Advent 3—Midweek
As we have been hearing, Advent means “coming.” In the Advent season, we remember Jesus’ comings—His coming to us today in His word and Sacrament; when He will come on the Last Day in Judgment and now especially His coming as a Baby that first Christmas. The season of Advent is a time of preparation, a time we prepare our hearts by repentance and faith, not only for the celebration of Jesus’ birth that first Christmas but also to receive Him as He comes to us today in the word and sacrament and also for His Second Coming—for we don’t know when that will be.
This Advent we have been looking at statements Jesus made telling us why He came. Let us hear Jesus telling us of His saving work. He told His disciples early in His ministry [Mk. 1.38]: Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth. Let us also see here that Jesus is still coming to us today for this purpose: to preach His word to us telling us why He has come, why He has come to us today—and what do we read in our text? I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus tells us that He came to bring us life—rich, full, abundant life. And He tells us why He has come as He is in the midst of a discussion in which He tells us that He is the Lord, the True God/the Good Shepherd, the fulfillment of the psalm: The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. And that helps us understand our text: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
What is implied when Jesus says here: I have come that they may have life? It implies that without Him, we have no life, no rich full abundant life. In other words, although we may have physical life, we don’t have that full, rich, spiritual life. In other words, as we come into the world and left to ourselves and our own devices, we are spiritually dead. Right in line with our text, St. Paul writes [Eph 2.1]: And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. That’s what God does for us in Jesus, the Good Shepherd; that’s why He came—to bring us life, to bring full, rich abundant spiritual life to His flock. And carry out this image further—Jesus the Good Shepherd comes to a flock of dead sheep and gives them life. If it weren’t for Jesus’ coming we’d still be dead in [our] trespasses and sins. In order for Jesus to be the Good Shepherd, He must bring life to His flock. That’s why He came and that’s what He has done for us! I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
But now notice the marvelous way that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gives life: He gives life by Himself dying; by Him laying down His life. From His death comes life for the world, comes that full abundant spiritual life to us, to His Church, His flock. What does Jesus do? He on purpose laid down His life in order to save us, in order to give us life. We will soon celebrate Jesus’ birth; His coming to earth that first Christmas. But Christmas is not an end in itself. Jesus came for a reason/ purpose and that was finally to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of the world. Really, the cross is never far from the manger; its shadow falls on the manger. The joy and peace of Christmas leads to the suffering and death of Good Friday. But this is all part and parcel of the work of the Good Shepherd; this is precisely why He came—to lay down His life so that we may have life. In short order after out text, Jesus says three times that He lays down His life for us [15, 17, 18]: I lay down My life for the sheep. But what sort of/ what good is a dead Shepherd? That’s why Jesus adds: I have power to lay [My life] down and I have power to take it again. Jesus, who has power to lay down and take back His life, gives us life. That’s why He came!
Because of Jesus’ coming that first Christmas to lay down His life, we, who were dead in our trespasses and sins have that full rich, abundant spiritual life. Jesus gives us life by working faith in us, faith that looks to and holds to Him and His saving word and work. This faith makes us alive in and through Him. When Jesus comes to us today in His holy word and sacrament, He works by His Holy Spirit to create this faith and to nourish and strengthen it. And remember: where there is this faith in Jesus, there is life. Here we see that glorious relation between Jesus’ First Coming/ Advent and His coming to us today. When He comes to us today in His word and sacrament, He is giving us the fruits and blessings of His work when He came the first time—life. That’s why Jesus didn’t just come the first time, but why He continues to come to us today. Each time we are in church, each time we read, study, ponder Scripture, there Jesus comes to us; there His Holy Spirit is working to strengthen that faith and that life. Later on St. John writes about all the works of Jesus that he recorded in his Gospel [20.31]: these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Our full, abundant, spiritual life is now, in Jesus: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
This new life that we have is a life here on earth in which we live enjoying God’s grace. And this new life that we have in and because of Jesus is an eternal life. The moment that the Holy Spirit creates faith in Jesus in our hearts, we have that new, full and abundant life that Jesus brought about for us. And it is not just for this world. Death does not destroy/ undo this life. Instead, we go from life here on earth in our Lord to life in heaven with our Lord. That’s how powerful this life is that Jesus came to bring us. Jesus tells us [Jn 5.24]: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life. Notice this eternal life is a present possession. We have it now and it continues into all eternity. That life that Jesus brings us and which we receive in Spirit worked faith is a life that begins now as we live by and under God’s grace and continues on into all eternity in greatest glory after Jesus returns on the Last Day and brings us soul and glorified body into heaven. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
We have this life already now; Jesus came and brought it to us to enjoy already now. Notice what that means/ implies; it means that this true, full, abundant and spiritual life is one which only Jesus can bring about and give us. If we could bring it about for ourselves; if there were some other way that it could have been brought about for us, then why would Jesus have to come? But He did! And that’s why! –Only He could do it. Right before our text, Jesus says: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. All the other things that claim to give the full, rich, and abundant life don’t! Jesus calls them thieves—and remember that this is the section of Jesus the Good Shepherd—and this stealing, killing, destroying is a picture of a sheep being slaughtered, the exact opposite of life. So what is the point? –All the things of the world that claim to give life, fullness, happiness and meaning really, in the end don’t; and to make matters worse, all they really do is kill and destroy.
