Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said YOU ARE GODS'

[TonyChanYT]

There was this confrontation between some Jews and Jesus in John 10:

33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be god.”

To me, that's a reasonably valid point of contention from the Jews.

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?

What was Jesus doing here saying that "you are gods"? He couldn't be serious, could he?

Picking up on the word "god", Jesus cited Psalm 82:6 "You are gods; you are all sons of the most high". Jesus pointed out this precedence in the OT. The gods were God's representatives or delegates. God gave them authority to judge (Ps 82:2).

35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of god came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?

Jesus was making a comparison. Those people were called "gods" by the Scripture. What about Jesus, who was specially set apart by the Father?

Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?

Moreover, Jesus didn't even say that he was God but only that he was the Son of God. Why do you guys (the Jews) make a big deal about blasphemy?

37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works,

Now, Jesus made a strong counterargument. Don't believe my words, but look at the miraculous works. Who could perform works like that if not the son of god?

that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

But then, he was losing the Jews here by making a bigger claim.

I tell you, if I were a Jew at this time at this point, I too would have trouble believing Jesus' incredible claims.

What was Jesus talking about in John when he said everybody was a god?

Jesus didn't say that everybody was god. He pointed out that a particular group of people, the judges, were called gods in the OT. Given that, relatively speaking, the Jews should not be surprised that Jesus claimed to be the son of god. However, the bigger claim that Jesus was One with the Father was tough for the Jews, or anyone, to swallow. Today, Christians do not have so much trouble with that claim because of the hindsight of the Cross.

 

[Bob Estey]

There was this confrontation between some Jews and Jesus in John 10:


To me, that's a reasonably valid point of contention from the Jews.


What was Jesus doing here saying that "you are gods"? He couldn't be serious, could he?

Picking up on the word "god", Jesus cited Psalm 82:6 "You are gods; you are all sons of the most high". Jesus pointed out this precedence in the OT. The gods were God's representatives or delegates. God gave them authority to judge (Ps 82:2).


Jesus was making a comparison. Those people were called "gods" by the Scripture. What about Jesus, who was specially set apart by the Father?


Moreover, Jesus didn't even say that he was God but only that he was the Son of God. Why do you guys (the Jews) make a big deal about blasphemy?


Now, Jesus made a strong counterargument. Don't believe my words, but look at the miraculous works. Who could perform works like that if not the son of god?


But then, he was losing the Jews here by making a bigger claim.

I tell you, if I were a Jew at this time at this point, I too would have trouble believing Jesus' incredible claims.

What was Jesus talking about in John when he said everybody was a god?

Jesus didn't say that everybody was god. He pointed out that a particular group of people, the judges, were called gods in the OT. Given that, relatively speaking, the Jews should not be surprised that Jesus claimed to be the son of god. However, the bigger claim that Jesus was One with the Father was tough for the Jews, or anyone, to swallow. Today, Christians do not have so much trouble with that claim because of the hindsight of the Cross.

What is a "god"?

 

[MatthewG]

There was this confrontation between some Jews and Jesus in John 10:


To me, that's a reasonably valid point of contention from the Jews.


What was Jesus doing here saying that "you are gods"? He couldn't be serious, could he?

Picking up on the word "god", Jesus cited Psalm 82:6 "You are gods; you are all sons of the most high". Jesus pointed out this precedence in the OT. The gods were God's representatives or delegates. God gave them authority to judge (Ps 82:2).


Jesus was making a comparison. Those people were called "gods" by the Scripture. What about Jesus, who was specially set apart by the Father?


Moreover, Jesus didn't even say that he was God but only that he was the Son of God. Why do you guys (the Jews) make a big deal about blasphemy?


Now, Jesus made a strong counterargument. Don't believe my words, but look at the miraculous works. Who could perform works like that if not the son of god?


But then, he was losing the Jews here by making a bigger claim.

I tell you, if I were a Jew at this time at this point, I too would have trouble believing Jesus' incredible claims.

What was Jesus talking about in John when he said everybody was a god?

Jesus didn't say that everybody was god. He pointed out that a particular group of people, the judges, were called gods in the OT. Given that, relatively speaking, the Jews should not be surprised that Jesus claimed to be the son of god. However, the bigger claim that Jesus was One with the Father was tough for the Jews, or anyone, to swallow. Today, Christians do not have so much trouble with that claim because of the hindsight of the Cross.

Thank you for the explanation.

 

[TonyChanYT]

Actually you need to follow up by looking at the original language.

When you apply your approach to this passage, does it disagree with my approach here?

 

[Ronald Nolette]

When you apply your approach to this passage, does it disagree with my approach here?

Well I do not know how youare approaching. but my approach goes beyond looking at the English translation and goes back to the original word and how it was defined when written.

 

[The Learner]

The gods in Psa 82:6 were judges, one in authority.

 

[Webers_Home]

~
Jesus said there is only one true god. (John 17:3)

The one true god Himself said pretty much the same. (Isa 44:8)

A true god is eternal, i.e. it's immune to death-- the gods in Psalm 82 were
neither eternal nor immortal. (vs. 7)

From all that, I suggest it is reasonable to posit that the gods addressed in
Psalm 82 were not true gods, rather, they were tin gods-- the same as the
Adams in the beginning.

"And Jehovah God said: The man has now become like one of us, knowing
good and evil." (Gen 3:22)

The Adams knowledge of good and evil wasn't a truly divine knowledge,
rather, it was an independent knowledge obtained by means of the forbidden
fruit incident.
_

 

[Lambano]

The gods in Psa 82:6 were judges, one in authority.

Is it just me, or is the Psalmist being sarcastic when he refers to the judges as "gods"?

I used to work for a huge multinational company, and we would occasionally refer to the big muckity-mucks at corporate HQ in similar terms. I remember our VP saying that even he had to fly up to HQ to get "God's" sign-off on something.