On a recent trip to Italy, my husband and I wandered through ancient Etruscan villages—some dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries.
One of the most quoted Scriptures of Christ is found in the book of John: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Most Christian have this truth seared across their hearts.
But Christ also claims to be a fascinating object that, when in Italy, I encountered in a new way.
And somewhere along those narrow Etruscan streets, I found myself deeply pondering that object.
Jesus said, “I am the door.” (John 10:9)
As we wound our way through cobblestone streets in Montepulciano and Siena, walls of stone rising on either side, I noted that homes were pressed together, generation upon generation built into a single structure of township walls.
There were no yards or driveways through which to enter a property. Just doors in endless stone walls marked by massive wooden panels, worn iron handles, bold colors, and carved stone borders. Each door looked distinct, and I knew each one told a story of the home or small mercantile on the other side.
Everything else blended together.
And while I took picture after picture of those beautifully hand-crafted doors from centuries before me, that biblical statement surfaced with clarity:
“I am the door.”
ACCESS
Jesus did not describe Himself as one salvation option among many. There is but one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ, the door. The door is our point of entry. Through Him, access to the Father is opened, not through effort or lineage, or alliance with a certain religion, but through a Person (John 14:6).
A door also protects those inside. In ancient cities, once the door closed, danger remained outside in the street. Scripture describes salvation in similar terms—not as improvement, but as rescue and transfer (Colossians 1:13). Jesus, as our door, allows us to move from one domain to another and from exposure to covering.
HOME AT LAST
“I go to prepare a place for you…” (John 14:2)
Eternity is not an abstract concept but a real place that is intentional and prepared. Jesus declared to His disciples (and to you and me) that He is preparing a new home for us. Our door bids us to enter into an eternal home—one that we will dwell in forever.
In Matthew 7:7, Jesus tells us “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” You simply need to want in and be willing to walk through Jesus to move beyond mortality and into the eternal.
Confess your sins, admit your need for a savior, believe Christ is who He says He is, commit to following Him throughout your life, and you are destined for your cozy, peaceful, and sinless home with Christ (and the rest of us Christians).
IN AND OUT
“…he will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
The door, however, is not an endpoint. Doors serve as passage ways. Those of us who enter are not meant to remain hidden away permanently. In the above Scripture, Jesus clearly explains that anyone who enters the door of salvation through His single access will be saved. But He also mentions activity. The expectation is that we will be going in and out the door.
I believe His words point to the truth that, after we’ve received salvation, we’re expected to go back out, carrying our renewed minds and heart into the world.
Identity formed inside with Christ becomes visible when we step outside the comforts of church and our small groups of believers. What is received in Christ does not stay contained but is expressed and lived for unbelievers to observe.
And, we’re not to just look like Christ to a fallen world, but we are to be the light of Christ in the darkness that looms over societies today.
In and out the door we go, serving, speaking truth, and showing others the way to Christ. This is courage under pressure—taking the gift of salvation and sharing it with a hostile, anti-Christian world.
And like those little villages had homes that connected one to another with generations of families, we’ll are building the future kingdom, connected one to another for eternal generations.
LOOKING AHEAD
I hope the corner of eternity Christ prepares for me looks like the ancient villages of Tuscany with cobblestone streets and doors that tell stories of history, family, and love. I long to live among loved ones under the perfect governance of Christ. What glorious days those will be.
The villages remain. The doors endure. Generations come and go, but the entrance into salvation and eternity never changes.
Christ never changes either. His promises are as true today as they were when He made then and when the walls of those tiny 4th century villages were being erected. Praise God!
Be bold and stand strong with courage under pressure,
Laurie