34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?[c] 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[d] 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.
c. John 10:34 Psalm 82:6 d. John 10:38 NU-Text reads understand.
And here is a commentary on Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34:
Answer: Let’s start with a look at Psalm 82, the psalm that Jesus quotes in John 10:34. The Hebrew word translated “gods” in Psalm 82:6 is Elohim. It usually refers to the one true God, but it does have other uses. Psalm 82:1 says, “God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the gods.” It is clear from the next three verses that the word “gods” refers to magistrates, judges, and other people who hold positions of authority and rule. Calling a human magistrate a “god” indicates three things: 1) he has authority over other human beings, 2) the power he wields as a civil authority is to be feared, and 3) he derives his power and authority from God Himself, who is pictured as judging the whole earth in verse 8.
This use of the word “gods” to refer to humans is rare, but it is found elsewhere in the Old Testament. For example, when God sent Moses to Pharaoh, He said, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:1). This simply means that Moses, as the messenger of God, was speaking God’s words and would therefore be God’s representative to the king. The Hebrew word Elohim is translated “judges” in Exodus 21:6 and 22:8, 9, and 28.
The whole point of Psalm 82 is that earthly judges must act with impartiality and true justice, because even judges must stand someday before the Judge. Verses 6 and 7 warn human magistrates that they, too, must be judged: “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.” This passage is saying that God has appointed men to positions of authority in which they are considered as gods among the people. They are to remember that, even though they are representing God in this world, they are mortal and must eventually give an account to God for how they used that authority.
Now, let’s look at how Jesus uses this passage. Jesus had just claimed to be the Son of God (John 10:25-30). The unbelieving Jews respond by charging Jesus with blasphemy, since He claimed to be God (verse 33). Jesus then quotes Psalm 82:6, reminding the Jews that the Law refers to mere men—albeit men of authority and prestige—as “gods.” Jesus’ point is this: you charge me with blasphemy based on my use of the title “Son of God”; yet your own Scriptures apply the same term to magistrates in general. If those who hold a divinely appointed office can be considered “gods,” how much more can the One whom God has chosen and sent (verses 34-36)?
In contrast, we have the serpent’s lie to Eve in the Garden. His statement, “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5), was a half-truth. Their eyes were opened (verse 7), but they did not become like God. In fact, they lost authority, rather than gaining it. Satan deceived Eve about her ability to become like the one true God, and so led her into a lie. Jesus defended His claim to be the Son of God on biblical and semantic grounds—there is a sense in which influential men can be thought of as gods; therefore, the Messiah can rightly apply the term to Himself. Human beings are not “gods” or “little gods.” We are not God. God is God, and we who know Christ are His children.
But Genesis 3:22 states, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”. (NKJV)
22 `And I, the glory that thou hast given to me, have given to them, that they may be one as we are one;
What does it really mean that we will be one just as the Father and the Son are one?? According to John Chapter 10, Jesus claimed to be one with the Father, and the Jews then picked up stones to stone Him and accused of making Himself God. Is John Chapter 17:20-23 really evidence of the LDS Doctrine that man potentially can attain godhood??
Jesus means that He and His Father are of one goal, one identity, one purpose, one mind, one love. Jesus, as does the Father and the Holy Spirit wish their select/chosen to be united in mind, goal, desire, etc. Jesus wants Christians to love one another and seek after God's will. In that GOD wants all Christians united in Christ. There is only ONE GOD! There will never be additional GOD's. There will always be GOD the eternally saved, and the damned. GOD will always exist. He doesn't need anyone else besides HIMSELF. Even every being in heaven will ALWAYS be joyously dependent on GOD for their eternal existence. It will never be any different.
Something different is what Satan wanted and that was his downfall.
LittleNipper wrote:There is only ONE GOD! There will never be additional GOD's. There will always be GOD the eternally saved, and the damned. GOD will always exist. He doesn't need anyone else besides HIMSELF. Even every being in heaven will ALWAYS be joyously dependent on GOD for their eternal existence. It will never be any different.
