This is a thought I'd pondered before, and I accidentally discovered it while going over the daily text with my wife--I wasn't paying attention at all to the "disobedience is common in Satan's world, everybody but JWs is mentally diseased, etc., etc.", so...that's how I found it.
John 10:16: "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring...and they will become one flock, one shepherd." We can add significantly that Jesus said he was only sent to "the lost sheep of the HOUSE OF ISRAEL".
I think Ephesians 2:11-18 and 3:1-9 provide a clearer answer as to who the other sheep really are.
11 Therefore keep bearing in mind that formerly YOU were people of the nations as to flesh; “uncircumcision” YOU were called by that which is called “circumcision” made in the flesh with hands— 12 that YOU were at that particular time without Christ, alienated from the state of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, and YOU had no hope and were without God in the world. 13 But now in union with Christ Jesus YOU who were once far off have come to be near by the blood of the Christ. 14 For he is our peace, he who made the two parties one and destroyed the wall in between that fenced them off. 15 By means of his flesh he abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, that he might create the two peoples in union with himself into one new man and make peace; 16 and that he might fully reconcile both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake, because he had killed off the enmity by means of himself. 17 And he came and declared the good news of peace to YOU , the ones far off, and peace to those near, 18 because through him we, both peoples, have the approach to the Father by one spirit.
1 On account of this I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of YOU , the people of the nations— 2 if, really, YOU have heard about the stewardship of the undeserved kindness of God that was given me with YOU in view, 3 that by way of a revelation the sacred secret was made known to me, just as I wrote previously in brief. 4 In the face of this YOU , when YOU read this, can realize the comprehension I have in the sacred secret of the Christ. 5 In other generations this [secret] was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by spirit,<