HIRELINGS: The Thief of John 10:10

How often have you heard this statement: “The Bible says that Satan has come to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” ?? I have something to admit: I too once believed that such a statement was true. Thus, I must also admit this: I was wrong. In failing to fully evaluate Scripture within its proper context, the Church often finds itself presenting things as “gospel”, as if the Bible proclaims EXACTLY what we have ERRONEOUSLY pulled from Scripture. In time, misrepresentations of passages lead to doctrine which is simply NOT based in the Word of God.

One such doctrine is a fairly longstanding teaching within the Church which gives rise to a belief that Satan has “stolen” things from Christians and we should go “take back” what was “stolen.” Many years ago, a song became popular in many churches as the people sang, “I went to the enemy’s camp and I took back what he stole from me.” It epitomizes the teaching that Satan “steals” things from us.

But…the reality of it all is this:

The passage of Scripture which is used to proclaim such a teaching…John 10:10...is not only used to support the erroneous teachings above…but it is a passage which is CLEARLY not being studied within the context of the Biblical passage in which it is presented. In the case of John 10:10, the context must actually be gained in examining not just ONE chapter, but SEVERAL chapters. You see…this passage is not referring to Satan at all! The passage is referring to a “hireling”…or a FALSE SHEPHERD. (Note: this is NOT an examination of the tactics and workings of Satan…it is dealing with making Scriptural application without proper examination and study, which leads to an improper exegesis of passages of Scripture.)

Satan simply CANNOT possess anything which we do not actually HAND OVER to him willingly!

What is John truly teaching in these passages, and what is the TRUE teaching of the Word of God on the subject? Here is the rendering of John10:10 in context (presenting portions of Scripture in a recounting of the Biblical story…and presenting John 10:10 within its surrounding passages and quoted here…all of which can be evaluated as stated here by referencing your Bible):

John 10:5-15(NKJV) 1 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

In John 9, we see the account of Jesus healing the blind man. Jesus spat in the dirt, made a “mud pie”, as we would call it, placed it on the man’s eyes, and told the man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. After doing so, the man was healed! The man is then called before the Pharisees. There, they “investigate” the healing of this man, even bringing in the man’s parents to confirm the healing.

(Note: The townspeople and the parents all KNEW of this man’s blindness. Therefore, the healing was truly confirmed. This is in contrast to almost every method and claim of “faith healers” today. Not only is the “sickness” or “infirmity” not confirmed or established as true, but the healing itself is not able to be confirmed or substantiated with proof.)

In John 9:24, the Pharisees again seek to refute the healing, as they then denote Jesus as “a sinner” because He broke their teachings and traditions. But, in wisdom, the man answers in verse 25, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” After again attempting to disavow the man’s healing, in frustration, the Pharisees send the man away. Jesus seeks him out, and during this discourse, reveals Himself as the Son of God. The man proclaims, “Lord, I believe!”, to which Jesus responds, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

(Note: Again we see Jesus saying something which is NOT POPULAR in the Church today. The Greek wording shows clearly that Jesus is telling this man…and others who are standing near…that His purpose in coming is “judgment.” In context, the Greek denotes that Jesus was declaring that He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). But, in saving those who desire to BE saved, the original text ALSO denotes that Jesus was making it clear that the opposite is also true: those UNWILLING to BE saved are, therefore, CONDEMNED to JUDGMENT. Thus, Jesus not only says He came to open BLINDED eyes, but to BLIND the eyes of those who CLAIM that they can see WITHOUT His help.)

It is then that the Pharisees, who overhear the conversation and words of Jesus, approach Jesus. And…it is those Pharisees to whom Jesus is speaking when He speaks the words of John 10:1-15...as noted above.

Within the context of the passage, we find that Jesus never mentions Satan at all. Instead, the Church has most often taken the word “thief” and simply ASSUMED that it referred to Satan. Yet, to do so, the entire context of the passage…before AND after…has to be ignored. In reality…as I stated earlier…Jesus is speaking about FALSE TEACHERS…or “hirelings”, as He calls them. So…what is a “hireling?”

The word for “hireling” in John 10:12 is the Greek word Misthotó s (with the accent ¯ placed over the first o), meaning “One who is not showing real interest in his duty and who is unfaithful.” So, within the context of the passage, Jesus is referring to what I have termed FALSE SHEPHERDS. Here we see men who hold the POSITION of SHEPHERD…being a PASTOR in today’s language…yet these men take no care in their feeding and protection of the flock. In the case of a HIRELING, there is very little (if any) consideration given to the flock. They stand in contrast to the example of Jesus, as He was willing to “lay down His life for the flock.” Of course, we have the words of Jesus Himself to describe these FALSE SHEPHERDS, as He said, “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.” (John 10:12-13) A HIRELING has come for nothing more than personal gain. How do we know this?

