– Jesus is clear that “all who came before me are thieves and bandits… the thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy” (John 10:8-10). You see, Satan’s objective is not to steal, kill, or destroy. John 10:10 (AMP) The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. Finally, the view that the thief was Satan began to appear in a few mainstream commentaries in the early 1900s (Arthur Pink is a notable example). Finally, they are the hired hands who abandon the sheep at the first sign of danger, while Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11-18). If we don’t want to misunderstand spiritual warfare then we have to recognize that our simplistic understanding of John 10:10 is not exactly right. John 10:10 Abundant Life. “No one shall snatch them [Christians] out of the Father’s hands” (John 10:28). I ask everyone what it is that Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy. Granted that we have heard this interpretation from many teachers over many decades but we rarely ask this all important question: Is it true? The thief cometh not but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy. We look at passages like John 10:10 and we apply it to me, me, me. Who does Satan want to kill? We find Satan’s objective in Isaiah 14:13-14. “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to Heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north. John 10 10 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. 2 thoughts on “ Spotlight: The Most Misunderstood Bible Verse…John 3:16 ” schroera says: June 6, 2014 at 10:34 am. John 10:10. John 10:10, ESV: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Satan cannot steal you away from God. The Gospels: John 10:10 – The Abundant Life. In Jesus’ Shepherd Discourse in John 10, Jesus contrasts himself with “the thief.” “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it in abundance.” If you hear this verse quoted in a sermon, or see how people use this verse online, you will usually hear that the thief is Satan. I’d like to propose what many might consider a radical idea. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. John 10:10. The thief cometh not but for to steal That is his first and principal view; to steal, is to invade, seize, and carry away another's property. 2 b Early in the morning he came again to the temple . The little word “so” in John 3:16 is frequently misunderstood. Tom Terry is a Broadcast Specialist, having worked in talent and administrative positions in broadcasting for 30 years. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. So, we see that Satan’s objective is to become like God. And yes, he tries to steal, kill, and destroy—but not always. Do you feel it’s all about you? But is that what Jesus meant? Augustine, Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria, Theodore of Mopsuestia and others all had this interpretation. John 10:10. In order to accomplish his objective he has many strategies and tactics. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. While in Mongolia, Tom hosted the number one rated television program, Together Through The Bible, and authored 40 Bible studies used by the ministry to teach discipleship to more than 25,000 Mongolians nationwide. For example, shepherd had been a metaphor for king for at least a thousand years before Jesus used the metaphor here; this is why the crowds soon ask him if he is claiming to be the Messiah, the expected king (John 10:24). Everything he does illustrates this purpose. They are foolish gatekeepers who cannot tell the difference between a thief and a shepherd (John 10:1-6). I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”. John 10:10 [10]The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. [1] T. Cajetan, In quattuor Evangelia, cited in John 1-12 (Reformation Commentary on Scripture: New Testament IV), ed. I was unable to find a single commentary from those centuries that even mentioned the interpretation that the thief referred to Satan. John Calvin, as he explained that the thief referred to false teachers, mentioned that Satan is the source of false teaching, but he still did not interpret the thief as Satan. As an example, have you ever wondered why Satan has created so many false religious systems in the world that believe so many different and contradictory things? [3] In fact, Jesus was intentionally reusing an existing shepherd parable from Ezekiel 34. Jesus is discoursing on those who have come before as false messiahs and self-serving shepherds with ungodly motives. Jesus had just finished healing a blind man who just gave himself to Jesus. Think about it for a moment as I explain what most people think of when they read John 10:10. (The amount of obscure documents that can be accessed on Google Books is quite amazing!) This is because these three things are not objectives. [ivory-search id="86" title="Default Search Form"]. We have been told that Satan’s objective is to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us. But all of his focus is on defeating Jesus. So, the economy is bad…” Even those people who wouldn’t misuse this verse, largely misunderstand John 10:10 and so I wish to demonstrate how proper hermeneutics can help us to see this verse’s meaning. Understanding John 10:10 is most important to every Christian because it determines life or death or really living compared to mere physical existence devoid of real life. But refocus and recognize what Satan is attempting to do to Jesus through his attack on you. However, thief and bandit are used as metaphors for the leaders of Israel in the Old Testament (Isa 1:23, Jer 2:26, 7:11, 23:30). •              What does Satan want to destroy? If we don’t want to misunderstand spiritual warfare then we have to recognize that our simplistic understanding of John 10:10 is not exactly right. The wolf. In general, symbols in the New Testament were not new; instead, Jesus and the apostles used existing symbols from the Old Testament or from their culture. In point of fact, Jesus is telling us what Satan wants to do to him, and to his disciples. The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. Not convinced? He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Parables are familiar to many people, but not always correctly understood. The simple lesson which our Lord intended to teach in this familiar passage has often been strangely mistaken. In fact, we might go so far as to say that we are the ones who are charged with stealing and destroying. Gary studied at Talbot and Fuller, and focuses his studies on the Gospel of John, the Synoptic Gospels, and the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. Often there is a long list of things that people say Satan wants to steal from us or destroy. What does Satan want to destroy? Nor can Satan destroy the church, God’s covenant community. