september 20, 2024

September 20, 2024

John 10v10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus has made two analogies about His ministry using a topic very familiar to His listeners: shepherding. The first relied on the idea that sheep instinctively listened only to the voice of their particular shepherd, and no other. This, Jesus implies, is why His religious critics reject Him: they are part of another flock, one ultimately owned by the Devil (John 10:1–6; 8:42–47). In the second application, Jesus claims to be “the door,” meaning the single narrow opening in sheep pens of that era. This was the sole means by which sheep were able to come and go. Jesus’ detractors, then, are like thieves and robbers who are trying to take sheep without using that door.

Here, Jesus begins His third and most detailed analogy. He has already compared the hypocritical, tradition-bound religious leaders to thieves. The purpose of a thief, so far as the flock is concerned, is only to wreak havoc; the robber causes mayhem for his own selfish gain. In the same way, ungodly people who claim to be spiritual cause suffering in others for the sake of their pride and greed 

In contrast, Jesus seeks to not just preserve life for the sheep, but to provide it. In the prior analogy, Jesus claimed that as the one and only door, He was the means by which a person could “be saved.” . Here, Jesus deepens that claim by saying that His purpose is not only tied to life, but to an abundant life.

Prayer :

Father in Heaven, give me the grace to know and discern who will come towards me as a thief, and he who will come in your name, I pray for the grace to benefit of your grace in abundance. 

Amen. 

Eden Ebo. 

Author: THE MANNA