Meditations on John 10:10

As I was coming out of Starbucks the other day, I pulled my keys out of my pocket and a dime flew out and landed out on the ground. Then I was shoving my wallet in the cargo pocket and another dime fell out of my wallet (which is weird because i don’t keep change in my wallet). Two dimes. Ten. Ten. Every day, I either get a message from Angela or send a message at 10:10 am or pm that simply says 10:10. It’s a reminder of the verse John 10:10.

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; but I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.” Jesus is talking to the Pharisees in this passage about sheep and shepherding. They aren’t quite understanding where he is going with all this. Jesus is explaining it to others who didn’t understand it either. He said, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

To steal – klepto – to take secretly, by stealth.
To kill – thyo – to slaughter or offer sacrifice
To destroy – apóllymi – violently/completely perish – implies permanent (absolute) destruction, to cancel out (remove); to die, with the implication of ruin and destruction; to cause to be lost (utterly perish) by experiencing a miserable end.

The enemy is insidious. He seeks to take something that is not his to take. He is sly and tricky, a master of deception who will use any and all means necessary to control and manipulate a person away from the truth. If they are not alert and watchful, they may find themselves in compromise and going down a road they never intended to take. Wide is the way that leads to hell, and many travel that road because they walk in deception — the enemy has stolen their true destiny.

The enemy is violent. Look at the entertainment of today and see how it is about violence (as it was in the days of old) and that is just a clue of how he operates. Violence is rising around the globe. It’s a sign of the end of the age, but it is an indicator of how he operates. He wants to kill off those who are walking in their God giving destiny. That word in this sense means to slaughter or offer as a sacrifice. That’s interesting, isn’t it. It makes me think of offering something pure and good as a sacrifice for something that appears even better but is actually rotting and evil. That happens all the time, doesn’t it. We sacrifice God’s best for the world’s counterfeit crap.

The enemy is a destroyer. All the qualities we think of that bring us assurance that all will be well do not exist in his world. There is no love, no hope, no peace, no joy, no possibilities of anything better. It’s all lies, manipulation, deception. His goal is to cancel you out, to bring you to the point of utter ruin where you see no other way out than suicide or self destruction. He doesn’t want you to know the hope of Christ, the joy and peace you can experience by knowing Him.

Then Jesus makes the contrast — the enemy operates like this, BUT I, Jesus, the gate, the door, the truth and life, I come to bring you LIFE and that you can experience that life in abundance! There is not an opposite situation here. The enemy is not the opposite of Christ. hate is not the opposite of love, because hatred can not conquer it. Love is always strong, love always wins. I can say that with confidence because God is the definition of love. Love is defined by the character of God, and thus will always win because His love is greater than anything the enemy can throw at us. Perfect love – the love of God – casts out all fear. The enemy traffics in fear, but God traffics in love! He desires us to have a life that is rooted and ground in His love. Abundant life is a life where we live in joy even in the midst of trials. Where we give out of our lack and experience joy in the act of giving, and then experience the blessings of God pouring down on us. It’s a rich, full life — full of good gifts from the Father. He’s the good shepherd leading us to lush green pastures bordered by clear life-giving waters, protecting us from the enemy’s attacks. The Lord is good, and if we follow His ways, we will experience this fullness of life!