Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?

 

 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 10:31-42 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Christ's disputes with the religious leaders at the Feast of Tabernacles (during which He performed the sixth sign of seven in John's Gospel, the giving of sight to a man blind from birth), there was a division again among them 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."  We see the response of the religious leaders to Jesus' statement from yesterday's reading (see above), "I and My Father are one."  As discussed in the commentary yesterday, this is a clear statement of equality with God, that Christ is Himself fully God.  The religious leaders clearly recognize this 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'?"   In saying, "You are gods," Jesus is quoting from Psalm 82:6.  My study Bible explains that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called "gods" in this sense.   According to St. John Chrysostom, Jesus is effectively saying to them, "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?"

 

"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.  What are Jesus' works?  All the things He has done in His ministry, His teachings, the disciples who learn from Him and follow Him, and the works which include the signs reported in the Gospels.  All of these, He is saying, come from the Father, and so for which do they persecute Him?  My study Bible comments that because He is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (John 10:17-18), His accusers cannot arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30; 8:20; see 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.  Once more, John's Gospel reveals to us that many of those who first followed John the Baptist later became disciples of Jesus (John 1:29-42).

In chapter 8, at the Feast of Tabernacles in the autumn, Jesus asked the religious leaders, "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?" (John 8:46).   In today's reading, Jesus reiterates His innocence (now at the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, in winter), asking, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  He is accused of blasphemy, of making Himself equal with God.  But in His defense, He quotes from the Psalms, "You are gods."  He reiterates again about the works He's done:  "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."  As we have observed so frequently, everything Jesus does and is points back to the Father, and His words and teachings reflect this.  His union with the Father is inseparable from what He does in His ministry.  Therefore He continues to ask those who condemn Him, for what is He condemned exactly?  What has He done that is blameworthy?  What are His works?  Does not everything He has produced through His ministry reflect His tie with the Father?  Perhaps we could also ask, with Pilate, "Why, what evil has He done?" (Matthew 27:23, Mark 15:14, Luke 23:22).  But all of these questions invite us into two place for ourselves.  First, we should ask the same questions about Jesus.  We should think about the idea that His works reflect the Father into the world.  They bring us closer to God the Father, and especially to know God.  We can't underestimate this gift, and how far it reaches to us and out to an entire created order.  We can look at Christ's works and understand what they do, the "character" of God, so to speak.  He heals.  He restores order.  He gives sight.  And -- maybe most powerful of all -- He gives of Himself, just as He teaches His disciples that service is what renders someone great.  He teaches love as His new commandment, setting down the example of love as Himself and His own works, as He has loved first ("A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" - John 13:34).  But the second place that takes us is also powerful, and challenging.  He asks us to do the same, to reflect God's love, character, works, and will into the world, just as He has.  He invites us in to be "gods" and "God-like," because we are capable of knowing God, and seeking to do God's will also.  As God is light, and Christ is the light shining in the darkness, so we are also invited to participate in and to reflect that light ourselves.  Let us understand the notion of works, and how it is meant to express substance, character, essence.  Jesus teaches, "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" (Matthew 7:18), and "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20).  Let us participate in His light, as He invites us to do, and bear the fruits of our Father in the fullness of living, as He commands us to pray (Matthew 6:10).

 

 

 

 

How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly

 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 the, "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 recent readings, Jesus has been at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (beginning in chapter 7).   In chapter 9, He healed a man blind from birth, the sixth sign of seven in John's Gospel.  He has been disputing with the leadership afterward (who have also cast the formerly blind man out of the temple).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "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 who ever 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?"   These verses are still set at the Feast of Tabernacles, and once again John goes out of his way to let the reader know that there are clear divisions among the people -- and here explicitly among the leadership (which is what the term the Jews indicates) -- concerning Jesus.  My study bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs, but perceive the holiness of His words.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.   The Feast of Dedication took place about three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (7:1-10:21).  It is known as the "Festival of Lights" (as well as Hanukkah).  It is a commemoration of the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated the temple in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1-4).  At this festival, my study bible notes, the historical leaders of Israel were commemorated, many of whom were themselves shepherds.

