John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life..."

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

Question:

Is the “I” God or Jesus? What abundant characteristics of God is Jesus representing?

Comment:

The “I” is not God or Jesus. It's rather God as Jesus. As is often the case in the Gospel of John, Jesus is speaking as the Christ—the full expression of God that is the spiritual potential of each of us, which Jesus was able to perfectly and completely express as an example and challenge to us all to do the same.   This central teaching—what Paul would later describe as "Christ in you, the hope of glory"—was dramatically different from earlier religious teachings of an angry God forcing us to live lives of lack and limitation. In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses many analogies to help him communicate the nature of the Christ and the difference between his spiritual approach and past religious doctrine. "All who came before me were thieves and bandits." he says at John 10:8. By enforcing a judgmental religious structure they robbed individuals of any awareness of their own divine natures, and they stole any possibility for living lives of abundance and fulfillment.   On the other hand, embracing the Christ allows us to lead joyful and abundant lives as we make creative choices from that innate divine Power and lovingly support each other as we create together the new consciousness that Jesus calls the kingdom of heaven.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed