September 14th
Live
John 10:10 (ESV)
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 (NIV84)
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10 (NLT)
10The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
John 10:10 (The Message)
10A 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 translations of John 10:10 above go from one of the most literal “word for word” translations (ESV), to the most popular paraphrased Bible of our day (The Message). Each translation is an attempt to not just be faithful to what God has said to the original audience, but to be helpful by using words whose meaning and intent we can readily grasp in our day.
What is clear in this passage is that the nature and quality of life that Jesus offers is such that language strains to communicate its nature…
- Have life and have it abundantly
- Have life and have it to the full
- Give them a rich and satisfying life
- Have real and eternal…more and better life than they ever dreamed of
Here is how 8 different Greek Dictionaries define the Greek word “perissos,” which is translated “abundantly” in the ESV.
“In a manner marked by great quantity, copiously, extraordinary, remarkable, profuse, outstanding, exceedingly, superior, superabundant, beyond.”
This is the life we were made for. This is the life Jesus lived. And as we explore it over these 21 days, we will find some surprises. Perhaps the first is this – Jesus lived just 33 years. 30 of those years were in obscurity. He had no earthly possessions but the clothes on his back. He was abandoned by his closest friends at death, unjustly condemned, beaten and crucified, between two criminals.
It seems we have much to learn about just what “abundant life” really means.
Let’s pray this prayer together…
Our Father, it is the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is out to take what is not his, to take life, and to ruin. But you come to us, Jesus, to give what is not ours and what we could never secure on our own – real life. And we thank you that you give it in great quantity, superabundantly, beyond measure.
