Illustrated Bible Stories
Home > Teaching > Illustrated Bible Stories > 5. The Easter Story > 6. The Good Shepherd and The Gate
Jesus said, "I am the Gate' John 10 v 9
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POWERPOINT
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SLIDE 1
Jesus said ‘I Am the Gate’. Now that seems a strange thing to say doesn’t it. What did He mean? All around us there are different types of gates, you may have one by your house or in your garden. To understand what Jesus meant by calling Himself ‘The Gate’ we need to hear something about shepherds, their sheep and the sheep gate.
SLIDE 2
In Jesus’ time and still in some places in the world today, shepherds look after sheep. A shepherd would spend all day with their flock, taking care of them and making sure they were well fed and kept safe from any danger.
SLIDE 3
Every morning a shepherd would lead his sheep out of the sheepfold where they had spent the night and take them to a place where they could eat fresh grass. At some times of the year there was not a lot of grass to be found, so the shepherd would have to search carefully to find new grass.
SLIDE 4
The sheep knew the shepherd’s voice and would follow him, trusting him to lead them safely to the place where they would eat that day. The sheep would not follow anybody, they would only follow their own shepherd.
SLIDE 5
When they got to the right place, the sheep would graze whilst the shepherd watched over them. The shepherd cared very much for his flock and there were dangers around, things that he would need to protect the sheep from, wild animals were always looking for a tasty meal.
SLIDE 6
The shepherd would not let the sheep out of his sight. He knew that sheep can sometimes be quite silly and wonder off on their own.
SLIDE 7
If he saw a sheep doing this he would quickly bring them back to the safety of the flock.
SLIDE 8
Before dark the shepherd would gather the sheep together and lead them back to the sheepfold. Very often they would travel over the hills and through valleys. All the time the sheep would listen out for the shepherd’s voice.
SLIDE 9
In some places, the sheep had to go in single file following the shepherd very carefully indeed.
SLIDE 10
Somewhere along the way the shepherd would lead the sheep to water where they could drink, after the day’s munching.
