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1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30 I and my Father are one.

31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

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.

34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

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?

37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

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.

39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.

42 And many believed on him there.

[34] Jesus is talking about himself, not the Pharisees (as some have claimed); the grammar of v.35 and 36 is a continuance; see commentary.

[30] John 17:11

[30] If one claims that Jesus said “I and the father are one,” (“I and my Father are one,” etc) one may point out John 17:11 which states: “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:11 ESV)

It should be clear then that when Jesus said that he was one with the father he was speaking explicitly in the sense of John 17:11, as Jesus himself draws a direct analogy to his one-ness with the father as being the same as the one-ness of the apostles (i.e. of one mind in the sense of one accord but not of one mind in the sense of one being).

If Jesus is talking about the Judges, as some Christians may claim, then he is guilty of Exodus 22:27 by impeaching them in such a manner.

• Exodus 22:27 “Thou shall not curse a judge,”
• Psalms 82:7 “But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.”
• in contrast to, ex. Ezekiel 18:21-22 ”…will not die… they shall surely live.“

In context:

• 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
• 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
• 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?

The point of Jesus' argument is that a) since it is written as such, why do (you) say that someone who said “I am the Son of God” is a blasphemer? The argument is that it is not blasphemous because that is the proper and accepted title for someone who is a judge– someone who is operating with authority. It is not a comment against the Pharisees.

Now, considering the verse in context, it is easy to assume Jesus (or the reader) may wish to consider that the Pharisees are the subject of the verse in Psalms;

• 5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
• 6 I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;
• 7 nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”

Nevertheless, the point of “I said, you are Gods” is to point out that claiming to be a son of God is not blasphemous. This is the answer to the charge given in v.33.