« And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd »
(John 10:16)
As we carefully read John 10: 1-16, we notice that the central theme is the identification of the Messiah as a true shepherd for his disciples, the sheep.
In John 10: 1 and John 10: 16, it is written: « Most truly I say to you, He that does not enter into the sheepfold through the door but climbs up some other place, that one is a thief and a plunderer. (…) And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd ». This « sheepfold » represents the territory where Jesus Christ preached, the Nation of Israel, in the context of the Mosaic law: « These twelve Jesus sent forth, giving them these orders: “Do not go off into the road of the nations, and do not enter into a Sa·marʹi·tan city; but, instead, go continually to the lost sheep of the house of Israel » (Matthew 10:5,6). « In answer he said: “I was not sent forth to any but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” » (Matthew 15:24). This sheepfold is also the « house of Israel ».
In John (10:1-6), it is written that Jesus Christ presented himself at the gate of the sheepfold: « “Most truly I say to you, the one who does not enter into the sheepfold through the door but climbs in by another way, that one is a thief and a plunderer. 2 But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens to this one, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will by no means follow a stranger but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus spoke this comparison to them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them » (John 10:1-6).
In John 10:1-6, Jesus Christ presented himself before the gate of the sheepfold. This happened at the time of his baptism. The « doorkeeper » was John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13). By baptizing him, he became the Christ. John the Baptist opened the door for him and testified that Jesus is the Christ and the Lamb of God: « See, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! » (John 1:29-36).
In John 10:7-15, while remaining on the same Messianic theme, Jesus Christ uses another illustration by designating himself as the « door »: « So Jesus said again: “Most truly I say to you, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All those who have come in place of me are thieves and plunderers; but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved, and that one will go in and out and find pasturage. 10 The thief does not come unless it is to steal and slay and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance. 11 I am the fine shepherd; the fine shepherd surrenders his life in behalf of the sheep. 12 The hired man, who is not a shepherd and to whom the sheep do not belong, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them— 13 because he is a hired man and does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the fine shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I surrender my life in behalf of the sheep » (John 10:7-15).
Jesus Christ uses a different metaphor by referring to himself as the door and later as the only way to everlasting life: “Jesus said to him: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).
From verse 9 onward, in the same passage (the illustration changes once again), he refers to himself as the shepherd who tends his sheep, leading them « in and out » to find for them pasturage. The teaching is centered both on him and on how he cares for his sheep. Jesus Christ is the excellent shepherd who will lay down his life for his disciples and who loves his sheep (unlike the hired man (who is not a shepherd), who will not risk his life for sheep that do not belong to him).
Once again, the central point of Christ’s teaching is Himself as the shepherd who will sacrifice Himself for His sheep. He prophetically announces, at the time of his declaration, that He will lay down his life for his sheep, because his Father has given them to Him. He sacrificed his life for them so that they might obtain everlasting life: “Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many” (Matthew 20:28; John 3:16, 36; 17:3). The main theme remains Jesus Christ as Messiah, as shepherd (John 10:1-6), and as the gate and the shepherd who actively cares for his sheep (John 10:7-15).
In John (10:16-18), he announces that his flock of sheep, at the time of his pronouncements, will increase considerably: « And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those too I must bring in, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I surrender my life, so that I may receive it again. 18 No man takes it away from me, but I surrender it of my own initiative. I have authority to surrender it, and I have authority to receive it again. This commandment I received from my Father » (John 10:16-18).
Reading these verses, according to the context, Jesus Christ announces a revolutionary idea at that time: he would sacrifice his life not only for his Jewish disciples (in the sheepfold), but also in favor of other disciples who would not be part of this sheepfold of Israel. The proof is, the last command which he gave to his disciples, regarding the preaching, is this: « You will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth » (Acts 1:8). It is precisely during the baptism of Cornelius that the words of Christ in John 10:16 began to be realized (See the narrative of Acts chapter 10).
Thus, the « other sheep » of John 10:16 apply to non-Jewish Christians in the flesh. In John 10:16-18 it is described the unity in the obedience of the sheep to the Shepherd Jesus Christ. He also spoke of all of his disciples in his day as a « little flock »: « Have no fear, little flock, because your Father has approved of giving you the kingdom » (Luke 12:32). Some use this biblical quote of Luke (12:32), to contrast the group of 144,000 of the Book of Apocalypse, as being the little flock, with the great crowd mentioned in the same book, this time referring to them as the other sheep of John (10:16) (Apocalypse chapter 7). Does such an interpretation respect the historical context of Christ’s statements? It does not.
By Pentecost in 33 C.E., the disciples of Christ, numbered only 120 (Acts 1:15). In the remainder of the Acts narrative, we read that their number was a few thousand (Acts 2:41 (3,000 souls); Acts 4:4 (5,000)). Be that as it may, the new Christians, whether in the time of Christ, as in that of the apostles, represented a « little flock », comparing with the whole population of the nation of Israel and then to the other nations of that time.
« Of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues«
(Apocalypse 7:9)
The above quote, concerning the great crowd, does not mean that it represents alone, the other sheep (John 10:16). As a reminder, the other sheep in the time of Christ and the apostles represent Christ’s disciples, not Israelites by birth, from other nations. Therefore, among the other sheep, there will be disciples who are part of the 144,000, members of the great crowd, and those resurrected (Revelation 7; 14:1-5 and chapter 20).
The text above draws attention to three expressions that illustrate unity or harmony within the diversity of nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues. The Heavenly Father and His Son, through His Kingdom, will unite the different peoples, taking into account their cultural (nations with different tongues), tribal (tribes), and racial (peoples) differences. There will be a harmony which purpose will be to unify in diversity, particularly through the worship of God: « For then I will change the language of the peoples to a pure language, So that all of them may call on the name of Jehovah, To serve him shoulder to shoulder » (Zephaniah 3: 9)). There will be nations without nationalism and patriotism, tribes without tribalism and races diversities without racism and a worlwide unity in cultural diversities, without standardized globalism. Thus, the evils of patriotism and globalism, which are currently causing wars, famines and diseases, will disappear forever. There will be lovely unity in lovely diversities, willed and created by God (Acts 17:26).
We must be united as Jesus Christ asked his Father
« I make request, not concerning these only, but also concerning those putting faith in me through their word, so that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in union with me and I am in union with you, that they also may be in union with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me » (John 17:20,21).
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Table of contents of the http://yomelyah.fr/ website
Reading the Bible daily, this table of contents contains informative Bible articles (Please click on the link above to view it)…
Table of languages of more than seventy languages, with six important biblical articles, written in each of these languages…
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