John 10:1-21
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (v. 16) Earlier we read about the Syrophoenician woman who had asked Jesus to heal her daughter. (Matthew 15:21-28) At that time Jesus had replied to her, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (v. 24) However, Jesus relented based on her reply (the dogs eating the crumbs that fall from the table) and healed her daughter. Now we see Jesus actively speaking of other sheep that are not of this fold, presumably Gentiles who are not His own Israelite kin. We also saw Jesus earlier traveling through Samaria instead of taking the Jordan River road around Samaria. He had also traveled north as far as Tyre, Sidon, and Caesarea Philippi and gone east across the Sea of Galilee to other Gentile lands. So His first reply to the Syrophoenician woman seems to have been an “outlier” statement. And when He went to the cross, He no doubt died for us all – Jews and Gentiles alike. Each of us is one of those other sheep that are not of this fold. Rejoice!
See also: July 1 / John 10:1-21
Fred, I heard in particular the reference to “other sheep” as well. So thankful that we are in that group. In another place Jesus refers to God or heaven having many rooms, and Jesus going to prepare a room for us. I wonder who all the rooms are for, besides Jewish and Gentile believers. God’s plans include us but He’s bigger than just His relationship with mankind. Our God is an awesome God!
The Good Shepherd has so many lessons for us. What stands out to me this time is that the sheep in the Good Shepherd’s fold “know his voice” and “do not know the voice of strangers”. Jesus also says, as the Good Shepherd, “I know my own, and my own know me.”
I know that I am speaking to the choir here, but it is so important that as members of the Good Shepherd’s flock (the Kingdom of God), we learn to know God’s voice and distinguish it from voices of “strangers”. And how do we recognize the Good Shepherd’s voice? Through scripture and prayer, prayer, prayer. And Listening as much as talking. And we should beware of voices of would-be shepherds who do not enter the sheepfold through the gate (Jesus’ teachings). How many good Christians have been led astray throughout history because they did not know the Good Shepherd’s voice well enough and mistakenly followed a voice of a “stranger”. Crusades, religious wars, prejudices, even witch burnings. What a list.
More scripture, more prayer, more listening.