The Old Law Is Fulfilled
After finishing his teaching, Jesus looked around at the crowd. “You’ve heard what I taught before I went back to my Father. Whoever remembers these words and lives by them—I’ll raise them up on the last day.”
As Jesus spoke, he noticed some people looking puzzled. They were confused about what he meant concerning the law of Moses. They didn’t understand his words: “The old things have passed away, and everything has become new.” He said to them, “Don’t be surprised when I tell you the old things have passed away and everything has become new. Listen: the law that was given to Moses is now fulfilled. I’m the one who gave that law. I’m the one who made the covenant with Israel. So the law is fulfilled in me. I came to fulfill it, so it has reached its end. I’m not destroying the prophets. Every word they spoke that hasn’t been fulfilled in me yet—I promise you—will all come true. And when I say the old things have passed away, I’m not destroying what was spoken about things still to come. The covenant I made with my people isn’t completely fulfilled yet. But the law given to Moses has reached its end in me. I am the law and the light. Look to me and stay faithful to the end, and you’ll live. To everyone who endures to the end, I’ll give eternal life. I’ve given you commandments—so keep them. This is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me.“
The Other Sheep
After saying this, Jesus turned to the twelve he had chosen. “You are my disciples. You’re a light to these people, who are descendants of Joseph’s family. This is your land of inheritance. The Father has given it to you.
The Father never commanded me to tell your relatives in Jerusalem about you. And he never commanded me to tell them about the other tribes of Israel that he led away from the land. The Father only commanded me to tell them this: ‘I have other sheep that aren’t part of this fold. I must bring them too, and they’ll hear my voice. There will be one flock and one shepherd.’ But because of their stubbornness and unbelief, they didn’t understand what I meant. So I was commanded to say nothing more to them about this.
But I’m telling you the truth: the Father commanded me to tell you that you were separated from them because of their wickedness. That’s why they don’t know about you. And I’m telling you: the Father has separated the other tribes from them too. And because of their wickedness, they don’t know about those tribes either. You are the ones I was talking about when I said, ‘I have other sheep that aren’t part of this fold. I must bring them too, and they’ll hear my voice. There will be one flock and one shepherd.’ They didn’t understand me. They assumed I was talking about the Gentiles. They didn’t understand that the Gentiles would be converted through their preaching. They didn’t understand when I said ‘they’ll hear my voice.’ They didn’t grasp that the Gentiles would never hear my voice directly—that I would only reveal myself to them through the Holy Spirit. But you—you’ve both heard my voice and seen me. You are my sheep. You’re among those the Father has given me.“