“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)
Throughout John chapter 10 Jesus speaks in metaphors concerning His role as shepherd of the flock of God. The truth He expresses is of great comfort to believers. First of all we discover that He knows His sheep personally. He knows which belong in His fold and they know Him. They recognize His voice, that is, know and believe in Him, so He lets them in. And as a shepherd, His sheep trust Him and depend on Him for everything. The Lord as Shepherd was a familiar image to the Jews but here Jesus made it clear not that the sheep that dwelt outside of Israel belonged to Him as well. The Kingdom of God is now open to people of every ethnic group, language and nationality.
This is supported by the vision John beheld in Revelation 7. The Church is made up of people from all ethnicities, nations, languages and races. Thus racism, nationalism and ethnic arrogance have no place in the Kingdom of God. We are first and foremost citizens of that Kingdom and equal in faith in Christ to every believer throughout the world.
Jesus promises that every believer is protected and held safely in His care. And yet today so many of the sheep seem to be led astray by shepherds who masquerade as servants of God. Now no real Christian should be fooled by outward pagans and teachers of non-Christian sects and religions. Yet many will fall pray to preachers and pastors who claim to speak for the Lord. They promise prosperity, healing and ease to those who will come, to those who will give their cash, to those who will perform certain acts of worship and sacrifice, but such false teachers are preying upon people’s fears. Such preachers are out to enhance their own kingdom not the Lord’s. The true sheep may be led astray, but will always come back to the Lord. He will not let them be taken from His fold.