I have other sheep, which are not of this fold (John 10:16)

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Yomelijah

5 min readMar 16

“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, 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”, the only place of access in the same way as John 14:6: “Jesus said to him: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me””. The main theme of the subject is still Jesus Christ as Messiah. From verse 9, in the same passage (he changes the illustration again), he designates himself as the shepherd who grazes his sheep by making them “go in or go out” to feed them. The teaching is both centered on him and on how he cares for his sheep. Jesus Christ designates himself as the excellent shepherd who will give his life for his disciples and who loves his sheep (unlike the hired shepherd who will not risk his life for sheep which do not belong to him). Again, the central point of the teaching of Christ, is Himself as a shepherd who will sacrifice himself for his sheep (Matthew 20:28).
John 10:16–18: “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 is why the Father loves me, because I surrender my soul, in order that I may receive it again. No man has taken 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. The commandment on this I received from my Father”.
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). 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.

The memorial of the death of Jesus Christ:

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/437355109

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OTHER: http://www.yomelyah.com/437355109

THE SPIRITUAL MAN:
English: http://www.yomelyah.com/435966902
French: http://www.yomelijah.com/435950338
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The teaching of Jesus Christ that leads to spiritual maturity:

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/437426849

French: http://www.yomelijah.com/442444233

Spanish: http://www.yomeliah.com/442444349

Portuguese: http://www.yomelias.com/436041687