Yes, and no. There is much in this scripture. Let me think on it and get back to you. Part of the issue is right now I'm on my phone. Small area to write. When I get to my lap-top, large area to write. See ya soon.

Alright, can't wait to receive your response

I preached on this in my church this morning. I will try and pick some important points out, and share them with the group, it may take a while though. In a couple of days.

@marlenej Oh that's funny haha, well God certainly thinks that this part is very important then.

First, you must realize Jesus made many of His stories with characters common people can relate to. There were shepherds during the time Jesus was alive. any common people could understand stories about shepherds and their flocks.

In that first analogy, Christ was reminding the people that only the true shepherd enters by the gate. If anyone doesn't enter by the gate....they are there to harm the sheep.

The sheep are creatures of habit. They have learned their shepherds voice. They will follow that voice. When the true shepherd leads them out of the pen, they will obediantly follow him. If they hear a voice they are not used to.....they do not follow. Even more, they will scatter and run away from that voice.

The Pharisees did not quite understand the words of Jesus. They were trying to put too much "symbolism" and "meaning" into His words. Jesus knew the common people would understand. He was talking about a common, everyday experiece for them.

v7-10....because some did not understand, Jesus tried to make even easier. He said, "I am the gate. Everyone else are not. My sheep can come in and out. They can find what they need. But, those who are not of me...they are there to rob, kill, destroy. Me, I've come that they (the sheep) might have what they need, and have it abundantly.

v11-13....the "pretend" shepherd is not willing to protect the sheep. They will stay and watch the sheep as long as there is no trouble. But, the minuet there is trouble....they run away....thinking only of themselves, only. I am the good shepherd. I will protect my flock....even to death.

v14-15...I am the sheepherd. My flock knows my voice. They allow me to lead. God knows, and loves me becase I am willing to give all for my sheep.

v16....(a little hard to understand, but I believe...) This verse talks about those who are not in this pen.....yet.(Saved, yet) and, Jesus knows who they are...they know who Jesus....they belong to Him. He will protect them, too.

v17-18...once again, Jesus confirms He is willing to GIVE His life for His sheep. There is NO ONE who can take that life from Him. He gives it so He can take it back.

v19-20....the Jews were always divided about Jesus and His teachings. The "religios leaders" especially. They were afaid of Jesus' techings. They made the people of His day question the religious leaders. The same is true today. He is still contravercial.

I believe the main message of this passage so applies to you. Jesus was very concerned about people who gave a similar, but false message. We need to be wary of those who pre

Never hesistate to ask. We will try our best to provide an answer....if not, we will find someone who can.

Ohh thanks a lot! Yes then indeed this verse was very important for me. This helps a lot! Thanks!!

glad you saw it. This scripture speaks a lot to people who mislead the flock by pretending to be the leader, the person to be followed. But, when trouble crops up, they diaapear. Only Christ, our true shepherd, can lead.

Here are a few points points from my sermon.

Some people mix up the “American dream” or in our case, “The Canadian dream” with what the Bible and Jesus have to say about John 10:10. And this brings us to the point, that those who follow the “prosperity gospel” have baptized the materialistic American dream with some Christian labels. Except for their Christian jargon, the prosperity preachers look pretty much like unbelieving people in their pursuit of stuff. And I won’t even go into how evil exporting this gospel to third world countries is.

The abundant life that Jesus promised has nothing to do with collecting more stuff. It has everything to do with being right with God through faith in Christ and having eternity spent in his presence.

The apostle Paul wasn’t rich in this world’s goods, but he enjoyed the abundant life that Christ offers. He was content with food and covering (1 Tim. 6:8) but he was rich toward God (Eph. 2:7)

In our text, Jesus claims to be the door through which His sheep enter to experience the abundant life. This is the third of Jesus seven “I am” statements.

Now the book of John is one of the gospels, but it is often remarkably different than the other three books – Matt, Mark, and Luke which are the Synoptic or “same seeing” books. One writer describes the gospel of John as follows:

“a portrait of Christ that is deeply satisfying. A profundity of literary energy and that John joins intimacy of expression with penetrating insight.”

