CHRISTMAS – ONE SHEPHERD AND ONE FLOCK

The promised Saviour has come to seek and save us, like the Good Shepherd – Luke 19:10. This Shepherd was seeking for His sheep, in the whole world. Some have erroneously believed that, they are the only ones for whom, the LORD God Almighty, the God of all creation, ever cared for, because they were the Chosen People – Genesis 12:1-3.

The process of rectification is seen in the LORD Jesus’ coming in flesh and blood, to be the Good Shepherd. The Saviour is born, to rectify this error in perception, even as He saves “His People” from their sins – JESUS – Matthew 1:21. As the Good Shepherd, He is concerned about all His flock, which is, all who believe in the LORD Jesus Christ, from the entire world, and not just from the physical descendants of Abraham.

God always had the whole world in His heart and mind, with NO DISCRIMINATION WHATSOEVER BETWEEN THE JEW AND THE GENTILE – Genesis 3:15. It has always been so, and it will always be so. Jews are no more special to the God of the Bible, than the rest of the world. Salvation of the whole human race was at the core of all what God had ever done since the fall of man. Choosing of Abraham, and his physical descendants was merely a means to an end, and not an end in itself. God brought the Saviour of the whole world at an appointed time, into this world, through the appointed people, to fulfill His purposes, which are for the whole world, not just to that people, and that place. This is precisely why the LORD Jesus emphatically said to Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, who very well knew all the Scriptures, that GOD LOVES the WHOLE WORLD; and that, WHOSOEVER from the WHOLE WORLD believes in Him, WILL SURELY, CERTAINLY and UNDOUBTEDLY BE SAVED – John 3:16. One can’t be any more clearer than this.

It is a serious error to claim that God cares only for a small group of people, because He chose only them, and not others. Such a view is a gross misinterpretation of the holy Scriptures, and a blatant misappropriation of such status, which the LORD, in the first place, never gave to any one racial or ethnic group. The whole concept of “Chosen People” is very different from what is being portrayed by many in the Christian circles. Because of this error, we see the evil of ethno-centric superiority and racial discrimination, as being ordained by God Himself, because He chose only some out of the whole world, and not the rest of those in the world – hence they are special, and the rest are not.
– “Like many traditions with a long historical pedigree, Judaism has inherited its share of texts with racial bias. Failure to acknowledge this is one reason for prevalent conscious and subconscious racist views that can be found in the American Orthodox Jewish community—the community of which I am a part—which sometimes reveal themselves in overt statements and actions…Rabbinic literature…does contain negative tropes and stereotypes about black people…A more problematic example appears in another passage in the Babylonian Talmud…It begins unsurprisingly with praise for Jews and Israel (b. Kiddushin 49b): ‘Ten kavim [lines or tracks] of wisdom came down to the world; the land of Israel took nine and the rest of the world took one.’ ‘Ten kavim of beauty came down to the world; Jerusalem took nine and the rest of the world took one.’…the other groups are given pejorative characteristics: Babylonians are poor, Elamites are crass, Medes are lice-ridden, Egyptians are sorcerers, pigs are diseased, Arabians are licentious, people from Meishan (a town near Babylon) are brazen, women are chattery, and slaves are sleepy.[8] The pejorative about Kushites reads: ‘Ten kavim of drunkenness descended to the world; the Kushites took nine [and the rest of the world took one].'” – Prof. Meylekh (PV) Viswanath [a Jewish Professor at Pace University, New York, N.Y.]

Let us look at John 10, where Jesus speaks about the Good Shepherd, where we can see how the LORD dismantles this erroneous assumption of superiority, because of the “Chosenness” and all its entailments, over the rest of the nations, races and ethnicities. The LORD Jesus first builds His case, before He sledgehammers His way through this error.
– “7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep…9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture…11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep…14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” – John 10:7,9,11,14

In John 10:16, the LORD Jesus hits the nail on its head. He hits it straight and hard. The intensity and the force which Jesus uses, can be seen a little latter in the passage, by the hate-filled response of His Jewish audience. But for now, let us read what Jesus said.
– “16 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

Have we noticed the words of the SON of GOD, the LORD Jesus Christ? He speaks of things, which most certainly are scandalous and blasphemous to the ears of a Jew. Jesus says…
– OTHER SHEEP I HAVE WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD – meaning Gentiles.
– THEM ALSO I MUST BRING – that means God cares for them, just as the Jews.
– THEY WILL HEAR MY VOICE – this means, the Gentiles are obedient to God, and will be called God’s Children. 
– AND THERE WILL BE ONE FLOCK AND ONE SHEPHERD – at last, the unveiling of the whole intention of God, revealing His heart and His love for the whole world.

The above words of the LORD Jesus makes no distinction between the Jew and the Gentile. In the sight of God Almighty, the One who created everything, there is ONLY ONE FLOCK and ONLY ONE SHEPHERD. There are no two opinions about it. Period.

We need to read the above words of Jesus, along with the verses a little latter in the passage to fully grasp the depth of what the LORD Jesus was trying to tell His Jewish audience. 
– “25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.” – John 10:25-30

The LORD Jesus, in the above passage, brings into the frame, the FATHER, who to the Jewish audience is YAHWEH. YAHWEH is authenticating all what Jesus is speaking and doing. Jesus also criticises them as not belonging to this fold, because they do not believe in the Good Shepherd, who is sent and authenticated by the FATHER.

Small wonder then, that the religious heads, and the Jews in general, desperately wanted to kill Jesus at any cost. Killing Jesus was no sin in their eyes because, they believed Jesus is speaking blasphemy, and therefore, He rightfully deserved nothing but death, according to the law. The following verses reveal to us the hatred for Jesus.
– “20 And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” – John 10:20

There surely were some sane Jews too, who thought otherwise.
– “21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” – John 10:21

Dear brothers and sisters, in the context of God’s Chosen People, and all what is being done in this regard, let us stick to what the LORD Jesus said, and what the Bible authentically records for our reading and our edification. Let us hold the divine line, and walk in it faithfully and obediently. Let it not even be mentioned among us, as God’s Chosen People, any leaning towards discrimination of others, and superiority of self, because we are God’s Chosen Children. 

The whole world is God’s. Every individual has the image of God in them – saved or not…certainly marred by the fall. Who will be saved, and who will not be saved, is none of our business. Our business, as entrusted to us by the LORD Jesus Himself, is to preach the gospel at all times, and live a life that is pleasing to the One, who has called us out of darkness, into His marvellous light. For there is no other way or means for the salvation of the whole world, except the name of the LORD Jesus Christ. Let us never forget, there is ONLY ONE FLOCK and ONLY ONE SHEPHERD. Even so the LORD help us.