There is no way to know this. You would have to be able to comprehend "GOD" in order to define "him". That is a paradox, where you are a finite being claiming definitive knowledge of the infinite.
LittleNipper wrote:There is only ONE GOD! There will never be additional GOD's. There will always be GOD the eternally saved, and the damned. GOD will always exist. He doesn't need anyone else besides HIMSELF. Even every being in heaven will ALWAYS be joyously dependent on GOD for their eternal existence. It will never be any different.
There is no way to know this. You would have to be able to comprehend "GOD" in order to define "him". That is a paradox, where you are a finite being claiming definitive knowledge of the infinite.
GOD says over and over throughout the Bible that there are no other GODs. He is the only GOD. We are to worship only HIM and thus when we are instructed to worship Jesus, one can then begin to realize that GOD is Triune in His nature. We are created beings. We have a starting point. GOD is from everlasting to everlasting. Without GOD nothing that exists (both visible and invisible) would exist. This is why the Bible is so important. It is GOD's revelation to man of who He is and His revelation of why we need Jesus.
True, we will not ever totally comprehend GOD. We don't define HIM ---- HE defines HIMSELF and reveals as much of HIMSELF as is perfectly necessary to us through HIS word and I believe through nature. The very thought of Billions and Billions of light years and miles totally blows my mind. The scientist who imagines that we can understand it all is seeking to push GOD aside and presuming to understand the infinite.
LittleNipper, Maksutov's comment would also apply to your pretended ability to know that the Bible is a revelation from a god.
Kolob’s set time is “one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest” (Abraham 3:4). I take this as a round number. - Gee
In my years of studying, wrestling, and growing to love the Bible deeper and more honestly, I’ve come to embrace and acknowledge that when we read the words on the page, we’re reading a lot more than just those words. So, here’s 5 things we’re reading, when we’re reading the Bible:
5. You’re reading books and letters where the primary/original meaning is what the author intended the original audience to understand.
I remember learning in Sunday School that the Bible was “God’s love letter to us.” It’s a cute idea, but is less than helpful because we’re not the original audience, and that matters. The reality is that these are sacred books, stories, and letters, where the primary/original meaning is the meaning the original author intended to convey to the original audience– and we’re neither of those parties. It’s almost like trying to understand an inside joke; until you understand the relationship between the sender and receiver of a message, and the context of what’s being discussed, it’s easy to walk away with all sorts of broken understandings of what was really being communicated. This makes things like understanding ancient culture, customs, and general history, a critical aspect of understanding the Bible.
4. You’re reading an unfolding story of people slowly growing in their understanding of God. For those of us who grow up in conservative traditions, we’re often taught that the nature and character of God is perfectly revealed on every page of Scripture, but that’s not actually true. The Bible, while a collection of books spanning centuries, is ultimately an unfolding story of people trying to understand what God is like. There are glimpses of God revealed throughout the story, as well as misunderstandings about God, and even blaming horrid actions on God– but the revelation of God is a progressive revelation. The entire narrative builds towards the introduction of a main character– Jesus– who is God made flesh and reveals that the nature and character of God has often been profoundly misunderstood.
The giant twist of the story was the realization that the only way to know what God is like, is to look at what Jesus is like– everything else gets reinterpreted in light of God made flesh.
3. You’re reading the judgment call, and even bias, of a translator. Translation may involve the same part of your brain as math, but it’s not *exact* like math. The reality is that when translating ancient manuscripts into modern language, there are words and expressions that do not have a 1 for 1 swap. You also find words that could have meant many different things in the original language, and without the ability to ask the original author which meaning they meant or which meaning the original audience most likely would have understood, you’re left with no choice but to make your best guess– and that best guess can radically change the flavor of any given passage. Other times there is outright bias on the part of the translator to the point where they will deliberately translate something in a way that is more favorable to their opinion or position. Either way, when you read the Bible you’re already reading someone else’s best guess, or someone else’s bias.