Theologically, the book of John is about revelation and redemption. All of the major Christian themes converge in John: belief, acknowledgement of Jesus’ Sonship and the promise of life. More important this book points to a wholly human Jesus who displays his divinity played out in every day life. Early church fathers, like Irenaeus, proposed that the Gospel of John was penned to refute the Gnostic heretics. Jesus was eternally divine, and fully incarnate – fully God and fully man.

One of the ways John does this, is in statements like John 1:1 – The Word was with God.” The Greek, which I won’t get into right now, is a terse statement which refutes both Sabellianism (which is the nontrinitarian belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are just different modes, or aspects of one monadic God, rather than three distinct person,) and Arianism, the belief that Jesus was only a man, not God. (This includes the Jehovah’s witnesses!)

Another way John refutes these early heretics, is the 7 “I am” statements, which I mentioned earlier.

“I am the bread of life” John 6:35
“I am the light of the world.” John 8:12
“I am the door” John 10:9
“I am the Good Shepherd” John 10:11
“I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25
“I am the way, the truth and the life” John 14:6
“I am the true vine, my Father is the vinedresser” John 15:1

Now, while these are all expressive and interesting word pictures, but you might ask how you can use these 7 statements against a Jehovah’s Witness to prove the deity of Christ, the next time they are at your door??

Unfortunately, the Greek wording does not come out in any English translation that I am aware of. But the Greek is very important. The way to say, “I am” in Greek is εἰμί. This is spelled epsilon, iota, mu, iota. My Greek prof this year would have me doing pushups, but I am going to tell you those letters in English. E, I, M, I. Indeed, in each of the 7 “I am” verses I listed just a minute ago, the word “I” or ἐγώ” is also included. This is spelled, epsilon, gamma, omega. Or, in English, earning me more pushups – E, G, long O, ego. Thus, in all 7 of these “I am” statements, John actually says, “ἐγώ ἐιμί” οr “I, I am.” Can everyone repeat, “ἐγώ ἐιμί.” Or just think “I, I am!” But even that is not enough to explain why these statements, among others, made the Pharisees and the scribes so angry, that they tried to stone Jesus for making himself equal with God.

We have to look back to the Old Testament to find the full reason. In Exodus 3:14 Moses asks God whom he is to say sent him to Pharaoh. YHWH gives his sacred name.

“God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Ex. 3:14.

In Hebrew, “I am who I am” is the tetrgram YHWH, or as some transliterate into English, Yahweh. A few hundred years before the time of Christ, Alexander the Great, when he ruled the known world, started a rigorous program of Hellenization (or making everyone into Hellenes or Greeks,) The Jews started were losing their Hebrew. So in Egypt, an ambitious project to translate the OT into Greek was started, for the Hellenized Jews, and completed around 300 years before the time of Christ.

So how do you think this Bible, which was called the Septuagint or LXX (After the 70 or 72 translators who translated the Hebrew into Greek), which Jesus and the disciples also used, translated “YHWH?” In the Greek, Exodus 3:14 was ἐγω ἐιμί. Repeat that ἐγω ἐιμί- The sacred name of God was translated as “I am” in exactly the same way John wrote that Jesus called himself at least 7 times, in the above statements. So next time a JW is on your doorstep, remind him that the 7 “I am” statements in John, or ἐγω ἐιμί, is exactly the same word they translate as Jehovah, in Exodus 3:14!

2. So moving on here, the first “I am” statement we see in our passage for today, is “I, I am the door.” ἐγώ είμι θύρα.

2.Jesus repeats his “I, I am the door” statement in verses 7 and 10. (He also did this with “I am the Bread of Life, and I am the Light of the world,” earlier in the chapter, as he will do with “I am the good shepherd” later on in chapter 10.)

John records Jesus’ description of himself in terms of the metaphor of sheep and shepherding. The door is a place of safety for the sheep. The sheep are rescued or kept safe from harm, whether that is from “thieves and robbers” or natural predators.

The shepherd would build a protective enclosure for the sheep made of rocks or trees and bush, so that they could go in for protection and go out to feed. The shepherd himself would lay across the opening to the shelter at night. Thus Jesus could be both the shepherd and the door. Any intruders had to get by him to get to the sheep. As the door, He let in the true sheep, but He excluded predators or thieves that would harm the sheep.”