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 the, "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."    My study bible comments here that both what Christ told them and the works He has done have already answered their questions.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of one blind from birth (see 9:32, also Isaiah 35:5, 42:7; Psalm 146:7), or perform the various signs that bear witness to Christ's identity and the presence of the Kingdom.  Essentially also, my study bible adds, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people as Christ did (7:46, 9:21).   Jesus' use of the phrase as I said to you indicates that these are the same Pharisees whom He addressed three months earlier at the Feast of Tabernacles (10:1-5).

"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."   My study bible remarks that Jesus responds to their question (above) by revealing Himself to be fully God:  One implies one in nature or essence.  Christ is God before all ages, and remains God after the Incarnation and for eternity.  The plural verb are refers to two distinct Persons, while confirming a continuous unity.  These leaders (Pharisees) to whom He speaks clearly recognize this 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."    Regarding the teaching You are gods, Jesus quotes from Psalm 82:6.  My study bible notes that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of God's divine nature (see 2 Peter 1:4), and can rightly therefore be called gods.  This is the nature of grace; it shares its qualities and gifts in which we may participate.  St. Paul writes explicitly of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.  My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom, who paraphrases, "If those who hate 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 goes to the Passion voluntarily and in accordance with His own will (10:17-18), His accusers can't arrest Him until it is His hour (7:30; 8:20; see 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.   Again, as in several other places, the Gospel explicitly teaches us about those who were believers in Christ among the people and even among the religious leadership.

Sometimes, no matter how much one goes out of one's way to tell the truth, to express something to someone who demands an explanation, there is nothing one can do to convince another of what seems to be self-evident.  If someone doesn't want to believe something, or has an agenda to the contrary, it is seemingly impossible to convince them otherwise.  Christ's experiences don't just tell us about His own situation and circumstances 2,000 years ago.  The New Testament is not only a story about Christ.  As Christ very deliberately became one of us, so His experiences are stand-ins for all of us; they are universal.  Particularly if one has had experience of truth-telling innocence, among those who do not want to hear and do not want to listen for their own reasons, Christ's repeated emphasis on the truth of His identity rings true.   What is most important and essential to our understanding here is that Christ defers in all of His ministry to the will of God the Father.  These men demand a kind of proof that Jesus hasn't provided, like some spectacular sign designed to convince only them.  Clearly, they don't much want to be convinced!  And there are those among them who are believers as well.  But it's important that we understand Jesus' humility here.  He has respect for the Mosaic Law, and is Himself the fulfillment of Jewish spiritual history.  He doesn't diminish their offices nor the sacredness of the temple.  But His ultimate loyalty is to God the Father.  What unfolds as Jesus' ministry, and the particular signs that He performs -- and even the words that He says -- comes from God the Father.  If Christ is not given by the Father a direction of force or proof or manipulation by some kind of sign on demand that these men desire, then this is not the way that His ministry will go.  And so it has to be, as well, with you and me.  There may be those in our lives who accuse us of something we haven't done, some character flaw they desire to see for their own reasons and motivations.  But to seek to offer proof to the contrary may be a seemingly impossible task -- and must always be done in accordance with our faith.  Christ has ways for us to walk through this world.  Humility will demand of us a particular way to be one of His flock.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus called Himself the Door (10:1, 7).  In Matthew's Gospel, He teaches, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  This indicates to us that there is a particular way we are to walk through our lives.  Every juncture may have a myriad of possibilities to it in which we may respond to a crisis or difficulty, or even to the demands of others, as in Jesus' case.  Certainly, the Passion will be a shocking conclusion to His ministry for many people.  While God holds possibilities for us we may not have considered in our limited imaginations, there will also be specific ways in which we are called to respond to a situation.  In both the case of a response which demands more than we know from our own worldly experience and expectation, and also the response that is asked of us as our "narrow way," we turn in prayer to find our way through difficult circumstances.  Christ responds as the Father gives Him response, and we must also seek to meet the demands of those who place burdens of proof upon us with the testimony given to us by faith.  Can one prove character easily to those who don't really want to know?  Like many faithful who've gone before us, we might find ourselves in difficult circumstances, in which the most innocent of motivations is painted with awful assumptions.  But Christ and so many others have already gone there before us.  Like the example we have, we don't seek to respond to others with any and all proofs they demand, we don't simply honor manipulation and bad intent.  Rather, we need to remember our humility first before God, and find the narrow way for us that Christ asks of us, in faith and in endurance, with the patience asked of us that will stretch who we are.  He sets the example, and we follow.  Let us be the intelligent sheep who know His voice and find His way.

