“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”
John 10:14‭-‬16

On the heels of John10:1-13, where Jesus is saying that . . .
1. He’s the Good Shepherd (vs 11) and the door or gate to the sheep pen (vs 7);
2. that the one who tries to sneak into the pen in a way other than thru the gate (vs 1) is an imposture
3. that this one is a thief who’s intentions are ONLY to steal, kill and destroy them (vs 10), while Jesus’ purpose is to give etetnal life to them (vs 10);
4. That Jesus the Good Shepherd calls them by name and they follow Him because they know His voice, as opposed to a stranger who’s voice they will not follow (vs 3-5)–on the heels of all of that, Jesus again says, “I Am the Good Shepherd”! “I know my sheep”, He continues. What an amazing concept-out of all the people presently on the planet, as well as those who have lived and died and those who will be born-out of all these people or sheep, JESUS KNOWS MY NAME! I am distinct! He doesn’t just know me, He knows me to the same extent as and with the same intensity that God the Father loved Him at that moment in time!

Jesus knows me and Jesus knows you too! So to add another layer on to this, Jesus says, I lay down or sacrifice my life for the sheep. Often when we talk about the crucifixion of Jesus, we speak as if Jesus was somehow a victim. Jesus was God and as a man simultaneously, yet under the control of the Holy Spirit, absolutely controlled the situation. Even as He was being arrested, beaten and crucified, Jesus PERMITTED it –He did not fall victim to this! He absolutely GAVE His life – He laid down His life- for His disciples, for you and for me! Jesus goes on to say, I have other sheep to – sheep that are not of this fold (17-18)

This is a great thing to remember, especially when we feel like we have been abandoned by everyone except for God! Elijah felt this way in the Old Testament (I Kings 19:14-18). God made it clear to him on the day that as he prayed concerning this that “no, there were 7,000 more Isrealites who had not bowed the knee to baal and who were on God’s side. Just like Elijah, we are not the only sheep and we are not a part of Jesus” only sheep fold!
These sheep listen to Jesus just like we do . They follow him just like we do . Jesus continues and concludes that a day will come when he will gather those other folds, along with the other sheep – the disciples that He was talking to that we will be one fold – we will be one complete flock!

Jesus, here is speaking of the cooperate Church, the Body of Christ. Jesus heads the Church–He’s the Chief Shepherd “of our souls”. (I Peter 2:25).

The question is, are you a part of His flock? He knows you by name–call on His Name today!

Think about it!