2. You’re reading nuance in English that does not exist in Greek. Translation isn’t just a challenge from Greek or Hebrew into English, but also brings up reverse issues: words in English that carry flavors, associations, and nuance, that would not have existed in the original language. When this happens, we are subtly led to read things into Scripture without even knowing we’re doing it– unconsciously assuming that modern or English nuance actually applies to the text.
A great example of this is the word “hell.” The New Testament uses three completely different words that we translate into English as hell, even though all three Greek words have different nuance– none of them being the equivalent to what we think about when we see the English word, hell. Our version of the word didn’t exist in the first century, so using the English word “hell” causes us to read a modern understanding into an ancient text, wrongly.
1. You’re reading your own beliefs, assumptions, and generational theology. Every time you pick up a Bible, you’re reading not just words on a page but are also reading previously held beliefs and assumptions into the text. This is a version of confirmation bias, which essentially is an unwillingness (often subconscious) to have your cherished view be shaken by additional facts or information, and is a *really* hard habit to break.
If your childhood was spent being taught that X was true, when you read the Bible you’ll read it in such a way that assumes X is true. When you encounter a passage that contradicts or challenges X, you’ll naturally look for alternative ways to understand the passage so that it lines up with your unwillingness to consider that X may not be true after all.
Believe violence against enemies is ok? You’ll read that into the Bible. Taught that God is full of wrath, that there’s a great tribulation about to come upon us, and that the end is here? You’ll read that into the Bible, too. That’s because it’s natural to bring our own beliefs and assumptions to the party with us, and to read the Bible in such a way that makes it conform to the view we already hold– we all do it, we just have to learn to be aware that we’re doing it. … I grew up in the world where people had bumper stickers that said, “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it,” but it’s really not that simple. The Bible is a complex collection of writings. There are translation issues, narrative issues, nuance of language issues, and the human tendency to make something conform to a previously held belief. I think we need to be honest about that, and allow that to invite us into a posture of humility when reading the Bible.
I still love the Bible every bit as much as I loved it back then, but I love it with more honesty now– even thought it creates a lot more work for the relationship.
Interpretation of Scripture is not by personal opinion but by the moving of the Holy Spirit. We have the Old Testament in Hebrew. We have the New Testament in Greek. We have th moving of the Holy Spirit knocking at the door of our hearts. It is personal and not for me to interpret for you. I can only tell you what the Holy Spirit has led me to understand and accept.
The soldiers braided thorn-branches into a crown and pushed it onto His head, put a purple robe on Him,
and went up to him, saying repeatedly, “Hail, ‘king of the Jews’!” and smacking Him across the face.
Pilate went outside once more and said to the crowd, “Look, I’m bringing Him out to you to get you to understand that I find no case against him.”
So Jesus came out, wearing the thorn-branch crown and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “View the man!”
When the chief priest and the Temple guards saw Him they shouted, “Execute Him on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” Pilate said to them, “You take him out yourselves and put him to death on the stake, because I don’t find any case against him.”
The Jews answered Pilate, “We have a law; according to that law, He needs to be put to death, because He made himself out to be the Son of God.”
On hearing this, Pilate became even more upset.
He went back into the headquarters and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus didn’t respond.
So Pilate said to him, “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you understand that it is in my power either to set you free or to have you executed on the stake?”
Jesus answered, “You would have no power over Me if it hadn’t been given to you from above; this is why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
On hearing this, Pilate tried to find a way to let Him go; but the Jews shouted, “If you set this man free, it means you’re not a ‘Friend of the Emperor’! Everyone who claims to be a king is opposing the Emperor!”
When Pilate heard what they were saying, he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judge’s seat in the place called The Pavement (in Aramaic, Gabta);
it was about noon on Preparation Day for Passover. He said to the Jews, “Here’s your king!”
They shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Put him to death on the stake!” Pilate said to them, “You want me to execute your king on a stake?” The chief priest answered, “We have no king except the Emperor.”
