January 12, 2026
Since we are in the season of Epiphany, I want to consider what Jesus says in verse 16.
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 (John 10:16).
Jesus, among other roles, was a prophet to Israel. He is calling to them, and those who respond positively are his sheep, who hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow him. But the prophets had always hinted — actually, more than hinted — that God’s plan was not limited to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Part of God’s original promise to Abraham included the words, “and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3).
What God was doing in and through Jesus was not just for Israel but for the whole world, so he has “other sheep that are not of this fold.” These sheep are those who respond positively to Jesus from every tongue, tribe, race, and people around the globe. I won’t delve into theories about the doctrine of election, but there’s something significant about the words “I have other sheep” and “I must bring them also.” Either way, the goal, as we see elsewhere in the New Testament, is to create one new humanity from these many sheep, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. I can’t help but think of the powerful scene from Revelation 5.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Rev 5:9–12).
We see here not just one nation, but representatives from all of humanity, united as one flock praising the one shepherd (who is the Lamb!) and our creator God, and to that I say, “Amen!”