“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

In John, chapter 10, Jesus likens the people of God to sheep that dwell in a sheepfold. Jesus also speaks there of the contrast between Himself (the Good Shepherd) and thieves. Each of them has a different goal and purpose with respect to the sheep in the sheepfold.

The goal of the thief is to sneak into the sheepfold and “steal and kill and destroy.” The thief represents the corrupt religious establishment of Jesus’ day and every false teacher that would ever come along and sneak into the sheepfold. These preach false doctrines designed to help them plunder and take advantage of the people of God and turn them away from the truth.

Jesus, in contrast, is the legitimate shepherd of the sheep that enters the sheepfold through the gate, rather than sneaking in. His goal, along with all the under-shepherds that would come after Him, is to lead the sheep to good pasture. There the sheep will find everything they need for proper growth and health. Jesus and those that follow Him preach proper doctrine so that the sheep will develop and prosper, enjoying the safety and reliance on God.

The worldly thinker misunderstands the door and gate language. He sees the false teachers that come along as liberators of the sheep from the shackles of an oppressive way of life, but that is so far from the truth. Instead, they plunderer the sheep and leave them in worse shape than before.

The goal of Jesus and all His under-shepherds is not to lead the sheep to a penned-up life of mere existence, but to a life that is worth living, to an abundant life. It is the life we were meant to live from the beginning. It is only a life of denial if it is understood that what is denied is everything that is hurtful, rather than helpful. It is only a life of denial if one prefers sin and evil, rather than righteousness and goodness.

If you want a rich and satisfying life, if you want a life of abundance and purpose, then stop paying attention to the thieves and start paying attention to the Good Shepherd.

By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International