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

 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 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 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 10:31-42

 Yesterday, we read that after Jesus healed the man blind since birth, and His interaction afterward with the leadership (see the readings of Friday and Saturday ), there was a division again among the religious leadership 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."   We remember that the term "the Jews" is used as a sort of political party affiliation, to denote the leadership in the temple (it is a reflection of the time in which John's Gospel was written).   The Pharisees respond to Jesus' statement, "I and the Father are one" (see yesterday's reading, above).  They clearly understand the impact and meaning of this statement, that Jesus reveals Himself as divine.  He is therefore accused of blasphemy and for this they took up stones again to stone Him (see this reading for the earlier instance).

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom 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 of this teaching by Jesus that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrased Christ as 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?"  The quotation from Scripture, "I said, 'You are gods,'" is from Psalm 82:6.

"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 once again cites the witness of the works He's done, such as healing the man blind since birth.  Once again, also, He escapes their arrest.  My study bible says it affirms that He goes to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will.  They cannot arrest Him until He is ready (7:30; 8:20; see Luke 4:28-30).

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing 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 remains distant from Jerusalem and the leadership in the temple.  Once again, John's Gospel gives us the contradicting opinions among the people - and especially their difference with the leadership.  Here, many believed in Him.

Jesus' ministry takes its course.  Those who are opposed to Him are implacably opposed.  There is really nothing He can do or say that is going to change their opinion.  Their focus isn't really on God or on questions of God's representation on earth somehow.  It's on their own authority, the laws and customs they are there to uphold and to enforce.  The real question behind everything is Jesus' authority.  It's the first question He's asked after cleansing the temple.  They want to know all about how He can establish His authority, and it is this that they resist to the end.  It is this resistance that ends with repeated accusations of blasphemy.  Jesus returns repeatedly to the works He's done; for which of them do they accuse Him?  But they cannot answer the works at all.   Essentially, they are ignoring His works altogether, in order to continue their accusations of blasphemy.  As was noted after Jesus healed the man blind from birth, with the faithful (such as that healed man), faith becomes stronger with pressure and persecution -- but those who wish to deny only do so more vehemently.  It's a strange thing about allegiances.  In Jesus' terms, everything is about a basic kind of love -- what we love the most.  It all depends on where our true heart is.  He claims that if these people had known His Father, they would know Him, because He is sent by the Father.  But they cannot hear His words, and they don't want to.  They have other priorities that are more important to them.  I think it's important to understand that there are all kinds of ways we may hide our real motivations, even from ourselves.  It is why Christianity has traditionally prized humility as the greatest of the virtues.  Humility is our best bet for remaining honest with ourselves, and for truly examining our motivations and interests, and what "love" we put first in life.  So much depends upon honesty, not fooling ourselves about ourselves.  Love and truth, where Christ is concerned, go hand in hand.  They are inseparable and both are qualities of God.  Prayer is a way to keep ourselves humble, used effectively.  Forgiveness is another way.  Both are done in dialogue with God, "giving up" the things that get in the way of faith, and our first true love that sets right all the others.  How do you truly love the Lord who leads you to love itself?

