John 10 - Did Yeshua claim he was G-d?

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John 10:31-33 “The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Yeshua answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be G-d.”

Some quote verse 33 to prove Yeshua is G-d. Note that the verse does not say that Yeshua is G-d, or that he claimed to be G-d, but rather that the Jews said that Yeshua was making himself “G-d.” We assert that an accurate translation of John 10:33 would reveal that the Jews said that Yeshua was claiming to be “a G-d,” i.e., a representative of G-d. Because they did not believe he represented G-d at all, they were actually going to stone him, which indicates that their overall spiritual perception was perhaps somewhat distorted. Let us look at Yeshua’ reply:

John 10:34-36 Yeshua answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are G-ds?’If he called them G-ds, to whom the Word of G-d came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 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 G-d’?”

In verse 34, Yeshua is quoting from Psalm 82, verses 1 and 6. There, as in other Old Testament references, representatives of G-d were referred to as “G-ds.” This was a common Hebrew usage that all the people understood. Yeshua quotes these references, and then says, in essence: “Look, if those Old Testament leaders and judges were referred to as ‘G-ds,’ what about me? I am by far the best representative G-d has ever had. Why do you say I am blaspheming when I say I am the Son of G-d?”

Psalm 82:1-8 G-d standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the G-ds [i.e., those who represent Him]. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O G-d [i.e. the Messiah], judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

These verses make it very clear that those men whom G-d had chosen to represent Him to His people in Israel failed miserably to do so, generally speaking. The closing verse is a prophetic plea for the Messiah to come, the perfect representative of G-d who would vividly mirror His heart to all people. Note how precise Yeshua was in choosing just the right verses to make his point. He had rigorously studied the Hebrew Scriptures, which he would hardly have had to do if he were G-d.

Is not John 10:24-36 a clear record of Yeshua himself refuting the idea that he is G-d? It is also a record of Yeshua differentiating between the Son of G-d and G-d Himself. Had Yeshua been G-d, surely this would have been a wonderful opportunity for him to plainly say so, but he did not. His testimony of himself is perfectly consistent with the stated purpose of the Gospel of John: to reveal that Yeshua is the Son of G-d. With the understanding of John which we have set forth in this chapter, this gospel now perfectly harmonizes with the rest of the New Testament. The historical “Yeshua” is unified with the exalted “Messiah” into a proleptic portrait of “Yeshua” that simultaneously brings him down to earth and exalts him.”