by jwfacts 24 Replies latest watchtower bible
John 10:30 "'You blaspheme', because I said, I am God's Son?"
Why did the Jews feel that it was blasphemy for Jesus to say he was God's Son. Does this indicate the Jews felt he was claiming equality with God? Is there something about Jewish theology that would indicate this?
Capital punishment was only for serious sins: blasphemy, adultery, etc.. From what I can see in the Bible, saying you had a preexistence isn't blasphemy. However, claiming to be one with God is quite different. In John 10:30-33 Jesus said, "I and the Father are one. The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning me?" 33"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 God" (NASB).
Between John 8:59 where the Jews picked up stones to kill Jesus and John 10:30-33 where they again picked up stones to kill him, there is no mention of stoning whatsoever. John 10:31 is referencing back to John 8:59 when it says "The Jews took up stones again to stone Him." Note that they again wanted to kill Him and this time they give the reason why. They said that Jesus was claiming to be God. Now, where would they get that idea? Could it have been where he said, "Before Abraham was, I am"? Could it be from where Jesus said, "I and the Father are one" (10:30). Since they wanted to kill Him both times, it would seem that Jesus had been making some very serious claims. Or was it simply that the Pharisees misunderstood Jesus and that Jesus never did claim to be God?
But, if Jesus was not claiming to be God in John 8:58 and 10:30, then what was it that He said that warranted such a violent response from the Jews in both cases? What phrase from Jesus did the Jews react to and what 'misunderstanding' did they have about what it was Jesus said that led them to claim that he was making Himself out to be God?
The best explanation for the Jews wanting to kill Jesus is because Jesus was claiming equality with God. They considered this blasphemy.
Aniron, great answer, thanks
That was solid aniron. Thanks.
This discussion rocks!!!
A record of Jesus' first encounter with the murderous kind. From The Message Bible:
John 5:15 -16 The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus—because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus defended himself. "My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I."
18 That really set them off. The Jews were now not only out to expose him; they were out to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, putting himself on a level with God.
Sylvia
The answer to the question is self evident, to accept Jesus as the son of God was to accept the fullfillment of prophecy and the end of the Jewish rule and the new nation created by acceptance and forgiveness of the gentile nations. They did not want to give up their postion as Gods choosen people.
Don't forget that when you read the Fourth Gospel you are actually dealing with the author's mental picture of both "Jesus" and "the Jews" -- which doesn't necessarily correspond with any early 1st-century reality.
One interesting example is the repeated allusion to the exclusion of disciples from the synagogue(s) (9:22; 12:42; 16:2), which only makes sense from the perspective of Pharisaic-controlled synagogues which only became a reality in the wake of the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The Babylonian Talmud, Berakhoth 28b, ascribes to Gamaliel II (which was appointed as leader of the sanhedrin around 80) the introduction of a solemn rejection of minim ("heretics") included in the shemone `esre, or 18 "blessings/curses," some versions of which specifically mention the Nazo/arenes. It is apparent that the Gospel retrojects this post-70 situation onto the pre-70 context where the Pharisees were hardly in a position to "disfellowship" anybody.
In addition to that the Gospel reads its own "high" Christology (which was by no means a common asset of all "Christians") into the anachronistic debate between "Jesus" and "the Jews". And let alone its particular notion of God's Son(s) as one with the Father, it must be noted that even confessing someone as Messiah / Christ (which is common to 9:22 and the Synoptic Passion stories) was not of itself considered a blasphemy in the 2nd century, since rabbi Aqiba so hailed Bar Kokhba... So the Gospel stories are not only anachronistic, they also represent a partisan vision of contemporary Judaism.
Don't forget that when you read the Fourth Gospel
You are reading the gospel with the least bit of credibility of the four.
From what little I know saying anything that might upset the Pharisee's understanding of god was blasphemy.
Much like it is to day with Fundamentalist Christians, and God. Say one thing that might upset the popular Christian view of god like saying he was a Bisexual, or he doesn't hate gays will incur the call of blasphemy.
jwfacts Maybe this will help? In Matthew 4: 6 and 7 Why did Satan call Him the "Son of God"? And who was Satan trying to test?
Mat 4:6
and *said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"Mat 4:7
Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"Surely the deciples and Satan knew what the blasphemy was about.
DD,
I'm afraid you are missing the rhetoric here. The point of all of Jesus' replies (and OT quotations) is to show why he should not follow the Tempter's suggestion. Iow, Jesus would have "put the Lord to the test" had he thrown himself from the temple pinnacle (see the context of Deuteronomy 6:16 and parallels: "putting Yhwh to the test" is requiring a miracle from him). There is no point in having Jesus break from his reply pattern to answer, this time, "Hey, buddy, you should not put me to the test: you know I'm God, after all."