Then Pilate gave Jesus over to them to have him put to death on the stake.
So they took charge of Jesus.
Carrying the stake Himself He went out to the place called Skull (in Aramaic, Gulgolta).
There they nailed him to the stake along with two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had a notice drafted and posted on the stake; it read,
Jesus FROM NAZARETH
THE KING OF THE JEWS
Many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was close to the city; and it had been written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
The Jews' chief priest therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but ‘He said, “I am King of the Jews.”’”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had nailed Yeshua to the stake, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a portion for each soldier, with the under-robe left over. Now the under-robe was seamless, woven in one piece from top to hem;
so they reasoned, “We shouldn’t tear it in pieces; let’s shoot dice for it.” This happened in order to fulfill the words from the Scripture,
“They divided My garments among themselves and gambled for my robe.” This is why the soldiers did these things.
Nearby Jesus’ execution stake stood his mother, his mother’s sister Mary of Cleopas , and Mary the Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom He loved standing there, He said to his mother, “Mother, this is your son.”
Then He said to the disciple, “This is your mother.” And from that time on, the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, knowing that all things had accomplished their purpose, Jesus, in order to fulfill the words of the Scripture, said, “I’m thirsty.”
A jar full of cheap sour wine was there; so they soaked a sponge in the wine, and held it up to his mouth. 30 After Yeshua had taken the wine, he said, “It is done!” And, letting his head droop, he delivered up His Spirit.
It was Preparation Day, and the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on the Sabbath, since it was an especially important Sabbath. So they asked Pilate to have the legs fractured and the bodies removed.
The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been put on a stake beside Yeshua, then those of the other one;
but when they came to Jesu and saw that He was deceased, they didn’t break his legs.
However, one of the soldiers stabbed his side with a spear, and at once blood and water flowed out.
The man who witnessed this has testified about it, and his testimony is true. And he knows that he tells the truth, so you too can trust.
For these things happened in order to fulfill this passage of the Scripture:
“Not one of his bones will be broken.”
And again, another passage says,
“They will look at him whom they have pierced.”
After this, Yosef of Ramatayim/Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly fearing the Jews, asked Pilate if he could have Jesus' body. Pilate gave his consent, so Joseph came an retrieved the body.
Also Nakdimon/Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus by night, came with some 70 pounds of spices — a mixture of myrrh and aloes.
They took Jesus' body and wrapped it up in linen sheets with the spices, in keeping with Jewish burial practice.
In the vicinity of where Jesus had been executed was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been entombed.
So, because it was Preparation Day for the Jews, and because the tomb was close by, that is where they entombed Jesus.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
1 Then, therefore, did Pilate take Jesus and scourge [him],
2 and the soldiers having plaited a crown of thorns, did place [it] on his head, and a purple garment they put around him,
3 and said, `Hail! the king of the Jews;' and they were giving him slaps.
4 Pilate, therefore, again went forth without, and saith to them, `Lo, I do bring him to you without, that ye may know that in him I find no fault;'
5 Jesus, therefore, came forth without, bearing the thorny crown and the purple garment; and he saith to them, `Lo, the man!'
6 When, therefore, the chief priests and the officers did see him, they cried out, saying, `Crucify, crucify;' Pilate saith to them, `Take ye him -- ye, and crucify; for I find no fault in him;'
7 the Jews answered him, `We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, for he made himself Son of God.'
8 When, therefore, Pilate heard this word, he was the more afraid,
9 and entered again to the praetorium, and saith to Jesus, `Whence art thou?' and Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Pilate, therefore, saith to him, `To me dost thou not speak? hast thou not known that I have authority to crucify thee, and I have authority to release thee?'
11 Jesus answered, `Thou wouldst have no authority against me, if it were not having been given thee from above; because of this, he who is delivering me up to thee hath greater sin.'
12 From this [time] was Pilate seeking to release him, and the Jews were crying out, saying, `If this one thou mayest release, thou art not a friend of Caesar; every one making himself a king, doth speak against Caesar.'
