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 in 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 our present readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (John 7:1-10:21), and this is the continuing setting for the beginning of our reading today.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued in His dialogue with the religious leaders, after healing the man blind from birth (the sixth of seven signs given in John's Gospel).  He said, "Most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All whoever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father." 

 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?"  My study bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs, but perceive the holiness of Christ's words.  In this statement, "These are not the words of one who has a demon," there is yet another acknowledgement, as runs throughout John's Gospel, of Christ as Logos, the Word, and His relation to all of Scripture, which is also understood to be the Word of God.  "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure" (John 3:34).

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in 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."   The Feast of Dedication took place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1-10:21, the section we have just covered).  The Feast of Dedication is also known as "The Festival of Lights" and Hanukkah.   My study bible explains that it commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated it in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1-4).  At this festival, Israel's past leaders were commemorated -- many of whom were themselves shepherds, a theme Christ has recently expanded upon regarding Himself (see yesterday's reading, above).   The term the Jews is used as a political term in John's Gospel, indicating the religious leaders, who continue to question Jesus.

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 the 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."  Christ repeats His assertions from the previous encounters with the religious leaders, that both what He told them and the works He had already done answered their question regarding His identity as Christ.  According to the Scriptures, only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind, or perform these miracles that bear witness to Jesus' identity.  Also, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people as did Christ (John 7:46, 9:21).   Jesus uses the phrase "as I said to you," indicating that these are the same Pharisees whom He had addressed three months prior (John 10:1-5).  Once again (as in yesterday's reading, above), Jesus emphasizes that He is the good shepherd, whose sheep know His voice, and He knows them.

"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 responds to the question regarding His identity by revealing Himself to be fully God.  My study bible explains that one (in the statement, "I and My Father are one") means one in nature or essence.  Christ is God before all ages (John 1:1), and remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  The plural verb are indicates two distinct Persons, while confirming a continuous unity.  The religious rulers clearly recognize this as a claim of divinity and therefore accuse Him of blasphemy.  

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."  Jesus quotes from Psalm 82:6 ("I said, 'You are gods' ").  My study bible comments that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can thereby rightly be called gods.   St. John Chrysostom writes that Christ is effectively saying, "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?" 

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  As Christ again affirms His divinity, they sought again to seize Him.  But because He goes to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (John 10:17-18), they cannot arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30, 8:20; see also Luke 4:28-30).  

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.  Jesus goes to the region on the other side of the Jordan river (see this map and the area marked "Bethany East of the Jordan"; see also John 1:28).  Because of the preparation of John the Baptist, and the witness of the works done by Christ, many believed in Him there. 

As today is the day on which we also commemorate the Annunciation, we can consider the event of the Annunciation also in light of today's reading.   The most explicit text we have on the Annunciation is Luke 1:26-38.   The archangel Gabriel greets Mary with the following words:  "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"  The command, Rejoice! (in Greek,
Χαῖρε/Chaῖré; also meaning "be joyful") has also been translated into English as "Hail!" and remains to this day a formal greeting in Greek.  Possibly the most interesting Greek word in the original text is κεχαριτωμένη/kecharitomeni.   This single word, used here as a title for Mary by Gabriel, means "full of grace."  It is also related to the archangel's greeting, "Rejoice!" as in fact, the deep root of both words (χαρ-) is the one meaning "grace" or "favor from God."  In Greek, χαρα means joy, and χαρις is grace; they are cognate (related) words sharing this same root.  According to Strong's definitions, this command to rejoice means "to delight in God's grace ('rejoice') – literally, to experience God's grace (favor), be conscious (glad) for His grace."  She is the one who is "highly-favored because receptive to God's grace" (also quoted from Strong's commentary, on the title Gabriel uses for Mary).  In today's reading, Jesus says of Psalm 86:2 that the statement "You are gods" was made to the people because the word of God came to them.   In the Annunciation, the word of God comes to Mary, and the great good news (literally the gospel, or εὐαγγέλιον/evangelion) in the Greek) is that Christ the Word will be born from her into this world.    For this, she carries another title in the Eastern world, Theotokos, or "God-bearer."   In our current place in John's Gospel, Jesus has taught that He is the good shepherd, that He and the Father are one, that He has been sanctified and sent into the world by the Father, that we who are His sheep hear His voice, and that He knows us by name.  His works testify also to His identity.  But as we celebrate the Annunciation to Mary, let us consider the joy of the word, the same joy in the blessings God gives to our lives, and what it is to receive both the word and the blessings of God.  The definition of the title given to Mary by the angel suggests that she is "highly-favored because receptive to God's grace" (my italics added).   In this sense, she herself is a stand-in for all of God's people, and thereby the Church has revered her as the greatest among the saints, encompassing both the New and the Old Testaments.   Mary is the one who was capable of receiving such grace, and shows us the example of what it is to bear the word (and literally to bear the Word!) into the world.  She is the one who heard first, and accepted this grace in her extraordinary capacity, the place of honor at being able to receive.  How do we receive the word?  How do we receive Him who is the Word?  Are we capable of receiving the grace at the voice of the Good Shepherd, as He calls us by name?  Do we know Him as we are known?