Flourishing as Living Fully

Scripture — John 10:7-11 (NRSV)

So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Devotion

In several recent devotions, I have emphasized the biblical connection between flourishing and fruitfulness. We see this throughout the Bible, but most explicitly in Psalm 92, where the righteous “flourish” in that they “bear fruit” even “in old age” (92:12-14). Fruitfulness and flourishing go hand in hand, both in Scripture and in life.

So, yes, flourishing is living fruitfully. But I would suggest it is also living fully, or, if you prefer, abundantly. In John 10, Jesus pictures himself as the gate for the sheep and also their Good Shepherd (vv. 8, 11). As the gate, he welcomes his sheep while protecting them from those who would harm them. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus lays down his life for his sheep, thus giving them the gift of “life… abundantly” (v. 10).

What does Jesus mean by “life abundantly”? The Greek word translated as “abundantly” (perissos) has a variety of meanings, including “extraordinary, remarkable, abundant, profuse.” It has inspired a variety of English translations:

 “I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest” (CEB, Common English Bible).

“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (NLT).

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (NIV).

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (Message).

Jesus offers abundant life, life to the fullest, a rich and satisfying life, life to the full, and a life that is more and better than our dreams. Thus, you could also say that Jesus offers the promise of flourishing, not only in the sense of fruitfulness, but also in the sense of fullness.

The full life offered by Jesus is something we will experience in the age to come. That’s how we generally understand the meaning of “eternal life.” But it’s clear that in John 10, Jesus isn’t speaking so much of what we might call heaven as he is speaking of life on earth. He invites us to live fully now in anticipation of even greater fullness to come.

When you read the various translations of John 10:10, what comes to mind? How would you imagine an abundant life? What might life to the fullest look like from your point of view? It’s important to remember that we live in a culture that offers a rather unhelpful perspective on living fully. Abundance is seen as having lots of money, lots of “toys,” lots of fame, lots of success, lots of physical beauty, lots of power, and so forth. But our cultural conception of abundance has little to do with what Jesus offers. In fact, in John 10, Jesus repeatedly refers to how he, as the Good Shepherd, “lays down his life for the sheep” (10:15). His example suggests that living fully includes giving up what we have for others. It’s living sacrificially as we imitate our Good Shepherd and Lord.

The same could be said for flourishing. Yes, when we flourish, we experience many good things: meaning, sense of purpose, fulfillment, love, peace, and joy. But biblical flourishing has everything to do with using our gifts for the sake of others and for the glory of God. If we happen to have some of the abundance valued by this world (money, possessions, fame, success, power, etc.), we will live abundantly in the mode of Jesus if we use this abundance by serving others. We will flourish, that is, live fully, when we focus more on giving than getting, more on sharing than hoarding, more on God’s glory than our own reputation. We can give ourselves away to others with confidence because we belong to Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Jesus’ Sacrifice (John 10-12).