The metaphor broadens and reminds us that, Jesus is the door through which we may enter and be saved. This may remind us of messianic readings such as Psalm 118:20

“This is the gate (or door) of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.”

So the purpose of the door is for safety and protection of the sheep, but also that only those sheep that find him and enter the sheepfold and find safety. They alone will know the shepherd’s leadership and exit to find safe, lush pastures. In fact, abundant pastures! These are the sheep that flourish and are content, thanks to the skill of the shepherd.

Next, there are thieves and robbers. It is likely that part of this discourse is referring to “false teachers and prophets” when Jesus refers to “thieves and robbers.” The OT prophet Ezekiel speaks of:

“shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves” and “do not take care of the flock” Ezekiel 24:2-4.

“All who came before me” in 10:8 of our text, encompasses pseudo-prophets such as the ones mentioned by Luke later on, in Acts 5:36-37, and 21:38. It includes zealots, Pharisees and Sadducees in particular who used temple religion for their own profit and elsewhere they are condemned for their greed. (Mark 12:40) Does this remind you at all of the prosperity preachers I opened this sermon with? I met a woman at Seminary, who bought into the Health and Wealth gospel and convinced her husband that God wanted them to empty their bank accounts and savings, and give it as “seed money” to some of these greedy televangelists. In order to make lots of money! Needless to say, they got nothing in return, and as she said, “I am back to try and learn what the Bible really says about giving, and serving God.”

Never forget, Jesus is willing to die for his sheep. Perhaps he has in mind a flock under siege, shuddering under the attack of wild animals. The shepherd stands firm at the door of the sheepfold, unwilling to sacrifice even one of his animals to satisfy the enemy. To die “for” or “on behalf of,” or “ὑπέρ” in Greek is significant. The word “ὑπέρ” in the Gospel of John is used almost exclusively in a sacrificial context, generally describing Jesus’ sacrificial death on behalf of others.

Further, John used the term “I am the door” or “gate” to contextualize Jesus sacrifice to Jews and Greeks who were familiar with the ancient Greek literature since the time of Homer. People in ancient times frequently thought of entering heaven by a gate. Jesus claim to be “the gate” would have resonated with this kind of thinking. The notion of the “gate of heaven” appears also in Jewish sources in both the OT and apocalyptic literature. The Synoptics refer to “entering” God’s kingdom as through a door or gate.

Mary talks about the sheep metaphor above, here is my attempt to talk about it!

So Jesus used metaphors that were familiar to the people he was talking to. Jesus also called himself the “Good Shepherd, “ in verse 11, of John 10.

But as beautiful a metaphor as the sheep and the door are, we can study and watch videos and read books about shepherding, it is not a life most of us readily understand in Canada. Since Jesus adapted his teaching to the time in which he was living – well not truly adapting, but rather using the tools at hand to reveal his truths about the abundant life he provides. Yet it is still not in context to contemporary Christian culture in Canada.

So I thought long and hard as to what might be personal and relevant for most Canadians, and I came up with “The Good Hockey Coach” (or soccer coach, if that is your preferred sport.) (OR, Good Music teacher, drama teacher… you get the picture!)_


• Jesus is the Good Hockey Coach who teaches and directs us - he is transforming our game!
• Jesus is the Good Hockey Coach who has the playbook – he makes us work as a team, in other words, in community.
• Jesus is the Good Hockey Coach who protects the players from the other team. And maybe even the referees?
• Jesus is the Good Hockey Coach who has picked his players, and cares for them. If they are injured, he calls for help, and makes sure they are helped.
• Jesus is the Good Hockey Coach who shows up, and the players can always rely on him.
• Jesus the Good Hockey Coach chases away false prognosticators who are predicting and early end to the season.
• Jesus is the Good Hockey Coach who uses the playbook, to lead the team to victory and success throughout and at the end of the season.

Well, this metaphor eventually breaks down, of course, but if it helps to imagine someone who is there to protect, to care for and even save you, I don’t think Jesus would mind you contextualizing who he is, in order to better understand AND to know his voice, and follow him. (10:4-5)

We have looked at some of the things that Jesus uses to give us the abundant life. But, in fact, the apex of the abundant life is the worship of Jesus Christ. That’s where he has been taking us. He says, “I am the door,” “I am the shepherd” and “I have authority to lay my life down, and as a dead person, I have the authority to take it up again.” And according to C S Lewis, this man is either a liar, a lunatic or Lord. What is he to you?