13 Pilate, therefore, having heard this word, brought Jesus without -- and he sat down upon the tribunal -- to a place called, `Pavement,' and in Hebrew, Gabbatha;
14 and it was the preparation of the passover, and as it were the sixth hour, and he saith to the Jews, `Lo, your king!'
15 and they cried out, `Take away, take away, crucify him;' Pilate saith to them, `Your king shall I crucify?' the chief priests answered, `We have no king except Caesar.'
16 Then, therefore, he delivered him up to them, that he may be crucified, and they took Jesus and led [him] away,
17 and bearing his cross, he went forth to the place called [Place] of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha;
18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, on this side, and on that side, and Jesus in the midst.
19 And Pilate also wrote a title, and put [it] on the cross, and it was written, `Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews;'
20 this title, therefore, read many of the Jews, because the place was nigh to the city where Jesus was crucified, and it was having been written in Hebrew, in Greek, in Roman.
21 The chief priests of the Jews said, therefore, to Pilate, `Write not -- The king of the Jews, but that one said, I am king of the Jews;'
22 Pilate answered, `What I have written, I have written.'
23 The soldiers, therefore, when they did crucify Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to each soldier a part, also the coat, and the coat was seamless, from the top woven throughout,
24 they said, therefore, to one another, `We may not rend it, but cast a lot for it, whose it shall be;' that the Writing might be fulfilled, that is saying, `They divided my garments to themselves, and upon my raiment they did cast a lot;' the soldiers, therefore, indeed, did these things.
25 And there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleopas, and Mary the Magdalene;
26 Jesus, therefore, having seen [his] mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he was loving, he saith to his mother, `Woman, lo, thy son;'
27 afterward he saith to the disciple, `Lo, thy mother;' and from that hour the disciple took her to his own [home].
28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things now have been finished, that the Writing may be fulfilled, saith, `I thirst;'
29 a vessel, therefore, was placed full of vinegar, and they having filled a sponge with vinegar, and having put [it] around a hyssop stalk, did put [it] to his mouth;
30 when, therefore, Jesus received the vinegar, he said, `It hath been finished;' and having bowed the head, gave up the spirit.
31 The Jews, therefore, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, since it was the preparation, (for that sabbath day was a great one,) asked of Pilate that their legs may be broken, and they taken away.
32 The soldiers, therefore, came, and of the first indeed they did break the legs, and of the other who was crucified with him,
33 and having come to Jesus, when they saw him already having been dead, they did not break his legs;
34 but one of the soldiers with a spear did pierce his side, and immediately there came forth blood and water;
35 and he who hath seen hath testified, and his testimony is true, and that one hath known that true things he speaketh, that ye also may believe.
36 For these things came to pass, that the Writing may be fulfilled, `A bone of him shall not be broken;'
37 and again another Writing saith, `They shall look to him whom they did pierce.'
38 And after these things did Joseph of Arimathea -- being a disciple of Jesus, but concealed, through the fear of the Jews -- ask of Pilate, that he may take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave leave; he came, therefore, and took away the body of Jesus,
39 and Nicodemus also came -- who came unto Jesus by night at the first -- bearing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, as it were, a hundred pounds.
40 They took, therefore, the body of Jesus, and bound it with linen clothes with the spices, according as it was the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial;
41 and there was in the place where he was crucified a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one was yet laid;
42 there, therefore, because of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was nigh, they laid Jesus.
LittleNipper wrote:Interpretation of Scripture is not by personal opinion but by the moving of the Holy Spirit. We have the Old Testament in Hebrew. We have the New Testament in Greek. We have th moving of the Holy Spirit knocking at the door of our hearts. It is personal and not for me to interpret for you. I can only tell you what the Holy Spirit has led me to understand and accept.
Which explains the thousands of Bible based sects.
Kolob’s set time is “one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest” (Abraham 3:4). I take this as a round number. - Gee
