John 10:10-13

10 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.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 

12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 

13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

“The Hireling vs. The Good Shepherd”

What is an abundant life? To the world, an abundant life is wealth and material possessions. To the world, success is measured by how much money we have saved, how nice a house we have, the brand of vehicle we drive, the clothes we wear, the vacations we’ve been on, how many degrees we have on our wall, how fast we’ve climbed the corporate ladder, how great we are at a sport, or how famous we are. None of this stuff matters when we stand before God on judgment day— none of it. Am I saying that it is wrong to have money saved, a comfortable home, a vehicle, clothes to wear, go on vacations, get an education, be promoted in your career, be great at sports, or be famous? Absolutely not! I’m saying that those things can’t be our main focus. They can’t be what we live our lives for. We must realize that everything that was listed above came from God anyway. All the material possessions we own, every talent we have, and every success we achieve are possible only because God allowed them and gave us the ability to earn a living and achieve success by using our talents. Every material thing on this earth that we call ours can be taken away from us by a thief. But a thief can never take away our salvation, our protection, or our satisfaction that we have in Jesus. Satan is “the thief” who steals, kills, and destroys. He will steal, kill, and destroy our abundant life if we allow Him to. Nothing can separate us from our abundant life in Jesus, unless we allow ourselves to be pulled away. The abundant life that we have while we are here on earth is a life of hope as we walk in the light as He is in the light. But, Jesus took this a step further when He said that He came not only to give us life, but to give us life “more abundantly”. The adverb “more” tacked onto “abundantly” means “over and above”, “superior”, “more than is necessary”, and “surpassing”! The true abundant life that Jesus will give us is an eternity in heaven. Heaven will be an eternity of life “more abundantly”. But we have to consider our lives here on earth to be abundant, not because of any worldly reasons, but because we belong to Jesus and are living for Him. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). My treasure has to be Jesus. Beyond that, everything else will fall in the proper order. 

Verse 11 has a much deeper meaning than I ever realized before. Jesus not only refers to Himself as the Shepherd, but also as the good Shepherd. What does verse 11 say is the reason that He is good? What makes Him good?  It says that the good Shepherd lays down his life for His sheep. Remember… most of the human shepherds/leaders who were over Israel in the past were thieves and robbers (John 10:8). The leaders during Jesus’ time were also thieves and robbers. They would not lay their lives down for their flock. They wanted to rob people of Jesus by denying who He was. I dare say that most actual shepherds who watched over sheep in the fields would not have given their lives for their sheep. God was the ultimate Shepherd for the children of Israel. Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” The Shepherd will provide for his sheep’s needs. The writer goes on to say that the Shepherd leads him “in paths of righteousness”. The Shepherd would never lead him in the wrong direction. If we think about this entire Psalm, we see the Shepherd providing the same thing that Jesus said He would provide in John 10:9 when He referred to Himself as “the door. We see salvation provided…..”I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). We see protection provided…… “I will fear no evil for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4). And we see satisfaction provided, “My cup runs over” (Psalm 23:5). We also see abundance in the overflowing cup in Psalm 23:5 as well. Isaiah 40:10-11 is a prophecy about how God (the Shepherd) would comfort His people, “Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” Listen to the strength and comfort in those words. This is why we can trust God with our lives, no matter what we have to face. 

In verses 12 and 13, Jesus compares the Shepherd to the hireling or hired worker. The hired worker doesn’t care for the sheep as the true Shepherd does. He isn’t going to protect the sheep by getting in between the sheep and the wolves. The hired worker is going to save himself. He is going to run away and leave the sheep to be killed. The hired workers represent the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They did not care about the well-being of the people under their leadership. The hired worker can also represent the false teachers… or pretenders of our day. They pretend to be speaking on behalf of the Good Shepherd, but in reality, they are speaking for Satan and leading the sheep down the wrong path with His lies. Jesus Himself called false teachers wolves in sheep’s clothing in Matthew 7:15. So the wolves in this passage could be false teachers who try to lure the flock away from the True Shepherd. 

The wolves can also represent our problems, hardships, or trials in life. They could be major issues or what we would think of as minor issues. No problem is too big for Jesus to handle. And no problem is too small for Jesus to care about. If we truly belong to Him, there is nothing that we can’t handle. NOTHING. No wolf is too ferocious for the Shepherd. It may snarl and show its teeth, but Jesus will never back down. If Jesus is with us, then we will never back down. No one cares for us the way that Jesus cares for us. Not our husbands, parents, friends… no one. I want us to think about how much we love our children and grandchildren. Focus on that love for a moment. We love them so much that it’s almost hard to express the magnitude of it, isn’t it? But guess what? We don’t love them as much as Jesus loves them. We think we know them better than anyone, but we don’t know them as Jesus knows them. And we want our babies to belong to Him, because we know that He holds their salvation in His hands. He wants so much to save them. I can’t save my children’s and grandchildren’s souls, no matter how much I love them. But the good Shepherd can… and He will, if we raise them to follow Him… if we teach them what it means to have a truly abundant life in Him. The wolves of the world can be vicious. We would never intentionally throw our children to the wolves without the protection of the “Good Shepherd” who has already laid His life down for our precious lambs. There are things that I, as a parent, would have done differently, but I can’t go back. I can only move forward and do the best that I can from here on out. I have six precious lambs, and another lamb on the way. I want them under the care and watchful eye of the Good Shepherd. I pray they stay in His sheepfold always under His protection. Only He can provide the satisfaction and the abundant life they so desperately crave, and only He can provide eternal salvation to their precious souls. 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)