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

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 10:31-42

In yesterday's reading, we begin while Jesus is still at the Feast of Tabernacles:   There was a division again among the leadership because of Jesus' 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?"   Chapter 10 then moves to the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, in winter, about three months after the Feast of Tabernacles.  The Feast of Dedication is also known as the Festival of Lights (or Hanukkah).  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 told 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."   The accusation of blasphemy follows Jesus' statement of His divinity, "I and My Father are one."  As we noted in yesterday's reading, "One means one in nature or essence.  He is God before all ages, and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  The plural verb are indicates two distinct Persons, while confirming a continuous unity."   The leadership clearly recognize this claim of divinity; therefore they 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'?"  My study bible says of the quotation "I said, 'You are gods'" (Psalm 82:6):  "People who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  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?"  (quoting St. John Chrysostom).

"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.   My study bible says, "Because Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will, His accusers cannot arrest Him until He is ready (7:30; 8:20; see 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.  It seems to me we see a kind of increasing "withdrawal" on Jesus' part, even as His ministry increases, becomes more public, and more of a threat to the leadership.  Earlier we were told that He remained in Galilee; here He withdraws to the place where John was first baptizing.  It is still nearer Jerusalem than Galilee, but the ministry has come almost full circle:  now there are many who believe in Him, and who see in Him the fulfillment of the Baptist's promises about Him. 

The stage is set, really, for Jesus' seventh and final sign in the Gospel of John.  We'll begin reading about that in tomorrow's reading.  But for now, Jesus has plainly and clearly defined and declared His divinity, and the leadership have understood it well.  Their response is to accuse Him of blasphemy.  His defense, His witness, in a sense, becomes the works He has done.  And the greatest work, the seventh sign, is now about to unfold.  As His works have become more and more powerful, we see the great challenge to the role of the leadership.  The sixth sign occurred at the Feast of Tabernacles, when Jesus, declaring Himself to be the light of the world, gave a man sight who had been blind since birth.  Jesus' statement, "I and My Father are one," isn't just a statement that we read in the Gospels, and it isn't just a statement that inflames the leadership, as they clearly understand what He is saying.  It is a statement that has defined, and continues to define, the history of the theology of the Church.  It isn't just a simple statement of fact about Jesus' relationship to the Father.  Rather it is a powerful definition of the spiritual reality He has brought to our awareness.  It continues to shape and form theological dialogue and discussion in our world today, and to define for us an understanding of how we are to practice and think about our faith in all kinds of situations, and as response to all kinds of problems.  Those minds trained in all the abstracts and understanding of the philosophy of each age or generation since have also pondered this problem, this great mystery.  And yet, what we understand is the power that is behind it, and especially the promise, the covenant, that is backed up by this statement.  When Jesus says, "I and My Father are one," it is in the context of the promise of life to each one of us, His sheep.  This is life that is defined by the power and absolute reality of God.  It's not life as we understand it, but something exponentially, infinitely greater, longer, deeper.  It is an abundance we can't calculate.  But in this declaration of the "consubstantiality" (and united will) of Father and Son, we are made a promise:  a promise that we will be kept with Him, He and His Father will not lose a single one of us, and we will be kept together into the kind of life and transformation beyond the ages of time as we understand it into an eternity we can't foresee in its abundance of this life.  The theologians may forever debate this problem, while even the scientists of our time debate the nature of time, even as the ancient fathers of the church have understood time to be "multi-dimensional" in the promises of the Church (see here, esp. Sections VII and VIII), and to the present day expand upon our understanding of time (for example, this book)  in the light of this promise.  Jesus' statements invite us into mystery, a deepening and greater mystery that will not lose its promises nor potentials for us.  But we must remember that we are each sheep who are called by name, and whether or not we can delve into such mysteries at the depth of philosophy and/or theoretical physics, we know and are known by Him, and we are each given our own understanding of our faith and where and how it leads us.  The promise is to each of us.  Held in His hand, we go in faith.

