I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:10
In the passage prior to today’s verse, Jesus had given sight to a man who had been blind since birth. The Lord spat on the ground and made mud with His saliva, anointed the man’s eyes with the mud, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. He did so and came back seeing.
Skeptics questioned the man, but he was adamant and declared, “Why this is an amazing thing…never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” (John 9:1-33). The formerly blind man was given a new life, both physically and spiritually, for he later declared his belief in Jesus Christ as well.
The Pharisees asked Jesus if they were blind, to which the Lord replied by describing a shepherd and his sheep. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and know him. They follow him because he will take care of them, protect them, and lay down his life for them. In the same way, Christ is the Good Shepherd, caring for His flock. He came that you “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:7-11). It is a life with advantages; you can rejoice in all things, living with the expectation of eternity, and joy in your daily life without fear of death. What could be greater?!
It is a caring intimacy of love and trust of the sheep with the Good Shepherd.
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