Abundant life: Faith reflection

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
(John 10:10b)

The Gospel of John is filled with wonderfully rich images of Jesus. In John 10, Jesus describes himself as a good shepherd, and also as the gate through which the sheep can enter. He contrasts this with “thieves and bandits” who make false promises but deliver only emptiness and disappointment. Jesus, however, says that he came to bring abundant life.

Often as Christians we have spiritualized Jesus’ words and understood them as referring only to a promise of eternal life. Clearly Jesus does promise his followers eternal life. But his actions also demonstrated that abundant life begins here and now. Jesus cared deeply about people’s whole beings – their physical, spiritual and emotional needs and drew no false separations among them.
The early church, as described in Acts 2, modeled one version of this holistic approach. Believers worshiped and shared meals together. They also shared their possessions generously with one another.

God abundantly provides resources for our wellbeing–but we respond by hoarding what we have been given. The resources that God provides are to be shared equitably. In the wilderness God specifically instructed the Israelites that they should only take as much manna as they needed for the day. When some became greedy and gathered more than their share, the manna became rotten (Exodus 16).

Similarly, the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 calls for equitable sharing among churches: “I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need” (vv. 13-14). Throughout Scripture, God warns us against unjustly accumulating wealth.

Jesus’ promise of abundant life includes meeting our basic needs, but it also reflects a richer, meaningful life that does not rely on materials goods to bring us joy. Rather than getting caught up in the trap of constant consuming, we can point others to a more life-giving way—life in the richness of community, sharing resources with one another and calling for more just economic policies.

What might be some marks of greater economic justice, drawing from some biblical principles? Let me suggest that a just economic system would:

• ensure basic human needs are met (food, housing, health care, education),
• be characterized by generosity and abundance, rather than scarcity and stinginess,
• allow all who are affected by its economic policies to have a say (not just the wealthy or powerful) and
• lead to an equitable distribution of wealth, rather than wide disparities.
   

May we seek to be faithful in these troubled times, creatively envisioning a more just economic system.