Where below you read "the deceased" Pastor Manuel
inserted the name of the individual.
When a person is a Christian as long as the deceased was, he develops a cadre of favorite biblical passages, those that express for him the essence of life with God. One such passage (NASB) is what Jesus said:
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10b)
This portion of scripture comes at the end of a extended pastoral metaphor Jesus uses to depict the central role he has in God's program, especially for his followers, whom he describes as sheep. Jesus makes two important claims about his mission, claims that the deceased recognized and embraced.
Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. (John 10:7-8)
This section follows a debate with some religious leaders about whether or not Jesus is the messiah, the one who would enable people to approach God. In his first claim, Jesus likens himself to the door on a sheep pen, indicating that...
I. He is the means of access to God.
Jesus introduces his comments here in a distinctive way, with a word that typically closes legal testimony or a public pronouncement ("Amen"). certifies a speaker's veracity, that what he asserts is factual, and Jesus doubles it here for emphasis: "Truly, truly."
He then says that those who came before him were selfish. Caring only for what they can take, they were "thieves and robbers," attempting to lure the sheep away from the safety of the fold. Nevertheless, the sheep could resist their trickery. Whether or not they recognized the attempt to deceive them, the sheep knew that the safest place for them was inside the fold, and they ignored whoever would lead them astray.
The deceased was well aware that not everyone who claimed to represent God actually did, that even some radio and TV personalities were like "thieves and robbers," with their own selfish motives. While some were easier than others to spot, the deceased knew that the best protection from them was to stay within the fold, close to the shepherd. The deceased and I spoke often about spiritual matters, and he was always clear on this point. No matter what others might say or think about Jesus, he is the means of access to God.
Continuing the pastoral metaphor, Jesus again likens himself to a door, and herein lies one of the deceased's favorite biblical passages.
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:9-10)
In his second claim, Jesus says...
II. He is the means of access to life.
In stark contrast to those whose agenda is "to steal and kill and destroy," Jesus offers "life," not just a mundane or ordinary existence but a fulfilled life.
One wonderful aspect of Jesus' promise of an abundant life is that it is not restricted to a particular period in history, like the first century when Jesus lived. This proposal is not like food in the grocery store that has a limited shelf-life or like offers on TV that are good only while supplies last. Jesus' provision has no expiration date, and there is no limit to the number of people who can accept it.
The "life" Jesus offers is also greatly enhanced beyond what people naturally possess:
- There is qualitative improvement, making it much better, "abundantly" so.
- Our prospect for the future might not be particularly attractive if we had to live with our current limitations, the aches and pains we experience now. What Jesus offers those in his care is freedom from such limitations.
- There is also quantitative improvement, making it much longer, eternally so. As Jesus says later in the chapter...
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. (John 10:28a)
The "life" Jesus offers is different from our current state qualitatively and quantitatively. It must be both if it is to be truly abundant. Having quality without quantity would be frustrating, because our pleasure would be short-lived. Having quantity without quality would be tormenting, because our pain, in whatever degree we experience it now, whether minimal or severe, would be unending. The life Jesus offers, the life the deceased is now enjoying, includes significant improvement in both quantity and quality, making it eminently and eternally satisfying. This is what Jesus has in store for his sheep, and he is the means of access to life. This is also why John 10:10 was one of the deceased's favorite portions of scripture.
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Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs