or against you. In the mind and heart of Jesus, these are benign images; the sheep are reassured by the presence of the Good Shepherd. But in other minds and hearts – because of sin – these images can be interpreted the other way, and then God help the sheep!