I said, "You are gods"

 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 10:31-42

Yesterday, we read that, after the events of the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot (John chapters 7, 8 and 9), the healing of the man blind from birth, and Jesus' expression of Himself as the Good Shepherd, there was a division again among the leadership in the temple.  They have tried to arrest Him twice and continue to question Him.  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?"   Several months later,  it was the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, on 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."  My study bible says here that in response to the leadership's question (and here we remember that "the Jews" is a term used to denote the religious leadership), Jesus reveals Himself here as fully God (I and My Father are one).   It says that "one means one in nature.  He was God before the Incarnation, and He remains fully God after that union of God and man in His one Person.  The verb are indicates the Father and the Son are two Persons.  They are always distinct, but united in essence, will and action.  Jesus' bold claim causes a violent reaction"  they attempt to stone Him, accusing 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'?"   My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom's commentary here:  "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?"   Jesus is quoting from Psalm 82:6.  The psalm is one whose topic is injustice, and the blindness of those who judge unjustly in "the congregation of the mighty."

"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.  Again, Jesus turns to witnessing, who and what are His witnesses?  True to His teaching, He gives His own "fruits" as the way to know Him:  His works.  Are they not the works of the Father, such as healing a man who was blind from birth?  (See readings from Monday and Tuesday.)  Jesus once again goes away from Jerusalem, to the place where John the Baptist was first ministering in baptism, preaching repentance for the preparation of the coming of the Messiah.  And we see an example of faith here:  although John himself performed no sign, people believe what he said about Jesus.  Away from Jerusalem, those who listened to John have faith in Jesus.  Once again, the author of this Gospel is very careful to note the myriad divisions among the people about Jesus, believers and non-believers.  Not even the leadership is united in its opinion about Him.

If we look carefully at the Psalm from which Jesus quotes here, it's a very powerful thing.  We look carefully at Psalm 82, and it tells us that God stands in the congregation of the mighty ones, and judges among the gods.  But these gods practice injustice and they are not judging correctly.  They walk in darkness.  They do not provide justice for the outsiders:   the poor and the fatherless, the afflicted and the needy.  They do not "free them from the hand of the wicked."   Jesus' particular quotation from verse 6 is a reminder that “you are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”   It's a warning about judgment leading to Judgment.  While we are created in the image and likeness of God, our ungodly behavior, our practice of unjust judgment must necessarily lead to God's judgment.  The "princes" here are the "princes" of this world.  In some potently ironic sense, these men standing in judgment of Jesus are acting as gods who would judge God.  Jesus knows they are on a road of deepening darkness, as the psalm indicates (They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are unstable).  They are walking toward the practice of an extreme injustice, and they don't understand what they're doing nor the consequences of their judgment.  But Jesus is perfectly aware of what is happening, and of what is going to happen.  Scripture echoes Scripture here, in a mirrored reflection of what is truly happening, what He's here for, and of the results of His revelation in the world.  We're reminded of His teachings.  From the Sermon on the Mount, we read: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  In John's Gospel, Jesus tells us (speaking to  the Pharisees):  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (7:24).   Let us remember that we've been told,  "You are gods."   But the practice of godly behavior has everything to do with light and salt, and righteous judgment.

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 yesterday's reading, Jesus was continuing His dialogue with the leadership.  It is still the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, which John's Gospel gives us throughout chapters 7 and 8.  In chapter 9, Jesus heals a man blind from birth just after He passed out of the temple, avoiding being stoned, and subsequently the man was questioned about Him (see As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world).  Afterward the formerly blind man's parents were questioned, and the healed man testified again -- leading to his being cast out of the temple.  Jesus found him again, and revealed Himself to the healed man.  He then continued in dialogue and questioning from the leadership.  (See For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.)  Yesterday, we read yet more of Jesus' revelation of Himself, to all including the leadership:  "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 who ever 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?"  We remember that in John's Gospel, written at a time of vicious persecution of the Church, the term "the Jews" is used to denote the leadership.  All of the people in our current readings are Jewish.  So this is a dispute among the leadership concerning Jesus.  At this point in Jesus' ministry, immediately following the Feast of Tabernacles, we note that Jesus has garnered an extraordinary amount of attention not only for His public ministry but for this encounter with the authorities in Jerusalem.  The whole setting for the festival was an occasion when the Gospel teaches us there was dispute regarding Him among the people; now the authorities also argue among themselves.  With revelation, recognition and great public attention there also comes dispute regarding Him.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.   Here the Gospel takes us forward in time.  My study bible notes that "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."

