What does John 10:34 mean?
In John 10:34, Jesus is talking to religious leaders of Israel. The Jews want to know if Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. When he tells them he and the Father are one, they call him a blasphemer and want to stone him.
Jesus quotes the text from Psalm 82 as part of his judgment upon them for not believing that he is the Christ, the son of God. This text of judgment in Psalm 82 condemns the celestial beings in God’s divine counsel who fend they are more than what God has made them to be. Although they believe themselves to be great leaders, these leaders of Israel are charlatans.
More than that, to not see the son of God standing in front of them for who he is makes them like the celestial beings that Psalm 82 refers to. Because of their unbelief, they are like the sons of God, or the angels in Psalm 82.
Let’s look at Psalm 82 to get a clearer picture of why Jesus would quote this text when he deals with the unbelieving religious leaders of Israel. Psalm 82:6 is a quote from God, “I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most high, all of you, nevertheless, like men shall die and fall like any prince.”
If you read the entire Psalm, it is extremely negative. Is talking about the Angels or celestial beings in heaven, and God’s counsel. It is not talking about human beings. It basically says that they think they are something, in control like God himself. They think they are all-powerful, but they will die like men, like common human beings.
The Psalm is about God’s judgment of these beings. There is false teaching going about the church in our day that teaches believers they are little gods. But one of the problems with this teaching is that it comes from two negative judgment passages of people who don’t believe in Jesus or are trying to usurp God’s throne.
These passages are not about believers. There are about unbelievers. Believers are not little gods. We are human beings who worship the living God. Only he can be God. While we don’t fully comprehend the divine counsel and the celestial beings that are part of it, we can understand God’s anger and judgment against those who either want to take his place or don’t believe in him.
