The thief comes 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.
thief.
John 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.
John 12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
I am.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 6:33,51 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world…
John 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
more abundantly.
Romans 5:13-21 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law…
Hebrews 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
I have come that they may have life,
Jesus' mission is presented as the antithesis of the thief's destructive intent. The "life" mentioned here is not merely physical existence but encompasses spiritual vitality and eternal life. This concept is central to the Gospel of John, where Jesus is repeatedly identified as the source of life (John 1:4, 14:6). The promise of life is rooted in the Old Testament, where God is depicted as the giver of life (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Jesus fulfills the prophetic expectation of a shepherd who truly cares for and sustains His flock (Psalm 23).
and have it in all its fullness.
The phrase "in all its fullness" suggests abundance and completeness, indicating that the life Jesus offers is rich and satisfying. This fullness is not limited to material prosperity but includes spiritual blessings and a deep relationship with God. The idea of abundant life resonates with the promises of the Old Testament, where God assures His people of blessings when they follow His ways (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). In the New Testament, this fullness is further explained as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to live fruitful lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, provides not only for the needs of His sheep but also ensures their well-being and flourishing.
– “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a)
• Jesus identifies a real spiritual enemy. As 1 Peter 5:8 warns, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”.
• His strategy is threefold:
– Steal: robbing people of truth and joy (Mark 4:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
– Kill: working through sin that “brings forth death” (James 1:15).
– Destroy: aiming for eternal ruin (Revelation 12:9–10).
• This clarifies that anything opposing God’s purposes—false teaching, temptation, fear—traces back to the thief. Knowing the threat keeps us alert (Ephesians 6:11-12).
– “I have come…” (John 10:10b)
• Jesus contrasts Himself with the thief by emphasizing His personal arrival.
• He is the promised Good Shepherd (John 10:11) who enters history in flesh (John 1:14) to rescue, not condemn (John 3:17).
• His coming fulfills God’s relentless pursuit seen throughout Scripture: the Lord walking with Adam (Genesis 3:8), seeking the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7), and “seeking and saving the lost” (Luke 19:10).
– “…that they may have life…” (John 10:10c)
• Life here is both spiritual and eternal. Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
• This life begins now through new birth (John 3:3-6) and is secured forever: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).
• It is God’s gift—“the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
• Assurance flows from Christ’s finished work (1 John 5:11-12).
– “…and have it in all its fullness.” (John 10:10d)
• Fullness means abundance that overflows daily, not mere survival.
– Joy: “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).
– Power: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
– Fruitfulness: abiding in Christ produces “much fruit” (John 15:5; Galatians 5:22-23).
– Confidence: God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
• Abundance is not about material excess but a deep, satisfying relationship with the Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
John 10:10 draws a sharp line between the thief’s destructive agenda and Jesus’ life-giving mission. The enemy steals, kills, and destroys; Jesus comes personally to grant life—eternal, vibrant, overflowing life—now and forever. Staying close to the Shepherd shields us from the thief and keeps us walking in the fullness only Christ can provide.
(10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal.--Comp. Notes on John 10:1; John 10:8. The description of the thief is opposed to that of the shepherd, who constantly goes in and out and finds pasture. His visits are but rare, and when he comes it is but for his own selfish purposes, and for the ruin of the flock. Each detail of his cruel work is dwelt upon, to bring out in all the baseness of its extent the corresponding spiritual truth.I am come that they might have life.--More exactly, I came that they might have life. The pronoun should be emphasised. I came, as opposed to the thief. He does not further dwell upon the shepherd, but passes on to the thought of Himself, and thereby prepares the way for the thought of Himself as the Good Shepherd in the following verse. The object of His coming is the direct opposite of that of the thief, who comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. He came once for all, that in Him the sheep may have life. (Comp. John 6:50-51.) The Sinaitic MS. inserts the word "eternal" here--"that they might have life eternal." The word is probably not part of the original text, and the thought is rather of the present spiritual life which every believer now hath, and which will issue in eternal life. But comp. Note on John 10:28.
And that they might have it more abundantly.--Better, and that they might have it abundantly. The word "more" is an insertion of the English version without any authority, and it weakens the sense. It is not that a greater is compared with a less abundance, but that the abundance of life which results through Christ's coming is contrasted with the spiritual wants and death which He came to remove. This life is through Him given to men abundantly, overflowingly. We are reminded of the Shepherd-King's Psalm singing of the "green pastures," and "waters of rest," and "prepared table," and "overflowing cup"; and carrying all this into the region of the spiritual life we come again to the opening words of this Gospel, "And of His fulness did we all receive, and grace for grace" . . . "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17). . . .
Verse 10. - The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy. Christ, elaborating, evolving, what is contained in the image of "thief," regards his rival as the thief of souls; he whose pretension to be a way to God is based on no inward and eternal reality, who comes for no other purpose than to make the sheep his own, not to give them pasture; to sacrifice them to his selfish ends, to use them for his own purposes, not to deal with them graciously for theirs; but to destroy, since in the pursuit of his selfish ends he wastes both life and pasture. A terrible impeachment, this of all who have not recognized the true Door into the sheepfold, who would shut up the way of life that they may exalt their own order, would diminish the chances of souls in order to secure their own position. This forms the transition to the second interpretation of the parabolic words; for he adds, I came that they might have life, and that they might have it abundantly; more even than they can possibly use. This is one of the grandest of our Lord's claims. He gives like God from overflowing stores (Titus 3:6). Those who receive life from him have within them perennial sources of life for others - fullness of being (see notes, John 7:38; John 4:14). One of the differentiae of "life" is "abundance" of supply beyond immediate possibility of use. Life has the future in its arms. Life propagates new life. Life has untold capacities about it - beauty, fragrance, strength, growth, variety, reproduction, resistance to death, continuity, eternity. In the Logos is life - and Christ came to give it, to communicate "life to the non-living, to the dead in trespasses, and to those in their graves" (John 5:26).