Sheep in America
3 Nephi 15:17; “That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
John 10:16; “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
There are a number of issues with this topic so let’s get started!
1. The first thing I want to point out is prayer.
If it weren’t for the diligence of a handful of some great Christian friends I had while I was Mormon I don’t know where I’d be today. God intervened on my behalf and I’m convinced it’s because He heard and answered their prayers! People throughout Europe and the US prayed for me for more than thirteen years. Please, pray for the Mormon people today!
2. This passage in Nephi is called an anachronism. Sheep weren’t part of the American landscape or economy until Cortez first brought them over in 1519 AD. And it wasn’t until the 16th century that sheep became a well known commodity stateside through the importation of them by the Colonials.
He spoke in a parable using the customs and the economy from which they sprang. The Israelites food and money source stemmed from their flocks of sheep. Using these as an example it was His way of teaching the people what He wanted to impart to them.
Jesus was announcing to the Pharisees they shouldn’t suppose they were the only people in His group of followers. Those that the Pharisees deemed worse than dogs were the very people Jesus had come to save – the Gentiles! His message was also to take the vanity from the Pharisees.
3. Mormons like to attribute the “other sheep” as being the Nephites. When Jesus told the Pharisees that He was the shepherd and His sheep know His voice, He was referring to the Gentiles – not the Jews and most certainly not the Nephites!
Leave a Reply