Maybe your life feels a little like Jerusalem did in Nehemiah’s day—broken down in places. Some walls still standing. Others collapsed long ago. Maybe it’s your marriage. Your faith. Your joy.

If so, you’re not alone.

Nehemiah knew the ache. He walked among the ruins of his homeland, not just to see the broken stones—but to believe they could rise again.

And God gave him more than a blueprint. He gave him a burden. A holy ache to rebuild not just the city, but the heart of a people.

That’s where chapter three begins. And that’s where we find a gate unlike any other.

The Lamb Who Entered

“Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate; they sanctified it…”

— Nehemiah 3:1

Before any other part of the wall was touched, Nehemiah began with the Sheep Gate. The place where lambs were led to sacrifice. Silent, unblemished, and unaware.

Sound familiar?

Jesus, the Lamb of God, entered through that very gate. He didn’t resist. Didn’t shout. Like a lamb before the slaughter, He opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).

Why? Because this wasn’t His trial. It was ours.

And in His silence, we found our salvation.

One man once told of his time working in a Texas slaughterhouse. Cattle would fight, kick, panic. But not the lambs. One day, he watched a lamb walk up the ramp, turn its head, and lean into the knife. No sound. Just surrender.

That moment undid him.

That’s our Jesus. Silent. Willing. Innocent. For us.

The Shepherd Who Searches

The Sheep Gate wasn’t just a place of sacrifice—it was a place of rescue.

Jesus once told a story of a shepherd with a hundred sheep. One wandered off. The world would call that an acceptable loss. But not the Shepherd.

He left the ninety-nine. He searched until He found the one.

Near the Sheep Gate stood two towers: Meah, meaning hundred—the whole flock. And Hananeel, meaning God is gracious.

Grace is big enough for the world—and tender enough for you.

Maybe today, you feel like that one. Lost. Forgotten. But the Shepherd hasn’t stopped searching. And when He finds you?

He doesn’t scold. He scoops you up and whispers, “You matter. I would’ve crossed the whole world to find you.”

The Gate That Never Closes

Here’s something beautiful: Every other gate Nehemiah rebuilt had locks and bars. Security measures. Safety features.

Except the Sheep Gate.

No bolts. No barriers.

Why?

Because salvation isn’t locked. It’s open. Always.

This was the only gate Nehemiah sanctified—set apart as holy. The only gate mentioned at both the beginning and end of the chapter (Nehemiah 3:1, 32). The first and the last.

Alpha and Omega.

The door where Jesus began His journey… and the one where He’ll welcome us home.

Have You Walked Through the Gate?

Maybe you’ve tried to clean up the cobwebs of your life, year after year. But God’s not just after your clutter—He’s after the spider.

And He already crushed it at the cross.

The Lamb has entered. The Priest has sanctified. And the Door still stands open.

So come.

You don’t need to fix yourself first. You don’t need to carry your shame one step further.

Grace has no gatekeepers. Come through. Today.