John 10:10 (LSB)

Passage

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Nearby Context

John 10:8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

John 10:9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

John 10:12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches and scatters them—

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thief", "comes", "only", "steal", "kill", "destroy", "came", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thief" and "comes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "I am the door if anyone enters..." into verse 11's "I am the good shepherd the good...", so "thief" and "comes" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thief" and "comes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.