The Jews again picked up rocks to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35 If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; 38 but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize [and understand] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 [Then] they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. 40 He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. 41 Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many there began to believe in him.
Jesus’ claim, “The Father and I are one (v. 30)” would have been blasphemy because he was making himself equal to God thereby disrespecting God in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. The punishment for this grave offense was death by stoning so the Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus (Lv. 24:13-16). The Jews rejected Jesus’ appeal to them about his good works done at his Father’s request (Jn. 8:38) because in their strict interpretation of the Law good works do not justify blasphemy (vv. 32-33). They believed that God could only be found in the Temple so how could he be one with Jesus? Jesus then appealed to the primacy of the Scripture, “Gods though you be, offspring of the Most High all of you (Ps. 82.6),” pointing out that they too were gods. The Father testified to works he had performed (Jn. 5:19-30; Jn. 10:25) and he had been consecrated (sanctified) by the Father, but Jesus’ works did not convince the Jewish leaders of the indwelling of the Father in Jesus. In this case the Jews discounted Scripture. The Pharisees had accused him of getting his power from Satan saying, “This man drives out demons only by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Mt. 12:24).” Jesus slipped away from the Jerusalem Temple and went back across the Jordan where JBap first baptized. It was safer there as the crowd was more receptive to his preaching. His ministry had now come full circle (Jn. 1:19-34).
Almighty God, the culmination of your eternal plan for our salvation was the gift your Son gave us through his death and resurrection. Graciously hear the prayers of all who call upon you and prepare our heart to receive the fullness of your love. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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