Bible Verse of the Day Friday September 23rd, 2022

 

John 10:10-11 &14 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me,”

At the beginning of this chapter, we see that Jesus addresses the Pharisees, a group among several Jewish assemblies that opposed Jesus. The Pharisees and other religious leaders did not accept that Christ Jesus was the long-awaited, promised Messiah. Some of them, such as Nicodemus, did believe that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. but did not want to come out publicly for fear of reprisal from the rest of the Jewish leaders. What Jesus was teaching was the opposite of how they served as leaders of the people. Two primary motives kept them from accepting the truth that Jesus was teaching, pride and greed.

Jesus refers to a thief in verse 10, a reference to these religious leaders who cared only for themselves and what they could get from their leadership roles. Jesus said He came so that all could have the "full" life. The Greek word here is “perissos” (Strong's 4053), meaning more, more significant, excessive, abundant, or exceedingly. Some see this full life as worldly wealth when, as we can see in the Gospels, Jesus did not care or concern himself with material riches. The full life is a complete life, the life here in this world and the life hereafter, eternal. 

Jesus said that He was "the good shepherd." In those days, shepherds built makeshift pens for the sheep to sleep. If a thief desired to try to steal or harm the sheep, they would have to climb the fences built by the shepherds. To prevent this from happening, good shepherds would sleep in the doorway of the pen, ever alert to danger, ready to give their lives to protect the flock. This sacrifice is what our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary; He gave His life so that we all could know the full life, that is, life eternal. This full life that we have because Jesus loved us so immeasurably is much more than just an extension of this mortal life we are living now. It is a new quality of life, both in the here and now and throughout eternity, that begins the heartbeat that we accept Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

 

Charles Spurgeon once said that "Life is a matter of degrees. Some have life, but it flickers like a dying candle and is indistinct as the fire in the smoking flax; others are full of life and are bright and vibrant." 

In verses (10:11 & 14) Jesus describes Himself as "the good shepherd" and accentuates two qualities and characteristics by which a good shepherd can be known. First, the good shepherd is ready and willing to give his life for his sheep, and second, the good shepherd recognizes his sheep, and they know Him. Our "Good Shepard" gave His life for us, and He knows us. The question we must ask ourselves this day is: How well do we know our Good Shepard?