Sheep Gate

The Sheep Gate

The Sheep Gate, also known today as Stephen's Gate (as it was by this gate that St. Stephen was martyred), or the Lions Gate (As Suleiman, one of the Muslim leaders who captured Jerusalem, had a dream that Lions were attacking Jerusalem, so he build this gate with pictures of lions on it to protect the city - little did he know that one lion was Satan, trying to bar God's people from entering His city and the other was Jesus, the Lion of Judah, claiming Jerusalem for His own), is located on the east wall, north of the Temple Mount.

"Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built."

Nehemiah 3:1-2 (NKJV)

The Sheep Gate was the first to be restored, and was rebuilt by the High Priest and his fellow priests (see Hebrews 4:14-15; 7:24-8:2). It was called the Sheep Gate because it led out to the sheep markets, where lambs were sold for sacrifice in the Temple (see John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7), and in to the Sheep pool where sheep were washed for sacrificing (later it became the Pool of Bethesda). This gate also led to Golgotha, the path Jesus took to the crucifixion.

It has been noted that whenever Jesus entered into the city it was though the Sheep gate. It was at this gate (Pool of Bethesda) that Jesus healed the palsied man as he entered into the city. (John 5:1,2)The only time this was different was when Christ entered into the city from the Mount of Olives at His triumphal entry. If Jesus came into the city through the sheep gate it was significant. He was saying, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The sheep gate led into the temple compound and the brazen altar.

Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated (or consecrated) it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. This is the only gate that was consecrated (set apart as holy) as it was used for the holy purpose of bringing in the sacrifices for the temple.

This was a priestly work. Eliashib and his fellow priests were given the work of building the Sheep gate. His name means "God repays" or "leads back". He was a descendant of David in Judah after the return from Exile in Babylon (1 Chron. 3:24) Not just anyone could do the work. In this story he is a picture of Christ, our High Priest, building the Sheep gate.

His house was built into the city wall (Neh. 3:20). He was the son of Joiakim and the father of Joiada (Neh. 12:10). His grandson married the daughter of Sanballat, who strongly opposed Nehemiah's efforts (Neh. 13:28), possibly indicating some tension between Nehemiah and the priestly leaders. He administered the Temple storerooms and provided a place for Tobiah, Nehemiah's strong opponent. Nehemiah dealt sternly with him and his cohorts.

If the other gates are to have any meaning we must begin where God begins. Everything begins and ends with the Sheep gate. Jesus said, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture."(John 10:9) Before one can do anything to please God we must come through the Gate of the Sheep.

The Sheep Gate represents the experience of salvation made available by the Cross - that is, a realisation that Jesus was the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. The sheep gate then speaks to us of the cross and the sacrifice that was made for our sins.This spiritual gate is the first to be built in our lives and was the first restored truth in the Reformation. It is the starting point of everything but you will also notice if you read the entire chapter that the sheep gate is also mentioned at the very end once we have come full circle. That is because everything starts and ends with Jesus' death on the cross. He is the High Priest who builds and consecrates this foundation gate in our lives.

Once you come to Christ then things begin to make sense. Jesus said you would go in and out and find pasture. I have good news! We aren't alone in finding good pasture. Jesus goes with us. When he has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. (John 10:4) Not only do we find the shepherd but also we begin the Christian life. When one finds the shepherd one hears and recognizes His voice in His word. We know the voice of the shepherd.

He leads us into pastures that are green and healthy. We get ourselves into trouble when we search for our own pasture. The world has its pastures. They are earthly, worldly pastures. They tend to dry up and wither when the heat of trouble and adversity comes on us.

Before we can enter the green pastures the Lord has for us we must come in through the sheep gate. Have you come in by the door? There is no other gateway to glory. That comes at the cross through Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

This is the plea from the sheep gate.

To enter through this gate we must be like Sheep. Sheep are dumb animals, totally dependant on the Shepherd to protect the, clean them, feed them and lead them. We must have this attitude also to enter through the Sheep gate.

We enter to be a sacrifice in His Temple - the washing in the pools of Bethesda may be related to our washing in the waters of Baptism to become a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

After receiving God's favour (The meaning of the Tower of Hananeel) we must see multiplication (the meaning of the Tower of the Hundred). We need to be discipled. The men of Jericho and Zaccur, son of Imri represent this process. Look up thier name meanings and see the characteristics of those who follow up on new converts in Discipleship.

Conclusion:

The first gate represents the saving work of Jesus on the Cross. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is the foundation upon which our life can really be built up. It is possible for this gate to be broken down as we get older in our Christian experience. Once we move away from His grace and the joy of our salvation and move into works then this gate can get battered. We must constantly keep the truth of what Jesus has done for us a present reality in our lives.

After this experience we will be excited and long to tell the world about Jesus. This brings us to the next gate, the Fish Gate.