Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'?

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?" Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked into the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 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'? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:19-42

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about Himself as the good shepherd -- and that the sheep know His voice. He also taught about what is to come: that He will lay down His life for the sheep, and that others who are hirelings will not do so. He said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." Today, He continues in His dialogue with the temple authorities. All of this has taken place after the healing of the man who was blind since birth (see here and here).

Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?" Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" "The Jews" always refers to the leadership of the temple, and from today's reading we can see that there is a division even among them as to who Jesus really is. We know that among the leadership there will also be followers and believers. But perhaps what is most important for this passage is the understanding of the choice that is always offered when holiness makes its way into the world, and creates its effects. In this case, they are arguing after the healing of the man who was blind since birth. Many of the Pharisees have sought to discredit Jesus regarding this sign or miracle, in one way or another, and to claim it is not righteous. But the dispute it creates is inevitable, and it is a metaphor for all of us when faced with such a choice and the action of the holy in our lives.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked into the temple, in Solomon's porch. My study bible says, "This encounter with the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem takes place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (chs. 7--9). The occasion of Christ's presence in Jerusalem is again a religious festival, the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), the festival of lights. This Feast commemorates the rededication of the temple to the God of Israel after the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the temple in 167 B.C. (see 1 Macc. 1--4). The leaders of Israel's past are commemorated, many of whom were literal shepherds." Jesus has many confrontations at the festivals at the temple, where He also goes to teach.

Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." In this dialogue, Jesus covers what is already some familiar territory: that the works He does bear witness of Him. He teaches again that the sheep hear His voice, but they who do not believe are not of His sheep. He teaches that He will keep His sheep with Him forever, giving them eternal life, and that He will lose none of what the Father has given to Him, because "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." Always, we return to the Father, and the union of this embrace in the Holy, that includes His sheep, all of us. But now Jesus adds a powerful note plainly and clearly: "I and My Father are one." My study bible says that the verb are indicates the Father and the Son are two Persons. It says, "They are always distinct, but united in essence, will and action." John's Gospel repeatedly takes us further and further, from the mundane to the holy, and leads us as it teaches, as we follow Jesus' teachings. And we will see the result with His audience at the time.

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 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'?" My study bible says here: "Jesus' question comes in response to the Pharisees' charge of blasphemy. What the Lord is saying, according to St. John Chrysostom, is this: 'If those who have received this honor by grace are not found with fault for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?'" It is another remarkable note about Jesus: He will not give up encouraging and teaching, and He does not back down. He will always tell the truth, and let others decide which way they will. He is not afraid of confrontation -- rather, on the contrary, He will do everything He can to refute false charges and to teach, up until the moment it is His hour.

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. Jesus refers again to the works that He has done (most recently, the healing of the man blind since birth), in order to teach and exhort them to belief. They (His works, done in the name of God) testify of Him. And He again teaches of His oneness with God the Father. But this is too much for them to take in, and once again they attempt to seize Him, as they have on other occasions. But it is, again, not yet His time.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." And many believed in Him there. It's a kind of sly and interesting parallel here: many believed in John the Baptist, though he performed no sign. John was widely regarded as a righteous and holy man. So we have more testimony to Jesus -- again, the works or signs He has done, and the testimony once again of the Baptist. Jesus continues to win faithful followers, outside of the temple.

So, John's Gospel is once again providing us with the split between belief and disbelief. The works that Jesus has done, the signs or revelation of the presence of the Holy with Him, are the testimonies that people believe or disbelieve. There is also the word of the Baptist, among other things, that testifies. And of course, the powerful words Jesus uses Himself to tell of Himself and the Father. But chiefly, we understand that the intervention or revelation of the Holy in our world is an occasion for choice -- and it always becomes an occasion for the exercise of judgment, for which Jesus has also told us He has come. So the real question is, how do we respond to the acts of grace or the holy in our world? Jesus, above, alludes to the passage in which by grace believers become "gods" or god-like. This quotation is from Psalm 82, and if we look at it in context, we see a parallel to the situation in the Gospel. “They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler" (Psalm 82:5--7). By grace, we are all given the chance to be "sons of the Most High." But will we also walk in darkness, or die like mere men? Those who wish to hang onto the power they grasp, without seeing, will fall like every other ruler. It is our choice, up to us. Will we see and grasp the grace we receive? Or are we afraid of losing our own power or authority by doing so? The question remains with us, all the time.