Blessed Lent to you my brothers and sisters in Christ! It is my hope that all of you have been remaining faithful and steadfast for the Lord Jesus during this season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Keep persevering my brothers and sisters in the faith, like boxers in Championship matches, or like marathon runners, so that we may inherit the great and wonderful promises of God our Father. Do not give up, but hold fast to your faith, and do not give up when following our Lord Jesus Christ. For he is always with us to the very end of the age.

Today, we must learn an important truth that Christ our Lord reveals to us: that he is the Good Shepherd, and the Door to Eternal Life with God our Father in heaven. As you have read above my brothers and sisters, Christ tells a simple illustration for us to remember, that whoever wants to enter the sheepfold, that is the holding pen for the sheep, they must enter through the door, and if they do not but they climb in by another way, like jumping over the fence, they are thieves and robbers. But to the one who enters by the door, he is truly the Shepherd of the sheep. In fact, this Shepherd is so intimate with his sheep, that he knows all their names, and calls all of them by their names, for the sheep know the Shepherd, and the Shepherd knows them. But to one who tries to look like the Shepherd, or act like him, the sheep would run away from, for they do not know the imposter, the false shepherd. But they know the Good Shepherd, not just intellectually, but intimately.

As you probably can imagine my friends in Christ, the disciples and gathering crowd, which included the Pharisees and Sadducees, did not comprehend what he was getting across here. But Christ himself explains what this means, and he explains it clearly so that we might understand what he is teaching.

The Door is the Word of God. The Word having two meanings: the Word (Jesus) of God himself, and the Holy Scriptures that speak of God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. This is because God the Word wrote the Holy Scriptures himself, through Moses, the Saints, and the Prophets, and the Holy Scriptures reveal God the Word, Jesus himself. What Christ means by the thieves and robbers are those who teach not according to the Holy Scriptures, and not according to Christ himself. These false shepherds lure God's people away from the true teaching that God himself laid out for us who trust in him, and these false teachers as a result will destroy their souls. However, to those who shepherd and pastor the flock of God will find Eternal Life, which is knowing God intimately. The application here to our lives is that if we want to teach the word of God to those around us, we must do it in a way that is according to God, and we must make sure that our teachings are according to Christ. 

This also has another application to our lives as well: If we want to be in the flock of God, where all the Sheep are gathered for the Good Shepherd, we must enter by the Door. In other words, we must enter by the Holy Scriptures that testify to God's Goodness, the Bible, and we must enter through Christ himself, through the means of Holy Communion, Holy Baptism, Repentance, and a life filled with true, living faith in God the Father. A true life that is through Christ would be in imitation of Christ himself. A life through Christ would become Christ-like, and we can do this by the Grace of God that has been given to us.

The expression that Christ himself says, that 'All who came before me are thieves and robbers,' means those who falsely claimed to be the Messiah, such as Judas of Galilee in Jesus' day, who started the Zealots. The ultimate Thief that Christ refers to in John 10:10 is Satan himself, who is the father of all lies and debauchery. Satan spreads lies and heresies within the Church of Christ, and we must be careful not to fall into these traps of lies. But within the same verse, Christ says that he has come for the thieves of this world, that they may have life, and sooner rather than later have it more abundantly. For it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. So, Christ came to give God's Grace to the spiritually sick, the sinners, and to save them from the grip of Satan, and this is indeed doable through God's Grace. The Grace of God brings us into union and communion with God, and far away from separation from God, which is sin and death. Only Christ the Good Shepherd can do this, not the false shepherds, and Christ shows us how this will be accomplished through his discourse of him being the Good Shepherd.

Christ reveals himself to be the Good Shepherd, as he said, "I am the Good Shepherd." In his following discourse, Christ shows that he enters by the door, meaning that he fulfills every prophecy that concerns the Messiah. He also walks in accordance with the Holy Scriptures. He also shows that he knows the Father in heaven, and that the Father knows him, and he shows this by his miracles that only God in the flesh could perform, and his words that are so Holy that only God himself could proclaim it with authenticity. Christ also knows his people personally, through the means of Grace that are transmitted to us, Holy Communion, Holy Baptism, and all the other Holy Sacraments of the Holy Church, and also in Prayer especially. The point is, Christ with intimacy knows his people, and his people know him, and imitate him. And finally, he reveals the great plan of salvation of God, that it won't be only Jews who will eat and drink in the great and wonderful Heavenly Banquet, but also the Gentiles (Non-Jews), will come and share in the wonderful Heavenly Banquet. So then there will be one flock, Jew and Gentile, and one Good Shepherd, Christ himself. All would be invited to share in God's Love, and this will be accomplished by Christ laying down his life for the sake of the sheep, only to raise it up again, a prophecy of his Holy Passion.

So for us who listen and follow, let us make sure that we enter by the door, we enter by Christ, and that we are in the flock of Christ, the Church. Let us be in accordance with his will, and let us act in accordance with his will. And let us follow the Good Shepherd, for he cares for us, he knows us intimately, and he will lead us to Eternal life. Let us imitate and follow him, and let us keep his teachings close to our hearts, and let us always put them into practice. Amen.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever unto the age of ages.

For a visual guide to learning the Holy Gospel, here is the exact teaching of Christ as depicted in The Chosen:
Peace be with you all.