Thursday, July 29, 2021
Today’s Scripture
Today’s Author
Chris Holmes
Jesus speaks differently in the Gospel of John. If Mark’s Jesus delights in short, evocative, even evasive speech, John’s Jesus speaks and speaks and speaks some more. One of the distinctive elements of Jesus’s speech in John are the “I am” statements. Interpreters have identified seven such statements in John (John 6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, and 15:1). These statements reveal important aspects of Jesus’s character and vocation, and they connect him with the God of Israel who takes the name “I am” in Exodus 3.
Today’s passage contains two of these “I am” statements. Jesus identifies himself as the “gate of the sheep” and as the “good shepherd.” The two statements highlight different aspects of Jesus’s mission. On the one hand, he is the life-giver. He says that those who enter through him come in and out and find pasture. As the gate, Jesus protects and provides for the sheep; as the gate, he offers life abundant. On the other hand, Jesus is the life-loser. Unlike hired hands, Jesus is willing to lose his life for the safety of the sheep. He empties himself to protect and to fill the sheep.
Jesus’s statements in John 10 invite us to reflection: Where or how do we experience life abundant? How do we invest our time, attention, and devotion on things that don’t give us life? And how might we follow the example of Jesus and learn to offer ourselves in service of others?
Summer Devotional
God Goes With Us
This summer’s devotional is a walk through the Bible. Join our pastors and staff for daily reflections on scripture passages from Genesis to Revelation. In the beginning, God said, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” Come and see how this covenant promise changes through time yet remains steadfast from generation to generation.
Each Sunday, Chris Holmes will share a short message on the texts for the week, and written reflections will go out every Monday through Thursday morning.
We wish you blessings and deeper faith this summer!
