Jesus is the Door, the Way, and the Life

By Archdeacon Habib Guirgus

The Lord said: "Anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit... I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (John 10:1, 9).

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

These are the words of the Lord, and in itself it contains the whole truth: no one can enter into the life of grace except through the door, and no one will be able to walk in the path that leads to virtue unless he follows the path. You will stray if you do not allow Jesus ahead of you. Let Him be the door through which you enter, the way through which you are lead, the truth that you long for, and the life that you are called to live.  Do not follow the desires of your heart and lose sight of Him.

When the poisonous serpents were sent to bite the people in the wilderness, the Lord said to Moses: "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live" (Numbers 21:8). The serpent on the pole was a symbol of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who was hung on the cross, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14,15). You are in the wilderness of this world, which is filled with many poisonous serpents, and if you look to Jesus, you will be saved from the venom of the serpent.

As long as your eyes are lifted to behold Jesus, no harm will come to you, and the old serpent - that is, Satan - will not be able to overcome you.  Keep all your focus on Jesus, admire Him, behold Him reasonably with your mind, and let the marvelous beauty of Jesus be the contemplation of your heart, so that you may be illuminated by the eternal truth, and your heart may be enlightened by the divine energy. Only then will you become vividly beautiful, even more than the sun. The door of grace will be opened before you, and the path of life ahead of you will be made smooth.

As you have accepted the Lord Jesus, continue to walk in Him - walk in His light and depend on His justice. Let your faith in Him be persistent, and allow Him be your rest, the inheritance of your salvation, and the glory in your life. Say with St. Paul: "To me, living is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).

"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:19, 20).