To have a clear grasp of our text you have to go back to Eden. When Adam and Eve violated the command of God regarding the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, they faced immediate repercussions. They first noticed that they were naked. Then God showed up and proclaimed a curse on the ground, turning what had been sweet labour to hard toil before they could eat. Of course, the woman had her share of the punishment in form of bringing forth children in pain. By far the greater punishment was that they were both driven out of the Garden of Eden without any chance of making it back there on their own. “So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).

So Jesus is the gate to renewed fellowship with the Father. He is the gate to peace, tranquility, and abundance which the Garden life stood for. Those who put their faith in Him have unrestricted access to God and all He can afford.

The foregoing is important if we are going to fully appreciate the claim of Jesus in our text. “I am the gate”, Jesus said. Question: The gate to what? He is the gate to all that the Garden of Eden represented and more. Don’t forget that it was in the Garden that God regularly fellowshipped with Adam and Eve. That was lost when they were driven out of it. So Jesus is the gate to renewed fellowship with the Father. He is the gate to peace, tranquility, and abundance which the Garden life stood for. Those who put their faith in Him have unrestricted access to God and all He can afford. According to Hebrews 10:20, Jesus is the new and living way.