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 leadership finds Him at the festival, and continues to question Him.  Clearly Jesus is in the middle of controversy about Himself.

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."   Again, Jesus establishes witness - the works He does in the Father's name are the witness to His identity.  And again, we notice what Jesus will always do when asked about His identity:  His immediate reference includes the Father.

"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."  Again He refers back to the words He taught at the previous festival, words they have heard before - and for which they attempted to stone Him.  The sheep hear His voice, but nothing is separate from the Father and the Father's love.  So complete is the love between Father and Son that they are one.  My study bible notes, "Responding to their question, Jesus reveals Himself as fully God:  one means one in nature.  He was God before the Incarnation, and He remains fully God after that union of God and man in His one Person.  The verb are indicates the Father and the Son are two Persons.  They are always distinct, but united in essence, will and action."

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."   Again, as at the Feast of Tabernacles, they attempt to stone Him for statements about His divine identity and His relation to the Father.  My study bible says, "Jesus' bold claim causes a violent reaction:  they attempt to stone Him, accusing Him of blasphemy."  Once again, we note Jesus' testimony:  His good works are inseparable from the Father.

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'?  A note tells us:  "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?'"

"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.  For the third time, Jesus emphasizes His link to the Father, that His works are "of My Father."  The works are His testimony to His identity from the Father, and their inseparable union.  Afterward, Jesus withdraws again to a safer territory, where He will find believers in the same place that the Baptist practiced his early ministry.

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's Gospel again teaches us about the important link between the Baptist's ministry and followers, and that of Jesus.  Here, many believe the Baptist's testimony regarding Jesus. 

In Thursday's reading, Jesus taught:  "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  In today's reading, we regard the effects of His testimony and revelation.  It's the sword of truth, with its two sides:  some will believe, others will refuse.  Jesus also gives us the great analogy and parable of the stone that becomes the head of the corner, quoting from Psalm 118 in Matthew's Gospel:  "Whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Even though He is aware of the strong reaction that will come from His words, Jesus presses forward with His ministry and His revelation of Himself, His relation to the Father, and His true identity through both His works and His teachings.  He does what He must do.  Everything else falls to the people in their response to Him.  What does it mean that "those who see shall be made blind," as Jesus said in the previous chapter?  He also told the leadership:  "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."  Their refusal to acknowledge what they don't know condemns them to true and deliberate blindness, and therefore "their sin remains."  There are nuances to our response to this truth.  Neither is it given all at once, as we could see in the example of the blind man who was healed by Jesus, and gradually comes to know who Christ is.  If we remain in a state of wonder, of the understanding that God's mystery is always before us, and that a lifetime of faith must be a lifetime of learning through that journey of drawing closer to God, then we put ourselves on a good road.  That is, God will always have deeper plans for us, will always seek to draw us closer toward God's likeness and into His image in which we were created.  There is a hint of this in Jesus' quotation from Psalm 82, above:  "I said, 'You are gods.'"  If we are truly "children of the Most High," as the Psalm tells us, then we are meant to grow in God's likeness.  Our Lord "condescends" in absolute love to come into our world as one of us in the form of Christ.  He brings with Him the revelation of God's love for us, and His call to sonship as the Good Shepherd.  If we remain in a state where our faith can always grow, we keep our eyes open for each new challenge on the road of faith - coming to know ourselves better, and how God calls us to shift, to "change our mind" and to grow.  Thus we shall not remain blind, because we know there are things we can't yet see, for which our Good Shepherd leads us forward.  This great virtue is called humility;  it is the real foundation on the road to sonship.

