John 10:10 The Shepherd’s Intent for All
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 NASB
Sheep are important. To the shepherd and the thief (and probably a few wolves close by too). The sheep pen is a safe place, and the gate or door allows access. The shepherd owns them and cares for their wellbeing, intending health and life. But the intent of everyone else is their own gain… otherwise they would respect the shepherd’s boundary.
Death or life.
Life abundantly is the goal. More than enough. Overflowing. Beyond expectation. This is what he has given me. Whether or not my experience has caught up.
And now for the parade of adjectives.
“Abundantly” in the Greek is perissos meaning: more, greater, excessive, abundant, exceedingly, vehemently; Thayer says: over and above, more than is necessary, superadded, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon. Pulpit commentary says, “more than they could possibly use.”
Since I’ve been a boy, I have recognized how big life is. When I walk into the library, the sheer volume of possibility is staring at me from every row of books. But I must pick one. Or, at least what my arms may carry. And with every choice it seems like I’m leaving infinite possibilities on the shelf. The same is true of my time, the subjects at school, the fun and play that I have. It would take many lifetimes to know the depth that God has created for me. I may find fulfillment in Him for all of my needs.
Between 2005 and 2010 I experienced a recurring mental picture of railroad cars filled with gems and treasures. In one, I was a little boy exploring the enormity of a single car, which seemed bottomless, while the rest stretched as far as the eye could see. During this period of time I was not working and had limited income and tucked this experience in my heart as a promise of days to come. Today, as I recall that time I recognize that it didn’t represent the future, it reflects the present — the condition of the kingdom I am in. God is. Always in the now, this moment. Faith is not forward looking, rather, it is trusting that God’s word to me is true. Now. The experience or timing of those things may be specific, but the enjoyment, knowledge, and assurance of their substance may be experienced while being in the now. He gives me the absolute confidence that His kingdom is present, today, where I am, and that the expression on earth will follow. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”
God’s intent for man from the beginning is a life that is good and full. Daily, I must walk in the minefield of threat and fear while intersecting with the world, in order to arrive at the verdant pastureland of living fully that he wants me to experience. My earthly and broken life has been thoroughly trained to experience and expect loss and expect my life to be cut short. These are shocking realities to contrast with what Jesus is saying. But the journey (as his sheep) begins today. Not in fear, but in embracing the moment I’m in, embracing the thief or the killer standing before me and experiencing God’s reality that there is no fear in love. The issue that makes me feel threatened is my unresolved misalignment with the kingdom experienced in my earth-centered, time-oriented thinking. Yes, there are real threats and horrible events that occur, but they do not threaten me. The spirit me. My internal self. The me inhabiting my body. These things cannot knock me from my equilibrium or peace when I realize that ultimately, I am not my body. The word he gives me in the face of them all is, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
Yesterday I had a unique time running on the Sammamish River Trail. Every time I passed a walker, inevitably, other walkers, runners or bikers were also intersected. There was rarely, if any, time when I could simply run past someone without experiencing this intersection. At one point, I saw a walker and thought, aha! no bike is coming! Then around a corner a guy with fat mountain bike tires came careening by. It made me laugh out loud. This wasn’t just coincidence. It was a divine message. Timing. When heaven’s timing is right on earth, paths intersect. Something what wouldn’t normally happens, happens. Others can see coincidence. But as I observe, I see a reminder that while experiencing the benefits of heaven in my spirit now, there is an aspect of timing of elements on earth that I cannot fully understand or appreciate.
This is life abundant. He has declared this over his sheep. Overflowing. Pressed down and shaken together.