31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.” 42 Many believed in Him there.
Message: Charges of Blasphemy Refuted
Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."
What the Lord is Saying: After Jesus says in 10:30, "I and the Father are one" these Jews immediately pick up stones to stone Him for they recognize that the words of Jesus are that He is making Himself equal to God and they believe this to be blasphemy. Jesus then responds to them speaking further about himself being the Son of God. The Jews do not respond favorably and want to seize him, but he eludes their grasp. Chapter 10 then concludes that Jesus has left to go beyond the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing. And many believed in Him there.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 is a tough passage for it says that false prophets shall be put to death or executed. It speaks of people coming and asking you to serve other gods that you do not know. I think this could also mean people who ascribe to God ways about Him that are not true, thus they fashion God into their own image rather than accepting Him for Who He is. Perhaps at this time, this is what the Jews were doing, though they were simply at that moment trying to seize Him but they thought Jesus was making Him out to be equal with God.
Jesus states that He is the Son of God and that the works that He is doing support the idea that the Father is in Him and He in the Father. I was speaking to a Muslim man a couple of weeks ago that said no where does it say that Jesus states He is God and yet these words mention that He and the Father are one and then the Jews of the day go to stone Him and He comes back that they need to look at the work that He does and they will see that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. I wish I would have responded with these words at the time.
Believers can state that they are in God and God in them. John 3:21, "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” Romans 8:9 - "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." These words are different though from Jesus saying in response to him and the father being One that He is basically of the same essence of God. Jesus is still responding to the question of who He is? For the other writings are speaking of practicing our faith and that as we practice we can be in Christ as doing the work of Christ. This is different from what Jesus said when he was stating that His works will testify that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father.
Tabletalk says, "If Scripture can call men gods who are in reality not divine, how much more is it right to refer to the One who is God as the Lord and Creator of all?" This is to explain how Jesus responds initially to being confronted about blasphemy. Jesus responds by first saying that in scripture, going back to Psalm 82:6 where it says, "I said, “You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High."
Hmm. I don't understand that word from Ligonier at the moment and the referencew to Psalm 82 seems still to be confusing. So in trying to understand Psalm 82 a little more, My Open Bible says Psalm 82 is "Rebuke of Israel's Unjust Judges." I notice in the NIV and KJV the reading is a little different as verse 1 of Psalm 82 says, "God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”." So NIV and KJV says among the "gods" instead of NASB saying "in the midst of the rulers." So rulers in this passage are gods. Verse 1 - God takes a stand and judges even the rulers, even the gods. Both are elohim, but the particles are different. One means God the most high and the other a man, probably what rulers were sometimes called in that day. So these judges, while all ordained by God, are not doing what they are supposed to be doing as judges. Verse 2 - they judge unjustly. Verse 2 - they show partiality to the wicked. And yet they in verse 3, vindicate or act harshly toward the weak and fatherless. Verse 4 God says they need to "Rescue the week and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked." So these rulers which are also called gods are not acting correctly. As such, these rulers or gods are actually instruments of God. The Word of the Lord comes to these judges, thus they are called sons of Elyon. As such, for Jesus to call Himself the Son of God is not blasphemy.
Summary: The Jews sought to stone Jesus for speaking a statement of blasphemy but Jesus states God can name him the Son of God, even men from Psalm 82 held this distinction, but Jesus is God incarnate.
Promise: Christ possesses divine authority inherently according to His divine nature.
Prayer: Lord, it is a joy to read and study your word, though it takes me time sometimes to understand it. Continue to provide me understanding of Your word here. Thank you for the clarity of Your word in showing that you a mission that many don't understand, but we stand by You and trust in You.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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