John
10:31-42 “The Deity of Jesus questioned”
(John
10:31) Then the Jews took up stones
again to stone him.
This is
the second time that here in the
(John
10:32) Jesus answered them, Many good
works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone
me?
Jesus
could have given them an impressive list of good works which He had done.
1. Healed
a woman bowed together
2. Healed
a man born blind
3. Cast a
demon out of a boy
4. Healed
a blind man in
5. Healed
a deaf and dumb man
6. Calmed
a storm and walked on water.
7. Fed
5000 men beside women and children
8. Fed
4000 men
9. Healed
the sick
10. Healed
2 blind men
11. Healed
a dumb demoniac
12. Healed
Jairus’ daughter
13. Cast
out a legion of demons
14. Jesus
calmed another storm.
15. Healed
a centurion’s servant
16. Healed
a man with a withered hand
17. Healed
a lame man.
18. Healed
a paralytic who was lowered down through the roof.
19. Healed
a leper
20. Healed
Peter’s mother-in-law
21. Healed
a demoniac
22. Healed
the Nobleman’s son
23.
Cleansed the temple of thieves
24. Raised
the dead son of the widow of Nain.
25. Turned
water into wine.
To do good works is never
wrong. All the works of Jesus were
good. He never did anything that was
unrighteous.
Jesus has even done a good work in
that He taught people the truth. He has
taught them that He is one with His Father.
The greatest work Jesus did was to teach people the ways of God.
(John
10:33) The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and
because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
The Jews are in effect saying it is
not what you have done but what you have said.
God is not a man and a man is not God.
You, being a man, are claiming to be God. This they deem to be a transgression of God’s
law. They had asked Jesus, back in verse
24, to tell them plainly if He were the Christ or not. Jesus responded plainly that He and the
Father were one. Had they considered
what Isaiah had said they would have known that the Christ would be both man
and God.
Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God..."
Jesus does
not take them to this verse but instead refers to Psalm 82.
(John
10:34) Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
In Psalm 82 God is rebuking the
Judges of the
(John
10:35) If he called them gods, unto whom
the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
Now if God called the judges of the
land gods and the scriptures are true and right in all things, which is the meaning of “cannot be broken”, then
for a judge or prince to call himself a god would not be a violation of the law
concerning blaspheme.
(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?
In the case of Jesus it is not
blaspheme for He is the only begotten Son of God. Jesus has every right to a divine title.
(John
10:37) If I do not the works of my
Father, believe me not.
The proof that Jesus is the Son of
God is in the works which He had done.
These works were of God and they were prophesied by God’s prophets of
old as being done by the Messiah. There
was ample proof from the scriptures in Jesus’ day that He was indeed the
Christ.
Jesus gives them a command here in
this verse. If they check out His works
and they are found to not be of God then they were to not believe the claim
which Jesus made of being the Christ.
(John
10:38) But if I do, though ye believe
not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father [is]
in me, and I in him.
(John
10:39) Therefore they sought again to
take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
(John
10:40) And went away again beyond
(John
10:41) And many resorted unto him, and
said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were
true.
(John
10:42) And many believed on him there.