A Study of John 10:14-16 and God’s Faithfulness to Israel

Introduction

Folks, in John 10 our Lord calls Himself the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep. They know His voice. And He lays down His life for them. Then He says something wonderful:

“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:16, NKJV)

What a beautiful picture this is of the Church. At the same time it stands against the idea that God has cast Israel aside. The other sheep are the Gentiles. The fold is the Jewish people. The result is one flock under one Shepherd—without the Church replacing Israel. God keeps His covenants. He does not change His mind.

The Context of John 10

Looking at the context, Jesus has just healed a man born blind (John 9). The religious leaders cast the man out of the synagogue. Jesus finds him and receives him. In John 10 He contrasts Himself with the false shepherds who care more for themselves than for the sheep. He is the door. He is the Good Shepherd. He lays down His life for the sheep and takes it up again. No one takes it from Him. He has power to lay it down and power to take it again. This is the Father’s command.

In the middle of this, He looks beyond the immediate Jewish flock and speaks of other sheep He already has.

What Is “This Fold”?

The fold (Greek aulē) is the enclosure where the sheep were kept. In the context of John 10, “this fold” is the nation of Israel, the people of the Old Covenant. Jesus had come first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). The sheep who already heard His voice and followed Him were Jewish believers. They were of that fold.

The fold is not the Church. The Church had not yet been formed. Jesus is speaking to Jews about the Jewish people.

Who Are the Other Sheep?

The other sheep are the Gentiles. They are not of the Jewish fold. Jesus says He already has them. They belong to Him. He must bring them. They will hear His voice. I have often said He is talking about the Gentiles… He is talking about you. You are a part of the other sheep that were not of that fold.

This was not a new idea. God promised Abraham that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Isaiah said the Servant would be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6). The prophets looked ahead to the day when the nations would come to the Messiah. Jesus is declaring that day.

In the book of Acts we see it happen. The Holy Spirit falls on Cornelius and the Gentiles (Acts 10). Peter later explains that God has also granted the Gentiles repentance unto life (Acts 11:18). Paul is sent to the Gentiles. The mystery is revealed: the Gentiles are fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ (Ephesians 3:6).

One Flock and One Shepherd

Come with me notice the wording carefully. Jesus does not say there will be one fold. He says there will be one flock and one Shepherd. The distinction matters. The old fold of Israel is not simply expanded or replaced by a new structure. Believing Jews and believing Gentiles become one flock under the one Shepherd, Jesus.

Paul explains how this happens in Ephesians 2. The middle wall of separation is broken down by the blood of Christ. Those who were far off (Gentiles) are brought near. Both groups are reconciled to God in one body. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 3:28). We are all one in Him. That is the one flock.

This is not a second-class membership. The other sheep hear the same voice, follow the same Shepherd, and receive the same eternal life. No one plucks them out of His hand (John 10:28).

Does This Teach Replacement Theology?

Does this teach replacement theology? No. Replacement theology teaches that the Church has replaced Israel, that the promises given to the Jewish people now belong only to the Church, and that national Israel has no further place in God’s plan. Some even call it “fulfillment theology” to soften the language. John 10:16 does not teach that.

The other sheep are brought in. They do not push the original sheep out. The one flock does not mean the original fold has been discarded. God has not broken His covenant with Abraham. “God is not a man, that He should lie… Has He said, and will He not do?” (Numbers 23:19). The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

To say that God is finished with Israel, or that the Church has taken Israel’s place, is to call God a liar. It attacks His character. He said, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” He promised Abraham a physical, biological family—flesh and blood people—who would inherit the land. That promise still stands. Any teaching that implies or states that God is finished with Israel is a doctrine of demons. We are grafted in and included, but we have not replaced the natural branches.

Paul is clear in Romans 9–11. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew (Romans 11:1–2). A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Then all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25–26). The natural branches were broken off because of unbelief so that we (wild branches) could be grafted in by grace. Paul warns us not to boast against those branches. God is able to graft them in again.

Jesus’ words in John 10 show the inclusion of the Gentiles. They do not cancel the future restoration of Israel. The Church is not the new Israel. The Church is the one flock made up of believing Jews and Gentiles in this age. God still has unfinished business with the nation of Israel according to the covenants and the prophets.

The Remnant and God’s Unfinished Business with Israel

There has always been a remnant according to the election of grace (Romans 11:5). In Elijah’s day God reserved seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal. Today there is a remnant of Jewish people who have heard the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him. They are already part of the one flock. Messianic believers are not waiting for a separate plan. They are in the Church with us, waiting for the same blessed hope.

After the Church is taken up, the time of the Gentiles ends. God will turn His attention back to Israel in a special way. Through the tribulation period He will deal with the nation. A remnant will be called out and purified. Many will look on the One they pierced and mourn for Him (Zechariah 12:10). The Deliverer will come out of Zion and turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Romans 11:26). That believing remnant is the real Israel who will inherit the land and be a blessing to the nations. All Israel (that remnant) will be saved.

This does not happen because the Church failed. It happens because God is faithful to the word He spoke to the fathers. The Good Shepherd still has sheep among Israel that He will bring.

Practical Application

If you have heard the voice of the Good Shepherd and you are following Him, you are one of His sheep. You are secure in His hand. Whether you are Jewish or Gentile by background, you are part of the one flock.

We do not boast against the natural branches. God has shown us mercy. We are to show that same mercy and pray for the salvation of Israel (Romans 10:1).

The unity of the one flock does not erase the distinction between the Church and Israel in God’s program. Both truths stand together because of who God is, not because of who we are.

Human failure—whether in the Church or among leaders—does not change God’s covenants. Our hope is not in men. It is in the Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep and who never fails them.

Conclusion

John 10:16 is a word of grace and a word of faithfulness. The other sheep (the Gentiles) have been brought in. There is one flock and one Shepherd. At the same time, God has not finished with Israel. The covenants stand. The remnant remains. One day the fullness of that unity will be seen when Israel turns to her Messiah and the one Shepherd rules over all His sheep.

Until that day we keep looking to Jesus. He knows His own. He calls them by name. He leads them. And He will bring every one of them safely home. What a faithful God we serve.