one flock, one shepherd

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 hints to His Jewish audience in this passage that He will be shepherding a flock drawn from others outside of Israel. He knew the gospel would go wide and deep into the world. He had already seen it do so in His own ministry. And even as the gospel of John records a growing opposition from the leadership of Judaism in Palestine to Jesus, it also records an acceptance of Jesus among the neediest, the displaced, and the sinful who simply turned to Him. And Samaritans and gentiles were among them. Jesus would transform an exclusive, bigoted society.

Jesus transformed His world by creating ONE FLOCK. This flock was made up of followers who though predominantly Jewish, were mostly common folk. Even His twelve disciples were rough cut and mostly rural… with the possible exception of Judas… and we know how that ended. The flock Jesus drew together reached to Samaria where no self-respecting pious Jew dared to set foot. It cared for lepers who were considered untouchable. This flock enfolded God-fearing gentiles. Jesus made that flock into one flock in unity around Him.

Jesus transformed His world by being ONE SHEPHERD. He is the center of the Christian faith. For millennia now popes, potentates, preachers, protesters, and pop stars have tried to steal the center spotlight from Jesus and have failed. Jesus is the only Good Shepherd. He is our Savior, our worship, and our God. And all our attention as Christians should be drawn to one shepherd. The scriptures teach about Jesus, our worship sings to Him, our obedience is for Him, and our goal is to be transformed by Jesus to be like Him for His glory!