Competition – John 10: 34-36

Jesus answered them, ”Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? “

To tell the truth, I have been dreading this passage. Jesus is standing before a crowd of Jewish leaders arguing with them. They want to stone him because Jesus “claim(s) to be God.” Jesus response is, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods [human judges representing God, not divine beings]’? (Amplified Bible)

The passage being referred to is in Exodus 22:28 which reads, “Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.” (KJV) This is a bit obscure to my eye but clearly, it meant something to Jesus and to the Jews he was speaking with. Let’s take it at face value: Jesus is referring to a text that establishes the leaders of the Jewish people as God’s representatives, literally calling them “gods” or “God” depending on the translation. (Note to self: This does not mean I’m a god!)

In effect, Jesus was arguing that the claim of being the Son of God was appropriate for someone who was the Son of God, just as calling a human leader “god” who is representing God. Put this way, the offense that the Jews cried “Blasphemer!” for was not that Jesus put himself on the same level as God, but rather that he dared to put himself on the same level as the Jewish leaders. They did not like the competition. Once again Jesus reveals what is in their hearts and puts it on display for all to see.

Let’s Discuss: How do you feel about the idea of humans being called “gods?”