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

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 10:31-42

Jesus is at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem at the temple: it is winter, and this is the festival of lights (or Hannukkah). In yesterday's reading, Jesus once again began a dialogue and confrontation with the leadership of the temple (referred to in the Gospel as "the Jews"). Finally, Jesus states clearly: "I and My Father are one." Today's reading continues from there.

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." In yesterday's reading, I quoted from a note in my study bible that was relevant to the statement "I and My Father are one" and these first few verses of today's reading. I will restate here: "Responding to their question (v. 24). Jesus reveals Himself as fully God: one means one in nature. He was God before the Incarnation, and He remains fully God after that union of God and man in His one Person. The verb are indicates the Father and the Son are two Persons. They are always distinct, but united in essence, will and action. Jesus' bold claim causes a violent reaction: they attempt to stone Him, accusing Him of blasphemy." Jesus' claim is simply unacceptable; it is beyond the conception of the people (the leadership in the temple) who are quizzing Him. But, we will see from the Gospel, there is more to it than that. His presence - and His stated identity - are a threat to their authority and position, their "praise of men."

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 notes here: Jesus' question comes in response to the Pharisees' charge of blasphemy (v. 33). 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!'" The quotation Jesus cites here is from Psalm 82 (verse 6). It's quite interesting, because if we read the psalm we are also given an understanding of man's relationship to God. My study bible notes on this verse in the psalm: "Verse 6 is quoted by Christ in John 10:34 and is God's promise to supply us, by grace, with what He is by nature." This process, in the Eastern church, is called theosis or deification. It is an understanding that by grace, we can become "like God;" that is, we partake of God's strength, righteousness, love -- and the process of faith makes this a deepening journey through life. The psalm itself interestingly speaks of the great assembly of "gods" -- and its practice of injustice, its failure to live up to its potential (or even do its duty) as sons of the Most High.

"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 is quite a skillful defender of Himself, if we look closely at this text. First of all, He cites Scripture as a precedent, in the quotation from Psalm 82 (as noted in the paragraph above). And then He goes on to elaborate. How is He "like God" - like His Father? With Jesus, it is not just a simple question of sharing in the nature of God by grace, but it is a powerful testimony that He "does the works of My Father." If they don't believe what He says, then they can believe the works of the Father that He does -- which testify to this nature in Him. The signs (six so far in John's Gospel), such as the healing of the blind man, are evidence of a deeper reality at work, and they point to Christ's identity in union with the Father.

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. Away from the temple authorities, there is another witness: John the Baptist himself. Many people believed in John and his ministry; he was a very popular prophetic figure among the people. John's followers reason among themselves, and choose to follow Christ.

It's interesting that Jesus appeals to the temple authorities even with the evidence of their own sonship that they should not condemn Him for blasphemy for stating that He and His Father are one. In some sense, we could say that He seeks to "appeal to their better natures." Better nature, indeed, and yet the psalm itself speaks of the injustice in the assembly, while God Himself presides and watches on, wondering when justice will be done:

"How long will you defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
. . .

"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."

Jesus is calling them to awaken to their own nature, or at least to see in His works what is there. But "they know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness." Jesus is at the festival of lights, and He has called Himself the light of the world. In this assembly where there is so little righteousness nor justice, let us consider what it is to be a "son of the Most High" and the great gift we possess of grace. Shall we hold it as dear as it is - with its offer of an everlasting relationship? Or shall we waste it with injustice and unrighteousness, selfish and self-centered, unmerciful behavior? The psalm makes it clear, we have a choice. It always was clear, to the Psalmist, and here through the words of Christ. What will we choose now? Our righteousness is tied to our capacity to perceive light, and the very nature which we are asked to learn for ourselves through the depth of relationship in faith.