Jesus told the religious leaders:

1 “Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4 Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

7 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. 10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly."

John 10:1-10 - World English Bible

John 10 began the Good Shepherd discourse, a dialogue Jesus had with the religious leaders. In these passages, he employed many images used the profession of the shepherd: the shepherd himself, his call, the corral for housing the sheep at night (sheep fold) and the gate to the corral. Jesus identified himself with many of these images to describe, not only his relationship with his followers, but the legitimacy of that relationship.

Controversy over a healing ignited the discourse. Jesus accused the leaders of sin, the lack of vision to see God working in the world through his Son (John 9:39-41). Then, he shifted from the spiritual blindness of the leaders to their status among the people. By use of a parable, he undercut their legitimacy, implying they were thieves. Against that charge, he painted the true leader as a shepherd, a popular image for YHWH (Jeremiah 53:6) and the ideal king, David (Psalm 78:70-72).

At this point, let us investigate how shepherds tended their flocks. Modern techniques of the shepherding used dogs to scare sheep (running and barking) and to corral the flock from behind. An ancient shepherds in the Middle East, however, treated the animals in his care as pets, giving them individual names and care, and led them by walking in front of the flock and by using a unique call they could associate with him. Ancient shepherds would combine flocks in a corral at night, then take turns watching the sheep so their fellow shepherds could sleep. At the shepherd's call in the morning, his sheep would exit through the gate, leaving the other sheep to await their leader's call.

With this background in mind, we can now understand the language Jesus used. Only the shepherd could legitimately enter the sheep gate, call to them and lead them to pasture. Anyone besides the shepherd who wanted to lead was a usurper, a thief. In the context of the controversy from John 9, Jesus clearly questioned the leaders claim to authority, replacing their's with his own. The mantle of divine and Davidic authority lay with him; he was the only one who could enter the corral (i.e., Israel), call to the flock (with his teaching) and lead the faithful.

In 10:7-10, Jesus described himself as the sheep gate, the "door" to the corral. He was the only true conduit to the Father and the only means to eternal life. Others who claimed such authorities "stole" the faithful. As a result, those who followed the Christ would find life, but those who clung to the religious leaders would only find death and destruction.

How is Jesus your "door" to life?