In one of the more quoted verses in the Bible by Americans trying to justify lavish lifestyles, Jesus makes a mind-blowing statement.
The 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 NIV, emphasis mine)
Surely, this must mean that God wants me to have more of everything good, right? A bigger house. A faster car. A better job. His will is that we are always, always, always trending up and to the right, right??
If that’s what Jesus meant, what do we do in the seasons when things don’t feel full? Many question their ability to believe. Many question God’s ability to deliver what He promised. Maybe we’d be better off questioning whether we really understood what Jesus telling us?
The word translated as “full” in my translation (which may be translated “abundantly” in your translation) comes from a Greek word that means “superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality).”
We know that Jesus isn’t talking about quantity of life because there are numerous places in Scripture that show how little Jesus and His followers actually had. He had nowhere to lay His head. Paul experienced seasons of extreme poverty. All of His disciples learned to trust Jesus for their daily bread. It doesn’t mean that we won’t go through seasons of abundance in quantity, but it does mean that Jesus couldn’t have been highlighting that aspect, since He knew that wouldn’t be the consistent norm.
But He did come to give us life, and not just any kind of life, but a life that is superior in quality! Again, this isn’t about what we have or don’t have materially, but rather what we have spiritually. The full life is Jesus. He came to give us Himself. This is why Peter was able to say to Jesus (in a season when things were trending down and to the left!), “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68 NIV, emphasis mine)
Jesus is the Word of life, and He speaks the words of life.
The superior life that we’ve been promised is a life full of Jesus, and as long as that stays constant, the ups and down that we experience won’t touch the superior quality of life that fills our souls.
John the Baptizer summed it up perfectly when he was asked why he was losing followers and Jesus was gaining followers. “He must become more, and I must become less.” (John 3:30)
Let Jesus be the more in your life, and He will fill you in ways that you never dreamed possible.
