KenTheExegete

Here in John 10:34-36, our Lord Jesus Christ quotes Psalm 82:6 in refutation to the Jews who where judging him unrighteously by accusing him for blasphemy by claiming to be one with God the Father. He claimed to be one with the Father in such a way that frustrated the Jews and here’s how:

Here’s what Jesus says in John 10:27-30 

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will 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 the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Notice the language,

27)  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;   

28) and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 

29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 

30) I and the Father are one.” (esmen – lit. “we are”)

– The verb esmen is a third person plural verb used by Jesus, which comes from the first person singular verb eimi meaning “I am”, or I exist”. This clearly demonstrates that the Father and the Son are not the same person, but one in essence and power since Jesus used it in the plural. The literal translation of John 10:30 would be “I and the Father, We are one”. https://biblehub.com/greek/esmen_1510.htm

Christ’s sheep hear his voice, and they follow him because they know him and he knows them. When Jesus uttered these words, the Jews had in mind what Yahweh claims about himself in the Old Testament which is why they accused him of blasphemy

Here’s the evidence:

See now that I, I am He,
And there is no god besides Me;
It is I who put to death and give life.
I have wounded, and it is I who heal,
And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. Deuteronomy 32:39 (LSB)

1 Then Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in Yahweh;
My horn is exalted in Yahweh;
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I am glad in Your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like Yahweh;
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God. 6 Yahweh puts to death and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. 1 Samuel 2:1-2; 6 (LSB)

6 Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before Yahweh our Maker.
7 “For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.Today, if you hear His voice” Psalm 95:6-7 (LSB)

11 I, even I, am Yahweh,
And there is no savior besides Me.
12 It is I who have declared and saved and caused it to be heard,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh,
“And I am God.
13 Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?” Isaiah 43:11-13 (LSB)

Wow! No wonder the Jews reacted the way they did. Jesus, like Yahweh in the Old Testament, says that he has the power to preserve his sheep (believers) give eternal life to his sheep, and they hear his voice, and no one can snatch them away from his hand neither his Father’s hand. Why? Because in context, Jesus’ point is that he and the Father are one in power.

The Jews understood very well who Jesus was claiming to be based on the passages upon, which is why they reacted the way they did.

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.” John 10:31-33 (LSB)

Now that we understand the context of why the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy, lets go in-depth on why Jesus refuted the Jews by quoting Psalm 82:6,

34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Here’s Psalm 82 in it’s entirety:

1 God (Elohim) takes His stand in the congregation of God (el);
He judges in the midst of gods (elohim).
2 How long will you judge unrighteously
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah.
3 Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
Justify the afflicted and destitute.
4 Protect the poor and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.5 They do not know and do not understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, “You are gods,
And all of you are sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless you will die like men (kə·’ā·ḏām)
And you will fall like any one of the princes.”
8 Arise, O God (Elohim), judge the earth!
For it is You who will inherit (kleronomeseis) all the nations.

kə·’ā·ḏām– This Hebrew word is in reference to how Adam died in the Garden of Eden after rebelling against God.

What’s very interesting about this is that the New Testament testifies that this Psalm is about Jesus. He will be the judge of all the earth and inherit the nations:

22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,  25 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. John 5:22; 25; 27 (LSB)

42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:36; 42-43 (LSB)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (LSB)

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Timothy 4:1 (LSB)

Here are the passages saying our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the heir who inherits (kleronomeseis) the nations with an everlasting kingdom:

37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir(ho kleronomos); come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance (ten kleronomian autou).’ 39 And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Matthew 21:37-39 (LSB)

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (LSB)

1 God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things (kleronomon panton), through whom also He made the worlds, 3 who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:1-3 (LSB)

Based on the scriptural evidence provided above, we see that Jesus Christ is the judge of all the earth, and he is the heir who inherits all the nations!

Something else that often gets overlooked in John 10 is Jesus words after is quotation of Psalm 82:6. What’s interesting is Jesus identifies himself as the Word of God who came to judge and condemn the “gods” in Psalm 82 for judging unrighteously. Watch what our Lord says:

34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? John 10:34-36

The New Testament identifies Jesus as the Word of God who came to condemn those so-called “gods” in Psalm 82 and who will one day destroy his enemies:

1 In the beginning was the Word (ho Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 14 And the Word became flesh(kai ho Logos sarx egeneto), and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:1-3; 14

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; having a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself, 13 and being clothed with a garment dipped in blood, His name is also called The Word of God (Ho Logos tou Theou). 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the wrath of the rage of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And He has on His garment and on His thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11-16 (LSB)

Notice the Greek in John 10:35, and Revelation 19:13. The same author of the gospel of John also wrote Revelation:

Wow! The Biblical evidence provided above shows that Jesus Christ, the Savior and Lord of all creation is the God who gives eternal life to all those who believe in him, and they will never perish and be taken from him neither the Father. He is the judge of all creation who will reign and rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords forever, Amen!