Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
One nice thing about the relatively itinerant life of the ministry is the chance to learn new things. In New Orleans we learned a French word “Lagniappe,” which means “a little something extra.”
In Christ we have a similar experience of something extra. Not only does He offer us eternal life, and forgiveness of sins, but he also offers an abundant life here on earth. Let's look at it from John 10.
The Thief of Abundant Life:
The world is full of thieves. Too many people covet what others have, and they take it in any way that they can. This makes us lock doors, have alarms, and have guards. Theft is common and few people escape being a victim of it.
When I was a pastor in east Alabama, I routinely saw three of the four members of one particular family in church every Sunday. The three which came varied from week to week, but I never saw all four in church at the same time. When I inquired about this unusual pattern of attendance, I was told that they always left someone at home in their isolated farmhouse to keep watch on it and their tractors and other farm implements.
The most insidious thieves are the ones you don't see. I once had my suitcase stolen during a train journey in the United Kingdom. Apparently, the thief simply boarded the train during a stop at a station, walked through the train, grabbed a random bag, mine, off the luggage rack, and then left the train. I was none the wiser until I reached my destination and my suitcase was gone!
In a different way, the embezzler, the tax cheat, and the bribed government official are also unseen thieves as are processes in your body that you can't see but which are dangerous. For example, a woman I know must be careful with the dosage of her thyroid medication, because if the level becomes too elevated it will cause her calcium levels to drop, robbing her of bone mass. Things like this can make you miserable, but you don't know why.
Spiritual thieves are even more dangerous. These scheme to get our loyalty, time, money, enthusiasm. Once they get them, they waste them, and give nothing back. Some of these thieves include Satan, false religions, secular humanists, and other charlatans. Satan is chief among these; he is jealous of God and he will do anything he can to hurt him. That usually means hurting God's people, the ones whom God loves.
The Door to Abundant Life:
Sheep need a shepherd to survive and to thrive. Sheep are not very smart, and they have poor eyesight. They have few defensive weapons to protect themselves. Sheep don’t have any means to resist an attacker except to lumber away. The phrase “As meek as a lamb” has a solid basis in reality.
In this passage, Jesus calls Himself The Good Shepherd. Like a human shepherd, He leads the sheep, He feeds the sheep, and He protects the sheep. He is entirely responsible for the sheep and the sheep thrive or die at His hand.
One of the most important tasks of a shepherd was to create a sheepfold where the flock could be protected at night and where they could have rest. The 1st Century was a period long before the advent of barbed wire or fencing like we know it today. What shepherds would do would be to create a corral of thorns which would protect the sheep on three sides. But, what about the opening at the front of the sheepfold? What would close that opening and protect the sheep? Quite literally it was the shepherd. The shepherd would sleep across the door to the sheepfold and by his personal sacrifice, by laying down his own body across the door, the sheep would be protected and could have a good night's rest.
Without The Good Shepherd the sheep would be lost. They would not have the protection of the fold. They would be led by the thieves into a dead-end trap. They would be devoured by the wolves not kept at bay. They would starve. Just like a glowing coal removed from the fire soon cools, a sheep separated from the shepherd would not last long. That’s one reason why the “Parable of the Good Shepherd” was so appropriate to tell in 1st Century Palestine.
Jesus remains The Good Shepherd and his people are the sheep of his pasture. He does for us, today, what he taught his disciples about The Good Shepherd in John chapter 10. He cares for us!
The Extent of the Abundant Life:
Abundant life comes through protection:
Protection from those who take, but never give back, like the leaders of religious cults and other dangerous, autocratic groups.
It comes from protection from those who teach destructive practices, like those who say, if it feels good, do it.
It comes from protection from those who treat us with disrespect. Child abuse, spouse abuse, and sexual abuse are rampant in the world. The Good Shepherd extends His protection to the least, the last, and the lost.
Abundant life also comes through provision:
The Good Shepherd provides a relationship with God which gives meaning to life.
The Good Shepherd provides us with the ability to establish good relationships to people which gives us fellowship.
The Good Shepherd provides a mission for our lives which gives us fulfillment.
The Good Shepherd provides us the Holy Spirit which gives us comfort, encouragement, and the reassuring presence of God in our lives.
Finally, abundant life comes through promotion of a Godly lifestyle:
God's way is the best way; He will teach us that better way if we let him.
One of my favorite memories of the pastor who baptized me was from a church fellowship that occurred when I was still a child. I was sitting with the pastor and his sons and we were enjoying the menu which included spaghetti. A slight problem developed when one of the pastor's sons began eating the spaghetti but making a very big mess on the table. The pastor patiently taught his son how to take his fork and roll the spaghetti up on the fork before he would put it in his mouth and that way the pasta would not flop around and make a mess by flinging the spaghetti sauce on all who were nearby. In the same way, God teaches us the best way to live so that we don't make a mess of our lives.
If we learn from The Good Shepherd we’ll develop an abundant lifestyle, which will be seen by all as we embody the Fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Conclusion:
God wants us to have more than just eternal life. He wants us to enjoy our lives on this world He created for us.
This promise of abundant life is readily available. All we must do is seek it through Christ, The Good Shepherd!
Every blessing,
Dr. Otis Corbitt
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