Not the thief you thought

John 10:1-10    “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good – a sheep rustler! 2 The shepherd walks right up to the gate. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.” 6 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. 7 So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. 8 All those others are up to no good – sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for – will freely go in and out, and find pasture. 10 A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. (The Message)

The Message translation of the Bible is almost a commentary. Full of plain English, with adjectives, emphasis, and context that many times we can understand. In the King James version of this, John 10 starts out with, 1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold , but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. There is great emphasis with the Verily, Verily that Christ speaks here. Matthew Henry’s commentary emphasizes the importance; “The preface to this discourse is solemn: Verily, verily, I say unto you,—Amen, amen. This vehement asseveration intimates the certainty and weight of what he said; we find amen doubled in the church’s praises and prayers, Ps. 41:13 Ps. 72:19 Ps. 89:52 . If we would have our amens accepted in heaven, let Christ’s amens be prevailing on earth; his repeated amens.” Therefore, there is great weight in the analogy of The Good Shepard.

Christ is in Jerusalem, and much of this is directed at the religious leaders of the day, the Scribes and Pharisee’s. They had been leading people into many false belief systems, many times elevating themselves and of religious works that earned their ways into heaven. Christ had come to condemn their religious teachings and show that He was the true way. John 10:10 is taken out of context many times, but it was directed at the religious leaders of the day. Christ was pointing his finger at them as thieves and robbers; “”The scribes, and Pharisees, and chief priests, all, even as many as have come before me, that have endeavoured to forestal my interest, and to prevent my gaining any room in the minds of people, by prepossessing them with prejudices against me, they are thieves and robbers, and steal those hearts which they have no title to, defrauding the right owner of his property.’’ (Matthew Henry commentary). The parable of the Good Shepard demands much study.

Satan is just as applicable to the context of the scripture of John 10:10. Satan is a thief and a robber that comes to steal your joy you find in Christ. But scripture must be studied and understood in the context it is written, for you can make anything say what you wish out of context. Christ was speaking of those that were elevating themselves in their religiosity; He was condemning their practices of religion and the leading astray of His flock. The thief was the one in the pulpit at that time. Anything or anyone who elevates themselves, or their system of religion is not of Christ, period.