Who are "the gods" that Jesus refers to in John 10?
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone 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 My Father's hand. 30 I and My Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not 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'? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. 41 Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." 42 And many believed in Him there.
Matthew Henry on John 10:34
VII. Christ’s reply to their accusation of him (for such their vindication of themselves was), and his making good those claims which they imputed to him as blasphemous (John 10:34), where he proves himself to be no blasphemer, by two arguments:—
1. By an argument taken from God’s word. He appeals to what was written in their law, that is, in the Old Testament; whoever opposes Christ, he is sure to have the scripture on his side. It is written (Ps. 82:6), I have said, You are gods. It is an argument a minore ad majus—from the less to the greater. If they were gods, much more am I. Observe,
(1.) How he explains the text (John 10:35): He called them gods to whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken. The word of God’s commission came to them, appointing them to their offices, as judges, and therefore they are called gods, Exod. 22:28. To some the word of God came immediately, as to Moses; to others in the way of an instituted ordinance. Magistracy is a divine institution; and magistrates are God’s delegates, and therefore the scripture calleth them gods; and we are sure that the scripture cannot be broken, or broken in upon, or found fault with. Every word of God is right; the very style and language of scripture are unexceptionable, and not to be corrected, Matt. 5:18.
(2.) How he applies it. Thus much in general is easily inferred, that those were very rash and unreasonable who condemned Christ as a blasphemer, only for calling himself the Son of God, when yet they themselves called their rulers so, and therein the scripture warranted them. But the argument goes further (John 10:36): If magistrates were called Gods, because they were commissioned to administer justice in the nation, say you of him whom the Father hath sanctified, Thou blasphemest?
The other argument is that they (his audience that wishes to stone him) should recognize the works that He, Jesus, has done. These works show him to working in line with God the Father, else how could they have been accomplished?
J. Vernon McGee agrees with Henry.
- Podcast teaching on Psalm 82
- The "gods" are judges who are men. The Psalm speaks to the future when Jesus will judge the nations. Thus, he interprets Jesus's words to the Jews in John 10:34 as "gods" referring to men rather than angels.
- Our politicians and judges need to be in "spiritual tune" with the founding of our nation; America was founded on the Word of God. Godless men in office destroy us.
- Judges stand in the place of God. They can take a life. They need to honor God.
- Any time we pass judgement on a person, we stand in the position of God. We should take heed.
John Piper answers differently.
He says that these "gods" are angelic beings that the New Testament calls principalities and powers. For him, the key context is Jesus seeking to escape their trap (it is not his time to be crucified), so he complicates the situation by showing that there are more "gods" than the Jews might have considered...so he could say "I and My Father are one"...and the Father could still be "greater than all." His tactic works.
Michael Heiser agrees with Piper.
I, personally, agree with Henry and McGee because Jesus says "If [God the Father] called them gods, to whom the word of God came...." This begs a question: was Psalm 82 written for angels or for people? I think for men. I think Jesus knows it is a challenging perspective, so he reiterates "and the Scripture cannot be broken." Those who were about to stone him are in line with these other bad judges who should have done better with their high office; they are given the same name that they will stone Jesus for using, pointing out even greater ignorance and hypocrisy of these judges. I don't think this helped Jesus escape; they just tried to seize Him the more, but could not.
Or course, one could say that the Psalm 82 was written for mankind's edification, and shows us how the heavenly court operates (much as in Job 1). And it's even possible that the words of God are directed at the angels, and we get to overhear, or something like that.
But that seems less likely to me than that Jesus is pointing out that the "blasphemy" are trying to stone him for is the "blasphemy" of the office that they are taking up (the place of God, the judge, to take life)...which of course is no blasphemy at all if God has established it...but they've made it so by employing their God-ordained office to judge wickedly and attack the Lord of Life.
