The Rejection of Gatekeepers
"Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." – John 10:7
There’s a kind of pain that doesn’t come from sin or suffering; it comes from religion. Maybe you’ve felt it. You tried to walk into a church but felt like you didn’t belong. You asked questions and were met with shame. You wanted to know Jesus but ran into gatekeepers who seemed more interested in guarding traditions than opening the door to grace. That’s not the heart of Jesus.
When Jesus said, “I am the door,” He wasn’t just offering another religious path. He was tearing down the walls that had been built around God. In His time, access to God was policed by religious leaders who made holiness feel like an exclusive club. But Jesus flipped the whole system. He didn’t say, “I’ll show you the door.” He said, “I am the door.” No more middlemen. No more systems. Just Him.
This matters especially if you’ve ever felt like you were on the outside looking in. If religion made you feel unworthy, overlooked, or disqualified, you need to hear this clearly. Jesus didn’t come to build walls. He came to tear them down. The door is open. The invitation is for you.
People build fences. Jesus builds bridges. Where others excluded, He embraced. Where others labeled, He healed. And where others locked the door, He became it. He doesn’t require you to clean yourself up before entering. He just says, “Come.”
If you’ve been burned, bruised, or left behind by religion, know this: Jesus sees you. He knows what happened. And He’s not like them. He’s not keeping you out. He’s welcoming you in. The only question now is, will you walk through the door?
There’s a kind of pain that doesn’t come from sin or suffering; it comes from religion. Maybe you’ve felt it. You tried to walk into a church but felt like you didn’t belong. You asked questions and were met with shame. You wanted to know Jesus but ran into gatekeepers who seemed more interested in guarding traditions than opening the door to grace. That’s not the heart of Jesus.
When Jesus said, “I am the door,” He wasn’t just offering another religious path. He was tearing down the walls that had been built around God. In His time, access to God was policed by religious leaders who made holiness feel like an exclusive club. But Jesus flipped the whole system. He didn’t say, “I’ll show you the door.” He said, “I am the door.” No more middlemen. No more systems. Just Him.
This matters especially if you’ve ever felt like you were on the outside looking in. If religion made you feel unworthy, overlooked, or disqualified, you need to hear this clearly. Jesus didn’t come to build walls. He came to tear them down. The door is open. The invitation is for you.
People build fences. Jesus builds bridges. Where others excluded, He embraced. Where others labeled, He healed. And where others locked the door, He became it. He doesn’t require you to clean yourself up before entering. He just says, “Come.”
If you’ve been burned, bruised, or left behind by religion, know this: Jesus sees you. He knows what happened. And He’s not like them. He’s not keeping you out. He’s welcoming you in. The only question now is, will you walk through the door?
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