John 10:10 says
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
This is a popular verse. You might have head it often growing up. Your parents might have used it to warn you about people with less than honorable intentions in your life.
Jesus says this, though, to clarify his position for a crowd in disbelief about a miracle he’d just performed. Understanding that the religious ideas of his time led people away from God, Jesus took the time to let people know that he came so people could enjoy life.
It’s a needed reminder in the days and times we’re living.
With the world still recovering from a global recession, social unrest, political upheaval and a deadly pandemic, it seems like we all could use a reminder of how believing in Jesus allows us to enjoy life.
John 10:10 actually gives us that reminder.
Right before Jesus makes this statement, the Bible says a crowd brings a man who had been cured of his blindness to the Pharisees. The Pharisees, not knowing what to think of this, throws the blind man out of the synagogue. Jesus, hearing about the man he had just cured, intervenes on behalf of the blind man. Stepping forward to make himself known as the healer to the blind man, Jesus is accosted by the Pharisees. Apparently, not being happy with Jesus challenging their authority, they try to intimidate Jesus. This is when Jesus makes his purpose known in John 10:10.
It’s important to note that Jesus’ purpose is contrasted to that of the Pharisees. Jesus constantly reminds us that the religious law given by Moses and upheld by the Pharisees is not in accordance with an abundant life. In fact, Jesus says in John 10:8
All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
Jesus has the difficult task of interpreting the awesome Grace of God to people who believed in their own guilt. Jesus had to speak truth to people who believed a lie.
An abundant life is found in believing in Jesus Christ. Let go of the lies about your past. The guilt. The shame. The hurt. The pain. Allow yourself to forgive you for believing in the lies of the enemy. The tricks of the thief. Grant yourself grace. Listen to the Word of God.
