Of sheep and life

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly"

These words from Jesus have come to reflect more and more of the mystery and glory of the gospel for me over the last few years. At it's basic reading Jesus' point seems clear. You can be alive without really living. You can spend your days going through the motions without an ounce of life in any of it.

The longer I spend with this message, the more I wonder about one word in it, 'may'. Specifically, wondering how 'may' we find ourselves alive? Really, truly, deeply, abundantly alive. I used to think it meant leaving behind all the mundane things of this world and entering into some high octane spiritual existence.

But here's the thing. Jesus says these words in John 10 in the middle of a mixed metaphor about sheep. I say mixed because at one turn Jesus is the shepherd for the sheep. The next he is the gate for the sheep to pass through. And then finally he is back to being the shepherd. See, Jesus fills different roles in the metaphor, he is many things, but we are one thing. Sheep.

The thief breaks in to kill and steal, but Jesus takes up shepherding so that we sheep may have life, and have it abundantly. Which apparently means that we will have good grass to eat and a sturdy gate to sleep behind. We don't find the fields ourselves, we don't protect ourselves from wolves, we don't build the walls of safety. We are sheep.

It seems like the only really difference between the sheep before the good shepherd comes and the sheep after, is that they have learned to recognize the voice of the good shepherd. It is like the only act required for the sheep to have life abundant is to know the voice of the shepherd so that when they are called by name they follow him and never follow a stranger (in fact they run away).


Could it be that life abundant means doing the exact same things while listening to a different voice? Grazing for grass, searching for water, teaching a lamb to walk, rubbing up against a tree here or there when the black flies settle in. Is the abundant life about doing those very sheepish things while following the voice of the one who has our best interest in mind, rather than the one who simply want to kill and steal from us?

Could it be that the life abundant that Jesus came to provide is filled with things like doing the dishes, picking up the prescription, changing dirty diapers at 5:00 am, and chatting with the neighbor over the back fence? Is the abundant life about doing those rather sheepish tasks of the daily life, but doing them with our ears tuned to the voice of Jesus so that when we are called by name we follow him and never follow a stranger (and in fact run away)?

What do you think? Is life abundant just about doing the nitty gritty to the glory of God? How would you describe the abundant life?