NOT ABOUT GETTING RICH

John 10:6-16
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.


Despite what you may hear from what I call ‘prosperity preachers’, the Christian life is not about getting rich. When Jesus states His “purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life”, He is not talking about filling our bank accounts. If it was all about money, the hired hand would not run away in the face of an attack.

Jesus gives other indications here of the Christian life for us to consider. It is a life lived in the presence of the Lord (v.8 … all who come before me). It is a life of freedom, not bondage (v.9 … they will come and go freely). It is a life with security (v.11,12 … the good shepherd sacrifices his life … when he sees a wolf coming). It is a life in fellowship with like believers (v.16 … there will be one flock with one shepherd).

A life lived following Christian beliefs and values may lead to financial riches but that is not God’s sole purpose. The Christian life is “rich and satisfying” in ways far greater than a bank balance.