John 10:16

Context

This verse belongs to the so-called Good Shepherd discourse in chapter 10 of the Gospel of John. After Jesus healed a man blind from birth in chapter 9, a dispute arose with the Pharisees, and the words of chapter 10 were addressed to a Jewish audience in the course of that controversy. Jesus presents himself as "the good shepherd" who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11–15). Continuing from this, the verse makes clear that the shepherd's care is not limited to the sheep now within "this fold" (the enclosure in which sheep are kept). The text reports that these words caused a division among the Jews (John 10:19–21).

Interpretation

• As a reference to the Gentiles: This interpretation has been held from the Church Fathers through the Reformers to most modern commentators. "This fold" is Israel and the "other sheep" are the Gentiles; the verse is understood to mean that Jews and Gentiles will become one under one shepherd. John 11:52, which speaks of gathering "together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad," and Ephesians 2:14–17 are cited in support.
• As a reference to dispersed Jews: Some scholars take the verse to refer to Jews living outside Palestine (the Diaspora). This is a minority view.
• As a basis for church unity: The statement that there will be one flock under one shepherd is taken as grounds for the unity of Christians across denominational lines. The verse is frequently cited in the ecumenical movement.
• The reading of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: On the basis of the Book of Mormon (3 Nephi 15), this group holds that the resurrected Jesus visited a people in the Americas and told them that they were these "other sheep."
• The reading of Jehovah's Witnesses: This group identifies the "other sheep" as those who will live forever on earth, as distinct from the "little flock" (Luke 12:32) of 144,000 who will reign in heaven.

The major Protestant denominations regard the last two interpretations as inconsistent with the context of the Gospel of John.

Controversies and Issues

The Greek text uses two different words for "fold" (aulē) and "flock" (poimnē). The Latin Vulgate, however, rendered the second word as "fold" (ovile), and the English King James Version, following this rendering, likewise reads "one fold." Some have noted that, as a result, the verse was used to argue that all must enter a single institutional church. By contrast, the rendering "one flock" emphasizes that although there may be many folds, there is only one shepherd. The Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version distinguish between "fold" and "flock" in their translations.

In the Korean Church

The verse is often cited in sermons on missions and evangelism directed toward those outside the church, and on occasions that emphasize cooperation among denominations.

Related Passages

• John 10:27–29
• Ezekiel 34:11–16
• John 17:20–23
• Ephesians 4:3–6
• Isaiah 56:8