"I have come that they may have life, and have it
abundantly." This is one of my favorite passages in the Gospels, but
what exactly is Jesus promising? What does he mean by "abundant life"?
If we look for an answer in today's Second Lesson
from 1 Peter, we might think that the "abundant life" is a life of
glorying in suffering. Peter says, "If you endure when you do right
and suffer for it, you have God's approval." The word translated "approval"
is the same word translated elsewhere as "gift" or "blessing." One
can be excused for thinking that God is encouraging a masochistic
delight in suffering.
It's important to recognize, however, that Peter is
writing to people in Asia Minor who were a minority group and aliens
or foreigners as well. They may also have been slaves. We don't need
to hear Peter as encouraging suffering but rather as dealing with
the harsh realities of his readers' lives. He's encouraging them to
face those harsh realities with the awareness that they have important
status in God's eyes, that suffering does not need to rob them of
their dignity as God's people, and that, yes, suffering can be redemptive
- especially the suffering that Jesus did for us. Is the abundant
life a life of suffering? Not necessarily but it can be.
If we look for an answer in today's First Lesson
from Acts, we might think that the "abundant life" means living in
a commune and giving all our possessions to our church community.
Practicing the "abundant life" in this way would remove any worries
about meeting our church budget, but I also don't think we would have
many members that way. Such a communal life would bring to mind scary
images of cults like the Mormon fundamentalist breakaway group in
the news this week, and it would run counter to our American emphasis
on rugged individualism.
What does "abundant life" mean for us? How would you
answer that question? I suspect that many in our culture would define
"abundant life" in terms of wealth or possessions, demonstrated by
the homes or cars or electronic gadgetry one owns. Other might define
"abundant life" by the amount of power or influence or celebrity one
has. Or the "abundant life" might mean opportunities for travel or
relaxation, lying on sunny beaches somewhere enjoying a cold drink
of one kind or another.
These are not examples of what Jesus would mean by
"abundant life," although our challenge may be to hold on to a Christian
notion of abundant life in the face of different ideas in the culture
around us.
What does Jesus promise by saying he comes to bring
us "abundant life"? In this Easter season the simplest and most obvious
answer to that question might seem to be "eternal life." We do celebrate
the gift of eternal life we receive through the resurrection of Christ.
As we think of Jesus as our "Good Shepherd," we affirm that he leads
us through the valley of the shadow of death. In several places in
the Gospel of John we are assured that Jesus brings us eternal life,
perhaps especially where he says, "I am the resurrection and the life."
But that's not the sum total of "abundant life." Jesus
says that he has come so that people "may have eternal life,"
not that they will have it or might have it in the
future. In the Easter season we celebrate Jesus' resurrection
as the in-breaking of the new age. The risen Christ allows us to taste
and see what this eternal life is even now. In our Bible Class this
week we talked about Lutheran beliefs about heaven and eternal life.
We saw that when the Bible talks about the Kingdom of God, it doesn't
mean a place, it doesn't mean heaven, but it means the saving activity
of God at work even now.
What characterizes the "abundant life" even now? Our
Gospel's emphasis on Jesus as the Good Shepherd or as "the gate for
the sheep" suggests some characteristics - caring for the sheep, guiding
and protecting them. This story is connected with the previous chapter's
story of the healing of the blind person. Jesus as the Good Shepherd
brings healing too. So the abundant life that Jesus promises includes
God's love and forgiveness, God's healing touch and guiding hand.
Our First Lesson presents a similar portrayal of "abundant
life" - a portrayal that includes having their possessions in common
but much more as well. It's not easy to decide how to take this description
of the early Christian community in Acts, for this way of living together
did not continue for long. Is it historical? Is it a description of
an ideal for the Christian community? Why didn't it continue? At the
very least Acts describes ideal characteristics of Christians as they
first began to live out their faith. What are those characteristics?
Devotion to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread
- that is, Communion, and prayer. This common life of study, fellowship,
and worship led to their sharing all things in common. I believe that
the abundant life for these first believers and for us is a life of
caring community marked by coming together for prayer, fellowship,
and learning. Maybe I spend too much time in a churchy setting, but
this is how I picture "abundant life" - life in community, marked
by mutual love and caring for one another, gathering together at times
for fellowship - yes, usually with food! - and for worship and for
learning about our faith.
To return to the First Lesson from 1 Peter, can we
have such abundant life in times of suffering? Yes. That doesn't mean
that we are expected to glory in suffering. Rather it means that we
can face suffering for we know that we can count on being embraced
by God's love and forgiveness in the face of our suffering and that
we can find strength and encouragement through the mutual love, worship,
and prayer of our caring Christian community.
Another way to say this is "already but not yet."
That is, through the risen Christ we already have the abundant life,
but we do not have it completely just yet. In the same Bible Class
I referred to earlier we were talking about the times and places where
we have sensed having an experience of heaven, or of God's saving
activity among us. The answers ranged from times of personal prayer
or meditation, to special musical occasions, to times of being touched
by love or being surrounded by caring people, to special moments in
worship or around the altar. All these are glimpses of abundant life,
if not its full vision.
"I have come that they may have life, and have it
abundantly," says Jesus. In this Easter season may we recognize what
genuine abundant life is - life lived in loving fellowship with our
risen Lord and with fellow believers -- may we catch glimpses of how
we are touched by this abundant life already now, even as we await
knowing it in all its fullness, and in our Easter joy may we invite
others to share this abundant life with us. Amen.
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