John 10:1-10

 John 10:1-10

The last half of verse 10 is one of the most beautiful and popular verses in the book of John. After all, who doesn’t want abundant life? The problem is that we misunderstand what Jesus meant when He talked about “abundant life."  Shaped by our consumerist culture, our fallen nature, and too often times false teachers, we assume that the abundant life is personal peace and affluence. If you think that following Jesus means primarily or ever secondarily that you will enjoy owning more stuff than you really don’t know what Jesus was talking about.

In these verses and those that follow, Jesus is talking about the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep, between Himself and His people. Notice that the shepherd calls the sheep, the sheep hear and recognize His voice, and the sheep follow Him. There is nothing about possessions in this description; it is all about relationships.  The “abundant life” is being with Jesus. If you think that is not enough, what you are saying is that Jesus is not enough. Which, by the way, is a good indicator that you are not really following Jesus. 

There are now, and always have been, plenty of 'strangers’, 'thieves', and ‘robbers’ that want to steal sheep. They are easy to recognize because rather than leading people to a relationship with Jesus, they use and manipulate them. There are plenty of people who are willing to follow anyone who will promise “personal peace and affluence."  But these are not so likely to be sheep as pigs, unclean and fit only for the filth and mire of their carnal appetites. 

"Lord, give me a heart that will be satisfied if all I have is you.  AMEN"