“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:14-16)

Although Jesus was speaking in metaphors, it is obvious that the truth He expressed was that that the only way to the Kingdom of Heaven was and is through Him. He is the door or gate, the entrance to the sheepfold. The metaphor of Him as a shepherd enhances this idea because only those sheep that belong to Him get in for the shepherd acts as the door. He knows which belong in His fold and those that recognize His voice, that is, know and believe in Him. Only these He allows in. And as a shepherd, His sheep trust Him and depend on Him for everything. Jesus was speaking to the Jews, but He made it clear that sheep that dwelt outside of Israel belonged to Him as well. The Kingdom of God is now open to people of every ethnic group, language and nationality.

Now as we the assertion that Jesus made, that He alone is the door to the Kingdom of God, logically there are four possible assumptions we can make about Him. Only one of these four can be true.

1. He is a liar.
2. He is insane.
3. He has a demon.
4. He is who He says He is.

The first three assumptions cannot stand up to the evidence of the life of Jesus. He was a kind, compassionate and loving teacher who spoke with authority, grace, and wisdom. He touched people and healed their physical and emotional diseases. He raised at least three people from the dead. He cast demons out of several men and women. These are not the actions of an evil man, a liar, a crazy person, or someone demonically possessed. Thus we are forced to conclude that one who does and speaks such good and righteous things cannot be a liar, or insane, or demonic. He must be who He claims to be. He must be God.

And, logically, there can be only one God, only one supreme, all-powerful being. And if Jesus is that Being, there can be no other. As much as we hate to admit this, there is only one way to God, only one pathway to eternal life. That is through Jesus. Thus Jesus does not allow us the option of believing that faith in any other being, idol or god can save a person, can bring them peace, happiness, eternal life, or nirvana.