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.
This passage highlights the growing tension between Jesus and the religious leaders during His public ministry. After He proclaims, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30), they take up stones to kill Him, accusing Him of blasphemy for making Himself God (v. 33). But Jesus does not withdraw His claim—instead, He invites them to reflect on their understanding of Scripture and the testimony of His works.
He cites Psalm 82:6, which reads, “I said: ‘You are gods, all of you sons of the Most High.’” This psalm rebukes the unjust leaders of Israel, metaphorically called “gods” because of the divine authority entrusted to them as judges. Jesus appeals to this text not to diminish His divinity but to expose their inconsistency. If Scripture itself uses divine titles for those merely acting on God's behalf, how can they accuse Him of blasphemy when He, the One whom the Father has “consecrated and sent into the world” (v. 36), declares Himself the Son of God?
The term consecrated recalls the priestly ordination of Aaron and his sons in Exodus 28:41, where they are set apart for sacred service. It also echoes the prophetic calling of Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you” (Jer. 1:5). Yet Jesus is greater than both priest and prophet. As the Gospel states, He was “consecrated and sent” — Consecratus et missus est (John 10:36). His consecration is not a ritual act performed by men, but a divine act rooted in His eternal Sonship (cf. John 1:1, 14; Heb. 5:5–6). He is the Word made flesh, sent not only to speak for God but as God Himself.
Jesus also points to His works as evidence of His unity with the Father. These are not signs performed merely to inspire awe, but signs that reveal divine power and authority at work. Just as God gave Moses signs to authenticate his mission (Ex. 4:1–9) and performed wonders through Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2), so too the works of Jesus testify that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father (John 10:38). Yet, unlike the prophets, Jesus does not pray for power from above; He acts with it directly—healing the blind, raising the dead, commanding nature, and forgiving sins.
When the confrontation escalates, Jesus withdraws across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized (v. 40). This detail is rich in biblical symbolism. Elijah once fled east of the Jordan for refuge when his life was threatened (1 Kings 17:3), and David crossed the Jordan to escape Absalom's rebellion (2 Sam. 17:22). In both cases, these men of God found shelter as they awaited vindication. Jesus’ movement echoes this pattern—not as a retreat in fear, but as a deliberate step in divine providence. The hour of His Passion had not yet come (cf. John 7:30), and so He continued to gather disciples and manifest His glory in humility.
In God’s plan of salvation, this passage reveals Christ as the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament anticipated. He is the true Judge, unlike the corrupt figures in Psalm 82. He is the Great High Priest, not consecrated with oil but with the Spirit (cf. Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). He is the final Prophet, not merely speaking God's word but being the Word (cf. Deut. 18:15; Heb. 1:1–2). And He is the Son of God—not by adoption or title, but by eternal nature (cf. Col. 1:15–20).
This reading invites us to contemplate the cost of truth and divine identity. As Jesus is rejected and accused, we are reminded that discipleship involves sharing in His rejection and trusting in His vindication. Jesus’ withdrawal across the Jordan invites us to enter with Him into the wilderness—a place of silence, purification, and preparation (cf. Josh. 3; Rom. 6:4). Lent is the time to renew our identity in Christ, to allow the works of God in our lives to speak, and to move from hardness of heart to the humility of discipleship.
Eternal Father, You consecrated and sent Your Son into the world, the true Judge, Priest, and Prophet foretold in ages past. Open our hearts to believe in His works and follow Him in faith. May we never harden our hearts, but enter with Him into the wilderness, trusting in the promise of resurrection. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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