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus died for earth's sinners, who like sheep have gone astray. Within a single parable, we expect the symbols to stay the same, so there is no reason to think that Jesus has started to talk about Satan. 13800 Biola Ave, La Mirada CA 90639 — © Biola University, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Satan has objectives, strategies, and tactics. Satan possessed Judas Iscariot, effectively stealing a disciple from Jesus. So the overall context, moving from John 9-10, down to the discourse, and then down to the parable in John 10:7-10, makes it clear that the thief is a reference to the failed leaders of Israel. We always think in terms of ourselves. Jesus came as the GOOD Shepherd to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and He led out as many as received Him from the Jewish sheepfold to join His other sheep – His gentile sheep. The reference comes from John 10:10 when Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. GIVE TODAY to help pastors around the world share Christ. The wolf is Satan. The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. There is another approach we should take. He is a professor of New Testament languages and literatures and the director of the Master of Divinity program at Talbot School of Theology. In other words John 10:10 and its context is not about what Satan wants to do to us. Who is the shepherd? “I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). First, the entire shepherd discourse is a direct response to the Pharisees’ mistreatment of one of Jesus’ sheep, the blind man (John 9). Then you can stone me. We are our central focus. It can certainly feel that way when the press is squeezing us tight. Such teachers that come not in by the right door, or with a divine commission, seek to deceive, and carry away the sheep of Christ from him, … It is human nature. For many years I, like you, have heard numerous messages and read many texts that all tell us an important truth about spiritual warfare. You see, we’ve read the context of the passage and it’s clear that Jesus is referring to himself, but suddenly we get to verse 10 and we think the passage is about what Satan wants to do to us. View 25 photos of this 3 bed, 4 bath, 3166 sqft. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. Misinterpreting the Thief (John 10:10) Gary Manning Jr — April 28, 2016 In Jesus’ Shepherd Discourse in John 10, Jesus contrasts himself with “the thief.” “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it in abundance.” Before I show you the text and give you my novel interpretation let me clarify things a bit by defining Satan’s objectives. Tom has helped build and train staff of Christian radio and TV stations in three countries. John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Explanation and Commentary of John 10:10. John Peel managed the Misunderstood while working as a DJ at KMEN in California and was instrumental in the ill-fated band’s move to England. John Cena: I think this is the best way to put it: I am very conscience of how long I've been in WWE.Fifteen years as a fully functional performer is a time span that is in rare company. Here is another example of a verse that is taken out of its context and twisted to mean something that it never meant. In the 1800s and early 1900s, many denominations produced Sunday School curriculum and Bible study-oriented newspapers. You see, when we think that John 10:10 is about Satan stealing, killing, and destroying us we are taking the focus off of what Jesus actually said and placing the focus of our attention in this passage on us, instead of on Jesus, where it belongs. It’s right there. Look carefully at passage. Theophylact claimed that the thief represented revolutionary leaders of Israel, and the wolf (John 10:12) was Satan. So if we want to understand what Jesus meant by thief, we need to (surprise!) When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. “Then all the disciples left him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). Gary has been involved in various kinds of Christian ministry for over thirty years, including youth ministry, church planting, and teaching ministry, and still maintains active ministry in the church. The thief comes only to … This verse tells us that the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Can you think of a time when Satan came to steal, kill, and destroy in Jesus’ life? So, who was Jesus talking about in John 10:10? How did the interpretation thief = Satan develop? Jesus, in protection of the man, calls himself the “shepherd of the sheep” (John 10:2,11). look at the context. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. This is an easy mistake to make because the word is used in many different ways in English. