Sheepfold

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.

So what "fold" is Jesus talking about?  In the literal sense, a sheepfold, or just fold, is an enclosure for sheep, a pen, like the one in the image above.  At night, one of the shepherds would sleep in the opening of the fence, acting as a human gate.  Today, remembering Jesus as the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep, we use the word fold to refer to a group of people who share a common faith or belief.  To be part of the fold is to be confident in the intimacy of the divine embrace in which we are held close every day, enfolded in God's Love.

For more on the life of shepherds in first-century Palestine, go to Fr. Mark White's blog, the source of the image above.