The words of John 10:10 tell us this truth, as Jesus begins with these words: “ 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” The Greek word translated “thief” is the word Klé ptes (with the accent ¯ placed over the second e). You may notice it is a root word for our word KLEPTOMANIAC, which is someone who has a proclivity to steal others possessions. But Klé ptes has a different connotation from the Greek word for “robber” or “thief”…which is noted as “one who deprives another of his property, doing so openly and by violence.” Klé ptes actually denotes “one who steals by fraud and in secret.”


In its full context, we can easily see that Jesus is contrasting a TRUE SHEPHERD and a FALSE SHEPHERD. Jesus is using himself as an example of the TRUE SHEPHERD…even foreshadowing His Own death on the cross, as He WILLINGLY lays down His life for His sheep. Further, the word “thief” is referring to those SHEPHERDS who hold the POSITION without the PASSION and CARE which is necessary...CARE which would lead them to LOVE and PROTECT the flock. Lacking that necessary love, they simply PROFESS their care for the flock…all the while having no REAL concern for their well-being.

The bottom line in all of this? The HIRELINGS will say and do ANYTHING which will motivate the crowd in GIVING! The motivation is found in two common words: FAME and FORTUNE.

So…now…with all of that in mind…what are these FALSE SHEPHERDS doing which equates to John 10:10...as we see they come “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy?”

Let’s examine these quickly…one by one.
1. To steal - This was examined above in the examination of the words “steal” and “thief.”

2. To kill - The Greek word used gives AMAZING insight here! The Greek word for “kill” is the word Thú o (with the accent ¯ over the o). This word means “to offer sacrifice; to smoke or burn incense in a ritualistic sense; to offer sacrifice in a derived sense.” Can you see the reason God used this word and its implications?!? This wording shows us the power of FALSE SHEPHERDS and their FALSE TEACHING!

Since the “word” being brought forth by the HIRELING is actually FALSE TEACHING, the result is a FALSE WORSHIP. BAD DOCTRINE is presented by the PULPIT as TRUTH…yet, the result of BAD DOCTRINE is causing the flock to actually be SACRIFICED to fulfill the GREED and LUST of the FALSE SHEPHERD! This HIRELING will SACRIFICE the FLOCK for his own self-serving purposes!

Look at verse 12 again: “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.” There is a “wolf coming”…and he comes to KILL the sheep. And the HIRELING will run when he realizes death is near! Instead of PROTECTING the FLOCK…the FALSE SHEPHERD turns and runs!

FALSE TEACHING causes the flock to build their beliefs on erroneous doctrines. So…even if the flock TRULY believes a LIE…that LIE will not "work" (nor is it TRUTH)…as only TRUTH is able to repel an attack of the wolf! Look at it in this light: It is akin to selling attractive and polished...yet FAULTY...armor to a WARRIOR. Even though that WARRIOR believes his new armor will repel the arrows and spears of the enemy…the truth is clear when that first arrow PIERCES that faulty armor…wielding a DEATH BLOW to the unsuspecting WARRIOR!

Suffice it to say: the FALSE SHEPHERD is not only WILLING to SACRIFICE the flock if necessary…He WILL DO SO when the time seems right!

3. To destroy - The word for “destroy” is the Greek word Apó llumi. In the context of John 10:10, there is good news! The meaning of the word is a “temporal destruction”…NOT an ETERNAL destruction! This understanding is CRUCIAL for those who have once sat under such FALSE TEACHING…and…for those PRESENTLY sitting under such false teaching. The truth is this: if this HIRELING has been able to STEAL and to KILL you…He can STILL not GUARANTEE and PERPETRATE your ETERNAL DESTRUCTION! But…do NOT be fooled: if this point has been reached...with the HIRELING having been successful in "stealing" and "killing"...then your house on the sand is only one storm away from DESTRUCTION!

You see…the question is: Once the HIRELING has fled, revealing to the flock that he was NOT a TRUE SHEPHERD…what will the SHEEP do?!? Be sure…the wolf has come for one express purpose: to KILL and DEVOUR the SHEEP. There WILL BE pain and bloodshed! There WILL BE wounds! There WILL BE consequences for FAILING to DISCERN…which COULD HAVE BEEN DONE by INVESTIGATING everything that was being taught from the PULPIT!

You see…the POWER to EXPOSE the FALSE SHEPHERD before tragedy strikes is actually in the hands of the SHEEP! Oh…I do not say that without recognizing that the Holy Spirit is the POWER behind that REVELATION. But the Spirit of God is the One Who will “guide you into all truth.”