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep” (John 10:1-13). That thought, inspired this shirt, made to look like a prisoner’s outfit. What is Blasphemy against the Spirit. “The wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.” Who is the flock? Links To Peel. If Jesus is the shepherd, then who is the wolf? He also said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). I suggest that one reason is that many pastors sometimes make interpretation decisions based on oral tradition rather than based on research. At least 20 other ancient Jewish documents described the ruling Jewish priests as thieves. If we are not careful we could live most if not all of our Christian lives devoid of the functional Zoe life of Christ described by the Apostle James who stated it this way "Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has … Jesus confirmed this by saying, “I am the good shepherd…and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14,15). A few devotional books and some Sunday School curriculum (but still a minority, and no commentaries) began to say that the thief referred to Satan. Thankfully, Jesus has already defeated Satan through the very act of Satan having him steal from him, kill him, and scatter his flock. One such parable is the one to which I draw your attention this morning. Take a look at the context of the passage, which really begins in John 9 when Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. Third, within this particular parable – only one short paragraph! Once we look at the whole discourse, it becomes clear that the thief does not refer to Satan, but to Jesus’ opponents, the self-serving human leaders of Israel. Jesus said he attacks to “steal, kill, and destroy.” So the obvious questions become: •              Who does Satan want to steal from? Now, can you think of a time in the scripture when this happened? Thankfully, God in His Love sent His Son to save sinners like you and me from that fate. John 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. Tom’s latest book is, Like An Eagle, the story of his 10-year experience in Mongolia with Eagle Television. There is no hint that he has switched topics. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But by the mid-20th century, commentaries again began to return to the traditional view that the thief referred to false leaders. What does Jesus possess that Satan wants to destroy? He is the author of Echoes of a Prophet: The Use of Ezekiel in the Gospel of John and in Literature of the Second Temple Period (T&T Clark, 2004). Look what Satan said to Jesus in Matthew 4:9, “All these things will I give you if you fall down and worship me.” Imagine, Satan commanding God to worship him. At home, Gary spends his time with his wife Barbara and their ten children. Even Satan’s best weapons are tools in the hand of God for Satan’s own self-destruction. We are tasked to steal from Satan the souls he has trapped in sin (Jude 1:23; Matthew 12:29). He is our life. It appears that they picked this interpretation up from (it gets complicated here) Aquinas’ misinterpretation of an obscure 11th century commentary by Theophylact of Ohrid. Our lives are not about us. Yet, that is the farthest thing from what the text actually says. The church fathers all agreed that the thief referred to the failed leaders of Israel (like the Pharisees), or failed revolutionary leaders (like Theudas). I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.a He will come in and go out, and find pasture. Jesus! He started his own band at the age of 14 and later joined Tavares. In either case, my point remains: each parable contrasts Jesus with the failed leaders of Israel. 1 Peter 5:8 also tells us that he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. We are to destroy spiritual strongholds (II Corinthians 10:4). Stealing, killing, and destroying are tactics. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. It was a prophecy in picture of Jesus surrendering his life for his church. Satan wants to steal a sheep. For what purpose does the wolf attack? Satan devises strategies to help him attain his goal and he implements tactics to fulfill his strategies. What is the Unforgiveable Sin? What can he steal from Jesus? I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. John 10:10. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Find Top Church Sermons, Illustrations, and Preaching Slides on John 10:10. Recall the story of Jesus suffering. The minds of men have been so fixed upon certain ecclesiastical conclusions which have been commonly derived from it, that the simpler but far profounder teaching which the Master had in mind to give has been overlooked. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. John 10:10 Context. Who comes to attack? What is his objective as opposed to his tactics? He calls them thieves, robbers, strangers, and hired hands. ς … ἀπολέσῃ. Tom served as President of Eagle Television in Mongolia, that nation’s first independent TV station after the fall of communism. Many preachers quote John 10:10 as support for the idea that Christianity leads to physical prosperity and “every good thing.” The verse has been used as a description of the Christian life, the normative pattern of life that Christians can expect because of … 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 12 Spiritual Fears Jesus Wants You to Conquer! In this passage Jesus calls himself the shepherd of the sheep and the door. Take a read of the whole passage in its context. This verse forms a link of connection between John 10:9 and John 10:11 , presenting first the contrast between a true shepherd and ‘the thief,’ and then preparing the way for the highest contrast of … In fact, I dare say that when it gets right down to it, Satan does not have the ability to permanently steal, kill, or destroy where it comes to God’s people. Got your rocks ready? I am the good shepherd. Satan’s attack was actually on God. Misunderstanding Spiritual Warfare: A Different Perspective of John 10:10. The Pharisees had been questioning him at length about the healing, trying to prove Jesus to be a false teacher. His strategies include getting people to disobey God or ignore him. Thomas Cajetan commented in the early 1500s that “the person who divided the text of the Gospel into chapters was not very judicious in beginning John 10 here.”[1] Jesus goes directly from condemning the Pharisees in John 9:39-40 to a set of parables that contrasted his own leadership with that of the Pharisees. My friends, spiritual warfare is not about us. Santa Esmeralda starring Leroy GomezSanta Esmeralda was a band founded by Leroy Gómez. Here goes. We relate almost everything we read to ourselves. Then he said that the wolf/Satan was like the thief in certain ways. Job was the instrument he used to try and tempt God and to ruin his reputation.