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John 10:35 - If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came,
and the scripture cannot be broken
John 10:36 - Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into
the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

Lesson Notes:

(10:31) – The Jewish elders, vacillating with the truth were exposed as not being disciples of the
Shepherd. In response, they return again quickly to their pursuit to destroy the truth and its
evidence as they take up stones to kill Him. The attempt to take His life is the fourth
occurrence captured by John’s log. (John 5:18, 7:21, 8:37)
(10:32) – Applying a defense, the Shepherd-Messiah offers a review of the works (miracles)
they have all witnessed. He challenges them to search for reasons any of His works warrants
stoning.
(10:33) – The opponents reply that they are not challenging His miracles but are accusing Him
instead of blasphemy. The charge accuses a person of speaking against God. The Jews
extended their accusation to include that Jesus made Himself God.
(10:34) – An unusual quote is offered by the Shepherd-Messiah, citing a passage from one of
the twelve Psalms of Asaph in 82:6. The first verse of the eight verses of pros establishes the
Psalms’ theme affirming that “God stands in the congregation of the mighty judging among the
gods”.
The theme explains that God remains present when men that are given the authority, “like local
gods” to rule over others, execute judgment upon them. God remains present to judge or
evaluate the judgment of the local gods (judges and rulers) on earth. Men are empowered to
have godlikeness and to act on His behalf when judging the affairs of men. Men acting like god
are still men, they are not to become a deity of worship and the remain subject to the one true
God. The Psalm continues with God’s assessment of the local judges among men, scolding
them for their unjust decisions favoring the wicked, failing to defend the poor, the fatherless,
and not pursuing justice for the afflicted.
Understanding the theme of the entire Psalm provides clarity to the small portion quoted by
the Shepherd-Messiah. The Messiah makes the observation to scriptures referring to men as
gods to provide the basis that shows the tolerance that allows men to assume roles that are
god-like in the earth while disqualifying God to become like man and maintain his identity as
God.
He who truly is the son of God (God actively present on Earth) and sent by Him cannot be charged with

blasphemy if they can accept the reference to natural men as gods.

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