![]() ![]() Even worse, Israel had gone hundreds of years without a well-known prophet to give them God’s word. Even though the Israelites had returned from exile and had a temple again, they were under the Roman thumb, and they hadn’t had their own king in centuries. ![]() They not only memorized entire Old Testament books, but they also memorized the oral commentaries on those books (which they believed were passed down from Moses).Īt the time of Jesus, Israel was long past its glory days. No one took God’s commands more seriously than the Pharisees. What Is the Yeast of the Pharisees and the Lie They Believed about Abundant Life? But to understand the Pharisees’ fatal mistake, we need to see where they were coming from. It is this lie, specifically, that Jesus is challenging in John 10. The lie the Pharisees built their “abundant life” around is a lie that many of us still believe today. In the Pharisees’ minds, they were the heroes, trying to point Israel back to a life of following God-an abundant life, one might say. But it’s easy to overlook why and how the Pharisees became the villains. ![]() Today, the word “Pharisee” means “hypocrite,” and we know them as the villains of the New Testament. Jesus is accusing the Pharisees of being thieves, robbers, and destroyers of the flock! I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” ( John 10:1,8,10, NIV). “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber…All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them…The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. In John 10, Jesus claims to be that promised shepherd of Ezekiel 34-the Good Shepherd-and he contrasts his shepherding with those who came before him (such as the Pharisees). “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep! You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them” ( Ezekiel 34:2b-5, NIV). What Is Jesus Telling the Pharisees When He Talks about Abundant Life?Įzekiel 34 isn’t the most well-known prophecy, but it foreshadows John 10 with uncanny accuracy: To do this, Jesus uses a metaphor which the Pharisees can’t seem to figure out-a shepherding metaphor they should have known well from Old Testament prophecy. However, Jesus is also condemning the Pharisees. ![]() He’s speaking to the needs of people like the man he healed: people who hunger for God but don’t understand how they can approach him-people the Pharisees had overlooked or rejected. In John 10, Jesus is speaking in response to these events. After the healed man defends Jesus, the Pharisees throw the man out of the synagogue. In John 9, Jesus gets in a conflict with the Pharisees for healing a blind man on the Sabbath. Who Is Jesus’ Audience in John 10:10 When He Speaks about Abundant Life? Let’s dig deeper into John’s context to see what Jesus is getting at. In fact, it’s deep within Jesus’ famous Good Shepherd narrative. No Bible verse stands on its own, and John 10:10 is no exception. Who wouldn’t want it? John 10:10 is the sort of “live your best life now!” verse that gives us a vague feeling of encouragement. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” John 10:10.Īn abundant life sounds wonderful. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. ![]()
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