John 10:10 arguably is the most quoted verse in this text. The contrast between the work of the thief and the shepherd could not be starker. The intent of the thief is to steal, kill, and destroy. The intent of the shepherd is to give abundant life. What will happen to the sheep? Will it be devoured or will it be preserved to live abundantly? The thief wants to take away the identity of the sheep. It goes missing from the fold. There is no sheep to hear its name. An eaten sheep cannot hear. The progression is that the thief steals it in order to kill it in order to destroy it. There are many levels on which this happens. If people are sheep, then what takes them captive? Jesus has already told us in John 8 that one is a slave to sin. Sin takes one captive. Romans 6-7 speak of one being in bondage to sin. Sin robs us, taking our very lives. It kills us and destroys us. It is a horrible thief who has no conscience. Once it gains access into our lives it is not satisfied until we are destroyed by it. It takes and takes and takes, until we are no more. The protection around the sheep pen is not for some occasional wolf who might pick off a sheep or two. This is more than the BIG, BAD WOLF. The monster that lurks outside the sheep pen would make King Kong look like a toy monkey. Its appetite for destruction is voracious. It cannot be satisfied. It is like a roaring lion seeking whom it may devour. We have no protection from this thief without the shepherd. We have no chance of survival without His protection.
So what does our shepherd seek to give us? Abundant Life! The word life is ZOE, which is eternal life. The "abundant" part is the magnitude of life. How much life is this? It is not measured in quantity, but in quality. How would you describe a quality of life on earth? We often speak in terms of end of life decisions as being a matter of quality of life. We might be able to extend the quantity of a life (number of days) without extending the quality of that life. We make decisions on this basis. So what is quality of life? Eternal life is quality of life. On earth we think in terms of having what we need and want (food, clothing, shelter, a degree of comfort, meaningful pursuits, healthy relationships, and exciting entertainment). If we had sufficient resources (i.e. money) we could design the life we would like to have, and once fixed just like we want it, call it quality. However, we observe many who have sufficient resources and do arranged their lives just like they want them and still do not have quality.
Perhaps we should admit that we do not know how to create quality of life for ourselves. This abundant life is a result of Jesus coming. Without His coming we could not have this life He speaks of in this text. A full and abundant life, even a super-abundant life can only be provided by this one shepherd. He alone knows what eternal life is. He alone can provide it. We usually do not believe that. I know we don't because of what we do with our resources. When we get anxious we buy more stuff. When we get afraid we eat. When we get bored we book a flight or go see one more movie. We are constantly arranging our lives to provide for us this quality we are looking for. We chase eternity when it can only be had as a gift. This quality of life Jesus promises is not merely being saved and not having to go to hell (think of the opposite of quality of life). It is an experience God intends for us to have beginning now. We do not have to wait till we die to experience quality of life. But, real living is not in the living-it-up culture of our day. It is going deeper and deeper into knowing the Father and the Son (John 17:3). I am not saying not to enjoy things here. I am saying even the things you enjoy here will leave you empty if you do not experience first and foremost the quality of life that Jesus came to give you as your shepherd.
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