John 10:10 - Homilies By B. Thomas

The two missions.

Notice—

I. THE MISSION OF HUMAN SELFISHNESS . We are taught by Christ that there is such a mission in the world. It is as old as the temptation of our first parents by that evil and selfish spirit, the devil. It was active in the world before and at the time of Christ, and to a greater extent afterwards. Every false teacher, every one that assumes Christ's position, or leads souls from Christ and God either intentionally or unintentionally, is pronounced by Christ a thief, and his mission is that of selfishness.

1. Its spirit and aim are selfish .

2. Its spirit and aim are murderous . "And to kill."

3. Its spirit and aim are destructive . "And to destroy." If the thief cannot steal and kill, he will destroy valuable property. The mission of selfishness in the time of our Lord had not only killed the very life of the nation, but also had destroyed the spiritual food of the sheep with an admixture of human tradition and the devilish spirit of selfishness and murder. Thus in every age this mission poisons the living water and the bread of life, and adulterates the milk of the Word; and if it cannot kill the sheep, it will as far as possible destroy their pasture and spiritual supplies.

4. Its spirit and aim are entirely self-seeking , cruel , and destructive . "The thief cometh not, but," etc. The genius and history of the mission of selfishness are spiritual robbery, murder, and destruction.

II. THE MISSION OF DIVINE LOVE . In contrast with the mission of selfishness, we have the mission of Divine love in Christ. "I came," etc.

1. It is a mission of Divine authority . The mission of selfishness was unlawful, and existed by stealth, robbery, and unrighteousness. The mission of Christ was legal and Divine. He came not as a thief, but as a Divine messenger, openly, according to the Divine plan, to fulfill the Divine promise and purpose. He came in the volume of the book written of him. He came in the fullness of time, in the open day. His appearance was heralded, and he carried with him all the credentials of Divine power and authority.

2. It is a mission of Divine benevolence .

3. It is a mission of Divine abundance . It is not merely benevolent, but most abundantly and overflowingly benevolent. "Have it abundantly."

LESSONS .

1. We are surrounded in this world with religious thieves . These characters are not confined to the material and social worlds alone, but to a greater extent they are found in the religious world. Some things more valuable than silver and gold are stolen. There are thieves of souls, consciences, wills, and life.

2. We are greatly indebted to Christ for the revelation of the fact . In the light of him who is the Light of the world, the powers and works of darkness are revealed, and the mission of human selfishness is manifested in its self-seeking aims, its cunning and cruel character and destructive results. Thus we are put on our guard, and furnished with the means of defense.

3. The mission of human selfishness serves as an effective background to the mission of Divine love in Christ . At the back we see the dark shadows of the arch-thief of souls with his deluded emissaries, and their spoliations of cunning and cruelty. In the front, surrounded with a halo of glory, stands Jesus, offering eternal life to a perishing world. By contrast how beautiful and welcome his appearance, and how calculated to inspire gratitude and a hearty acceptance of his life!—B.T.