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
Who are those other sheep that Jesus has? Sheep that are not yet part of this flock, but who belong to Him and He wants to bring in?
Jesus’ ministry has so far only focussed on the Jews. But Jesus here announces that He is not just the Good Shepherd for Jews, He is also the Good Shepherd for Gentiles. His intention is to create one flock – one church – under one shepherd.
Because we all come to faith in a particular Christian church or denomination, our natural conclusion is that this is the true church, and this is the right way to come to faith – because it worked for us. All the others, well, we are not sure. But the wideness of God’s mercy may well surprise us.
I would like to tell you the story of Ahatsistari. In the 1600s the French Jesuits sent missionary priests to the native people in the area we now know as Canada. Every year they sent back a report of their activity to the Mother House in Paris.
These reports are called the ‘Jesuit Relations’, you can find them online and they make for incredible reading. They show the incredible courage of these priests. Many of them died – from accident, illness, the wild weather, but also at the hands of the native tribespeople.
Many of the priests were horribly tortured by the native Americans, who had a culture of cruelty. They would pull out the priests finger-nails with their teeth. They would bite off their fingers or thumbs – and laugh as they did so. If the priests survived this mutilation, they would be chased away. And yet, when the priests healed of their injuries, they went back to them again, to share with them the love of Jesus. Such, incredible courage.
But some of the native Americans were interested in hearing about Jesus. In the Jesuit Relation for 1642, (Volume 23), we are told the story of Ahatsistari.
Ahatsistari was the greatest warrior in the Huron tribe. He had done incredible feats in war against the other tribes. He was like Arnold SCHWARZENEGGER, Sylvester STALLONE, and Jason STATHAM, all rolled into one. But he was interested in learning about the Christian faith and came to the Jesuits for religious instruction.
For 2 years, each Easter he requested baptism, but they kept refusing him, because they weren’t sure he had understood everything correctly.
In the third year he comes to them at Easter, to make his case again and request baptism. This is a report of the conversation they had,
“I have Faith in the depth of my heart,” he said, “and my actions have sufficiently shown it throughout the Winter. In two days, I shall leave for the war; if I am killed in battle, tell me, where will my Soul go if you refuse me Baptism?
If you saw into my heart as clearly as the Great Master of our lives, I would already be numbered among the Christians; and the fear of the flames of Hell would not accompany me, now that I am about to face Death.
I cannot Baptize myself; all that I can do is to declare sincerely the desire that I have for it. After that, if my Soul be burned in Hell, you will be the cause of it.
But, whatever you may do, I will always pray to God, because I know him; and perhaps he will have mercy on me, for you say that he is better than you.”
“But,” said one of our Fathers, “what made you first think of believing?”
“Even before you came to this Country,” he replied, “I had escaped from a great many perils in which my Companions perished. I saw very well that it was not I who extricated myself from these dangers.
I had this thought, that some more powerful Spirit, who was unknown to me, gave me favourable aid”
“I was convinced that all that was only nonsense, but I knew no more about it. When I heard of the Greatness of God, whom you preach, and of what Jesus Christ had done when he was on Earth, I recognized him as the being who had preserved me, and I resolved to honour him all my life.
When I went to war, I recommended myself to him night and morning. It is to him that all my victories are due he it is in whom I believe: and I ask you for Baptism, so that he may have pity on me after my death.”
The Superior writes, ‘Was it possible to refuse such a Man? We Baptized him publicly, with some others, on Holy Saturday, and gave him the name of Eustache.
Now, the question that will really twist your noodle is, ‘When was Ahatsistari saved?’
Was it when the Jesuits baptised him and gave him a Christian name?
Was it when he understood who Jesus was and committed Himself to Him?
Or was it in that moment of divine revelation, when he suddenly realised that ‘some more powerful Spirit, who was unknown to me, gave me favourable aid’, and he believed in that Spirit?
I hope and I pray and I believe that there is an amazing wideness in God’s mercy.
‘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.’ Amen.
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