A gate can serve several functions. It opens and shuts to access a fenced area. It prevents a child from climbing the stairs or a dog from messing up your carpet. Want to fly away for a great vacation? You’ll have to go through the gate. In one of the seven “I AM” statements by Jesus, he reveals himself as the gate. It’s a strange metaphor and His declaration went over the heads of the religious leaders he was speaking to. They loved power and control. Like bouncers at an exclusive club, they saw themselves as gatekeepers and relished determining who was in or out. But this declaration by Jesus swung the gate wide open and pointed to himself as the only way to freedom, life, and abundance.