John 16:13 (NKJV) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…”

But the Holy Spirit cannot lead us into all TRUTH if we ignore His guidance…and He will guide us into the REVELATION of the TRUE MEANING of Scripture! But...the Holy Spirit cannot reveal the TRUE meaning of Scripture if we are not immersing ourselves in the Word! The simple truth? We DO NOT have to be at the MERCY of FALSE SHEPHERDS!

So…let’s bring this to a close.

Many are proclaiming that we, as Christians, must head over to the “camp” of the “enemy” to valiantly “recover” those things which Satan “stole” from us. Being aware that Satan is the impetus behind ALL evil and deception in this world, we could “sermonize” John 10:10 to denote it as applying to SATAN. But…Jesus was trying to give us warning (through His words to the Pharisees) that we MUST watch out for FALSE SHEPHERDS.

Remember 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 (NKJV): "But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works."

Paul has just written that he never came as a “burden” to the church (2 Corinthians 12:9). The context of that statement is in reference to those who come/will come asking for every possible perk and monetary blessing. In so doing, Paul says that they will “transform themselves”, denoting that they will have to CHANGE themselves. They exist as a FAKE…but they must APPEAR to be REAL! They are actually ministers of DECEPTION…not “ministers of righteousness.” In the same way, their god…Satan…”transforms himself into an angel of light.”

All in all…we can see through the Word of God that FALSE TEACHERS who serve as PASTORS are actually FALSE SHEPHERDS…or HIRELINGS. Their motives are NOT Godly…no matter HOW they package their DECEPTIONS. They are simply SELF-SEEKING fakes who USE the flock for their own PROFIT! So…be sure: when the message from the PULPIT is heavily focused on FINANCIAL GAIN and EARTHLY PROSPERITY…with heavy doses of “Seed faith!” and “Plant a seed, sow a need!” and “God will give it TO you if He can get it THROUGH you.!” and “The hundredfold blessing!” and “The 3-fold blessing of the cross includes a PROMISE of TOTAL HEALING and EARTHLY RICHES.” and anything similar…

…your PASTOR is a HIRELING…and he is only there to promote doctrines which will gain for him the most FAME and FORTUNE as possible!

Not ONE Scripture being used by these PROSPERITY PIMPS is taken IN CONTEXT when being USED in their attempt to support GREED!

You can PACKAGE it in various and diverse ways! You can buy the most BEAUTIFUL gift-wrapping available! You can present that gift-wrapped teaching with a gorgeous bow wrapped around it! And…you can put the most LOVING card with it! But…no matter how PRETTY the PACKAGE…

…what is being presented as a GIFT is NOTHING more than a FALSE DOCTRINE which promotes GREED! Nothing MORE…nothing LESS!

It is NOT Satan who “stole” your “stuff”…it was that FALSE TEACHER or FALSE SHEPHERD who SWINDLED you when he stood in your church’s pulpit with no other motive than GREED!

Even in Job, we see that Satan has to SPECIFICALLY get PERMISSION to even REMOTELY attack someone as he did Job! And Job is NOT to be made the NORM! Remember: God was the one Who said, “Have you considered my servant Job?” God was placing an AMAZING amount of CONFIDENCE in Job…because He knew Job’s heart!

Satan has VERY LITTLE POWER in the life of a TRUE BELIEVER. And…as I stated at the beginning: Satan simply CANNOT possess anything which we do not actually HAND OVER to him willingly! Satan works AROUND a believer in most cases. He DEFINITELY has no power to work WITHIN us or THROUGH us unless WE give him that access! It is a simple truth: being called to follow Jesus (Jesus approached the 12 with the words "Follow Me."...and that is the same call that we receive.), we simply CANNOT go down SATAN'S PATH OF DECEPTION unless we take our eyes off of Jesus...allowing the DECEPTION to pull us off the proper path, which is in the footsteps of Jesus.

So…here is an ESSENTIAL: the Church must NOT forsake the Word of God to properly evaluate ministers and ministries. Do NOT accept what you hear from the PULPIT without going to the Word of God to CONFIRM what is being preached! TRUTH can withstand SCRUTINY! If what is being PREACHED cannot withstand EXAMINATION…then be sure that a HIRELING just filled that PULPIT! (Note the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11...as they were EAGER for the Word of God--not just an appealing sermon--yet they received NO PREACHING as "gospel" without searching the Scriptures DAILY to see if what was being taught and preached was TRUTH.)

If you find yourself going to the “enemy’s camp” to “take back what he stole” from you…make sure you actually invade the CORRECT campsite! You may only be starting a war with the wrong enemy!

In Christ,

Ron Smith