3. And how do we find this Abundant Pasture? In the Greek, the word “Abundant” is περισσὸν. According to my Greek lexicon by Bauer it means

“pertaining to being extraordinary, abundant, profuse, going beyond what is necessary.

An exegetical book by Rogers and Rogers notes that περισσὸν, means “abundant, superfluous, more than it is really necessary to have.”

(By my reckoning, περισσὸν is a very low frequency word, appearing only 6 times in the New Testament. So it will NOT be on the Greek vocabulary quiz at the end of this sermon!)

I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find a text, reference that would make this apply only to eternal life, and not to this life only. But is this implying earthly riches or the blessings of God – including love, joy, peace, patience, in addition to living better than a majority of people in this world? But, this is very, very important, in context of John 10, the book of John and the whole Bible, I just don’t see this one verse as saying that we are to take our eyes off of Jesus, and put them on the world, and possessions. So let us look at verse 10 again:

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The content of this verse is clear. We are saved from wolves and thieves that come to kill and destroy. We are safe from every enemy that would destroy us. Jesus says to enter by me, and you will be safe forever. Safe! But none of us wants to be merely safe. We were not created to be merely safe. The human heart wants infinitely more than just safety. Oh yes, safety is basic and necessary! We want to be protected from what can destroy us. We want life. Life! But we want more than mere life! We want abundant life! Overflowing life! Deep life! Weighty life! Joyful life! We don’t just want to survive. We want to survive at every level of our human existence! We were made for this! We are blessed to be children of God!

And so Jesus says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, (yes, and more, so much more), and will go in and find pasture.” The point of saying this is that the sheepfold itself represents safety and protection. But sheep don’t want to stay there. In fact, if they stay there, they will die. They want green pastures and still waters. Thank you Jesus!

And I think that when Jesus says in verse 10, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly” he means, “I came that they might be saved and go out and find pasture.” Protection and Plenty! Solid safety and deep soul satisfaction! Abundant life is simply not about having stuff. It’s about having peace. Having Joy! Having God!

There are only two ways to live your life: You can pursue this world for satisfaction, or you can seek after God to satisfy. The world, under the dominion of Satan, will rob, kill, and destroy your soul. Jesus offers life, and that more abundantly.

The Eskimos have an interesting way of killing wolves. They take a sharp knife, dip in seal fat, and plant it blade up in the snow. A hungry wolf will smell the seal fat, which he loves, find the knife, and begin to lick it. As soon as he licks it, he tastes blood—his own blood. But he loves the taste of blood, so he licks more and more, until he finally kills himself. What he thought at first was really living was actually killing him.


Gorging yourself on the world and its sinful pleasures is like that. At first it tastes good, but it’s really destroying you. Only Jesus ultimately satisfies the soul. Only Jesus can reconcile you to God and give you real life—abundant life—that begins now and continues through all eternity.

Conclusion

God has blessed us in our society in so many ways. We enjoy God’s abundant blessings in our lives day by day, even as we remember those who suffer from injustice, oppression, poverty and spiritual darkness. As a mystical, universal and local church body, God has given us abundance! We have abundance in gifts, ministry, caring, prayer and love. We have abundance in teaching, in support and encouragement and comfort. Jesus blessings are for any and all who enter in through him, and find the abundant pasture. This does not mean a life without persecution or other trials. But, we love one another, as Christ has loved us. We share in the abundant life, meaning that not only are we saved, but that Jesus has given us, his sheep enough, more than plenty. We are to be sharing this blessing of abundance in Christ with one another, and then the world. Together we can follow our good Shepherd and find the abundant pasture that God has provided for us.


I’m going to finish with this passage that John wrote in his first epistle and what his thought are what the abundant life is:

“15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 15-17

That is the abundant life – it is all of us finding the abundant pastures, serving and worshiping God and loving one another.

Lord for sure! Thanks a lot Marlene, very interesting and inspiring approach! Helped a lot! God bless!!

Glad it helped! I hope it answered most of your questions!

It even opened my eyes, Marlene.