“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.”
Think for a moment how upsetting these words would have been to many of the people in Jerusalem. They were the special people – and then here comes Jesus saying that He’s going to just bring on in “other” sheep. So know – “them”. “Those people.” Samaritans and Gentiles and Tax Collectors and who knows what else. And it annoyed many folks them. Terrified them. In verse 20 some asserted that He had a demon and was insane.
Think for a moment about how upsetting these words are to us today. We are in a highly tribal and divided day. There are so many “others” that we are trained by society and our peers to fear and hate. And here comes Jesus with this daft plan not just to save me and the people like me, but all sorts of people. Not just my clique, not just the people who think the same way as I do on the issues of the day, not just the people who look like me. Nope, Jesus brings in the other.
Our words today like to separate us from the other. We say that “they” are lazy or oppressors. We will angrily yell and type how hateful “they” are. That “they” abuse the system and society – whether they are welfare queens or the one percent. “They” are bad. That’s what the voices all around us cry, that’s what we tend to cry.
Then comes the voice of Christ Jesus. The voice of the Good Shepherd, the voice of the Lamb Who Was Slain. He says that He has laid down His life for you, for all of you. Even that person whom you fear and hate. He says peace. He calls out sin and proclaims forgiveness. He batters down our divisions with His mercy. He doesn’t let us define ourselves by our quirks or individual wants – we are defined together – one flock, one Shepherd, one faith, one Lord, one baptism. His Word, His voice actually does gather us together with some of the most fascinating and wondrous people in the world. Fellow forgiven sinners. Fellow sheep who were rescued by the Good Shepherd. And that is where we actually live in peace that the world cannot give.
