“I and the Father are one”
John 10:30 is often quoted to show that Jesus is equal to God. But when you read the verse in its context you will find that the
passage taken as a whole proves the opposite. People are often content to quote the verse in isolation to show that Jesus said “I and the Father are one” and then the Jews picked up stones to stone him because they understood him to mean that he is claiming to be God. It is only when you read the passage to see what comes before and after this verse that you will realise that the Jews misunderstood what Jesus was saying. In fact, Jesus tried to explain what he meant, and the explanation he gave is still in the Bible for everyone to see. It is surprising that so many people who say they love Jesus ignore his explanation and repeat the mistake which was made by the enemies of Jesus. Here is the passage as it appears in the New International Version of the Bible:
22It was winter, 23and Jesus was in the temple area, walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33"We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, `I have said you are gods’? 35If he called them `gods’ to whom the word of God came — and the scripture cannot be broken — 36what about 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’?” (John 10:22-36).
The passage when viewed as a whole shows clearly that Jesus is not God. Let us observe the following points:
1. The disbelieving Jews insisted that Jesus should tell them if indeed he is the Christ so they should not remain in suspense about his identity (verse 24). A Christ as the title is used in the Bible refers to a human being who is anointed as King of Israel. The title is used for other humans as well (eg. Isaiah 45:1, Cyrus the Persian is called God’s Christ). The Jews were expecting another Christ (Christ is a Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah, and the Arabic word Maseeh). So they asked Jesus whether he was the one they were waiting for. Jesus replied that he had already told them, and he even performed miracles in God’s name to prove his claim to be the Christ (verse 25), yet they do not believe him (verse 26) because they are not Jesus’ sheep (verse 26). Those whom the Father had given to Jesus, are Jesus’ sheep (followers), and they believe Jesus when he said that he is the Christ (verses 27-29).
2. The true followers of Jesus will never perish, because Jesus gives them eternal life. According to the same Gospel (John 17:3), eternal life means to believe that the Father is the only true God, and that Jesus is the Christ and messenger of that one true God. Jesus gives this knowledge to all those whom the Father has given to him (chapter 17:2). What Jesus was speaking, then, were the words which, if believed, will mean eternal life for all those who believe in them. This is why in the same Gospel, Peter is quoted as saying on behalf of the disciples to Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life. We know and believe that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). So they believed that Jesus was not God, but the Holy One whom God sent (i.e. the Christ and Messenger of God). The Good News Bible makes this passage slightly plainer:
You have the words that give eternal life. And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God. (John 6:68-69)
3. No one can snatch away the disciples from Jesus (verse 28), because they were given to him by the Father, and the Father is greater than all (verse 29). Since the Father is helping Jesus to keep his disciples, no one can snatch them out of Jesus’ hand just as they cannot snatch them out of the Father’s hand. When Jesus said that he and the Father are one, he means exactly this: that the Father is helping him to accomplish his tasks; and when he is busy trying to save his disciples from being snatched away by the evil one, the Father is making sure that not one of them will be lost except, of course, the one who was to betray him.
4. Jesus said that the Father is greater than all (verse 29), including Jesus. Anyone having any doubt about this can read John 14:28 where Jesus declares: “The Father is greater than I.” In spite of this clear statement of Jesus, many who claim to follow him insist that Jesus is equal to the Father. Whom should we believe — Jesus himself or those who claim to follow him? His true followers can be distinguished as the ones who stick to what Jesus himself said. Here is what Jesus directed his followers to do:
If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)
5. When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (chapter 10, verse 30) the Jews picked up stones to stone him (verse 31). Jesus could not understand their behaviour, because he had said nothing wrong. So he asked them what he had done wrong to make them want to stone him (verse 32). They replied that Jesus had committed blasphemy since he was only a man yet he claimed to be God (verse 33). But it is clear from the Bible passage above that Jesus did not claim to be God. He only claimed to be the Christ (verse 25). When did he say he was God? They were deliberately misquoting Jesus and putting words in his mouth which they will try to use later as false evidence against him so they could have an excuse to kill him.
6. Jesus admits that he said, “I am God’s Son” (verse 36). But he said that this means nothing more than the fact that God had set him apart as his very own and sent him into the world (verse 36). The fact that God set him apart means that God selected him for a task, set him apart from the rest. The Arabic title for a person like this is Mustafa (meaning The Chosen One). All of God’s Prophets deserve this title. The fact that God sent him into the world means that he is God’s Messenger. He is sent with a message from God. Obviously, the God who sent Jesus is not Jesus himself.
7. Jesus tried to explain to them that even if he said something which they misinterpreted as meaning that Jesus is claiming to be God, they should realise that some human beings were called ‘gods’ in the Bible, and the Jews do not disagree with this (verse 35), so they should not disagree with Jesus so quickly before he gets a chance to explain his words. To get a fuller understanding of what Jesus is saying here, let us refer to the Bible passage to which he called their attention. The passage is in the 82nd Psalm:
“I said, `You are “gods”;
you are all sons of the Most High.’
But you will die like mere men;
you will fall like every other ruler.”
(Psalms 82:7-8)
The passage from the Psalms shows that God had honoured some humans by calling them “gods.” But of course they were not really gods. This is just a figurative expression used in the Bible. Jesus reminded the Jews of this so that they should understand that even if he says something that makes them think he is claiming to be God, they should take it as a figurative expression that does not mean what it sounds like. Furthermore Jesus clarified that what he actually said was that he was God’s Son (verse 36). He says that if others can be called “gods,” he does not see why they object to him calling himself God’s Son which means that God had selected him and sent him with a message for the people.
The clear meaning of the passage, then, is that Jesus is not God. He is one selected by God (i.e. he is Mustafa) and he is sent by God (i.e. he is God’s Messenger). When he calls himself God’s Son he means nothing more than that.
Yet, despite the detailed study of the passage as above, some will hold on to tradition and reject the explanation that Jesus provided in verses 34-36. They will insist on taking verse 30 out of its context and give it a meaning which Jesus said is the wrong meaning. They will then agree with what the Jews said and disagree with what Jesus said. This attitude leads to confusion, as we will presently see.
Even if verse 30 is taken in isolation to change its meaning from what Jesus meant, it does not solve anything. It only raises more problems.
Jesus cannot be one and the same as the Father whereas he said himself that the Father is greater than he (John 14:28).
Jesus said that he and the Father are in fact two (John 8:14-18).
And no one had seen God at any time although they had already seen Jesus (1 John 4:12).
The best solution for all this is to go back to the teachings of Jesus himself, then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (John 8:31-32).
