Christians Against Christianity by Obery M. Hendricks Jr

Author:Obery M. Hendricks Jr [Hendricks, Obery M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

For centuries, scholars have speculated about who Jesus had in mind when he declared, “I have other sheep that do not belong to 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). Whatever the scholars’ conclusions, it is important to note that this verse gives no indication that Jesus’s sheep were restricted to a particular region or religious belief. One of the most outstanding traits of Jesus’s ministry was his acceptance of everyone. He neither demonized nor turned his back on anyone in need—not the Roman colonizers of his people (Matthew 8:5–13); nor women unaccompanied by men, a serious taboo in that culture (John 4:1–26); nor the tax collectors who were roundly disdained by most Jews as traitors (Luke 19:1–10); not even a leprous Samaritan (Luke 17:11–19).56 Because virtually all of Jesus’s teachings are about serving God by serving our neighbors, “other sheep that do not belong to this fold” could well mean anyone who would accept the ethical demands of his message and strive to live lovingly and justly, no matter their origin or religion. This would include those who have sacrificed their freedom and their very lives to serve their neighbors, yet are not professed Christians, like Mahatma (“Great Soul”) Mohandas Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.57 Martin Luther King put it this way:

I think Jesus was saying [with this verse], . . . “I have people dedicated and following my ways who have not become attached to the institution surrounding my name. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. And my influence is not limited to the institutional Christian church.” I think this is what Jesus would say if he were living today concerning this passage.58

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