How different is Jesus! He gives us what we really need. Think about the Good Shepherd context in which Jesus spoke our text. What does the Lord, Jesus, the Good Shepherd do? –He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters. In other words, He gives us what we truly need; He gives us what we need for spiritual life to sustain and preserve it. He does this as He comes to us today in His word and Sacrament and gives us daily spiritual strength and sustenance.
For us that then means this Advent, let us be all the more in the word of God preparing our hearts by examination, repentance and faith to hear and welcome the call of Christmas: There is born for you this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Let us all the more be in the word and sacrament and recognize Jesus coming to us in them. Let us welcome Him with hearts of faith. Let us in these waning days of Advent, strive to know our Lord more deeply. Let us strive to find our rest in Him. Let St. Peter also say of us [1 2.25]: for you were like going astray, but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls—Christ, Jesus who came to bring us life.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. May we remember that our life now is one of abundance. The thing is: Jesus did not just save us from our sin; He saved us from our sin and gave us life! That means that He has given us His Holy Spirit who dwells in us and who leads us in a life of abundance, that is, a life rich and abundant in faith and good works. We have been saved from sin and for good works. St. Paul writes [Eph 2.8-10]: For by grace you have been saved through faith…for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Our lives are ones of abundance of good works because we are alive in Christ, we have His Holy Spirit in us, we love and strive to do the Lord’s will—that’s that rich, full and abundant life we now have. It is a life not focused on self and sin, gratifying our sinful desires; that is death and leads to death. Jesus came to bring us life! Abundantly!
What tremendous blessings we have and enjoy in our new spiritual life! We have that peace we God. We know that our sins are forgiven us. Our consciences are clear because where there is forgiveness of sin, there is forgiveness. We know that in Jesus, God is our dear loving heavenly Father. And so we can look at every trial and hardship in a new way. We can see in them God’s gracious hand at work for our spiritual good. We know in faith that God is always for us and nothing can separate us from His love for us in Christ Jesus. And we know that a glorious heavenly future awaits us.
Here in heaven is where this new life finds its full abundance. Yes, we enjoy it in part already now; but when we are in heaven, that’s when that rich abundance of life shines forth so fully and beautifully. Remember, Jesus came from heaven to be our Savior and bring us life; and He returned to heaven conqueror sin and death; He has gone where we too shall one day be—eternally soul and body. As much as we remember Jesus’ coming in Advent, let us not forget that He returned to heaven to prepare a place for us and He is returning to bring us there with Him. Jesus preceded us to heaven. What great glory and abundance of life awaits us there! There we will see the holy Triune God. That is the greatest fulfillment of our desires. God created us for fellowship and communion with Him. Until that moment of the Beatific vision, beholding God in heaven, we will always feel as if something is lacking, as if there must be something more. That longing is quieted now when we come to faith—that’s the life that Jesus came to bring us; but that longing is more than fulfilled when we finally behold God in heaven—that’s that abundant life that Jesus came to bring.
With Jesus, our life now has meaning and purpose because it has an eternal future. Our life that Jesus brings us now turns our attention to heaven. It gives it focus and meaning. Even in the midst of trial, we have joy in the Lord as we look to His grace and mercy and rest content in Him; we have that abundant perfection of life in that eternal life of joy and bliss in heaven and now we look forward with eager anticipation and give our thanks to Jesus who came that [we] may have life, and that [we] may have it more abundantly—now and eternally. INJ