John 10:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

NIV: We are not stoning you for any good work,' they replied, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'

NASB: The Jews answered Him, 'We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.'

CSB: "We aren't stoning you for a good work," the Jews answered, "but for blasphemy, because you--being a man--make yourself God."

NLT: They replied, 'We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

John uses the term "the Jews" as a generic reference to the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus has had many conflicts with them. The current squabble is over Jesus' response to their threatening challenge. The men have cornered Jesus, pressing in on Him with stones at the ready, and goading Him to speak. Jesus responded by repeating His prior claims, with the added point that He and the Father "are one" (John 10:22–30). Their response was another assassination attempt (John 10:31), to which Jesus asked a somewhat odd question: "for which [miraculous work] are you going to stone me?"

The real point of Jesus' question is that He has performed miracles—why, then, do these men insist that He's wicked? Or blaspheming? Shouldn't they be recognizing His authority, instead?

The mob responds by ignoring—or missing—the actual point Jesus makes. Instead, they give the shallowest view of what Jesus said: that He's a human being insulting God by claiming to be His equal. Jesus, in turn, will respond with a brilliant use of their own tactics. Religious leaders of that day would often debate Scripture in much the same way as modern politicians: with an emphasis on technicalities, obscure details, and other confusing points. Jesus will turn that upside down, using it as a way to further condemn their rejection of His gospel.

John 10:22–42 happens a few months after the controversy described in chapter 9 through the first half of chapter 10. Here, Jesus is cornered, in an overt threat, by the same religious leaders He has been castigating for years. He echoes the metaphors of sheep and shepherd He employed after giving sight to a blind man. Jesus points out that His teachings and miracles are all consistent with predictions of the Messiah, but these men refuse to accept Him. This culminates in another attempt on Jesus' life, which He somehow avoids. This represents the last time Jesus will publicly teach prior to His crucifixion.

This passage continues Jesus' discussion with the religious leaders of Jerusalem, seen in chapter 9. Jesus lays out three separate analogies about His ministry, using the concept of sheep and shepherds. In those statements, Jesus explains why some people refuse to accept Him, declares Himself the only means of salvation, and again predicts His sacrificial death. This leads to controversy. Later, Jesus is cornered by a mob in the temple grounds. They once again try to stone Him as He repeats His divine claims, but He escapes in some way not fully described by the text. After this, Jesus leaves the area and returns to the region where John the Baptist had once preached.

Starting in chapter 7, the gospel of John describes Jesus' preaching at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. Through chapters 7 and 8, He debates with critics and attempts to explain spiritual truths. On the way out of the city, Jesus gives sight to a man born blind, as shown in chapter 9. That begins an extended debate which continues in this chapter. Jesus gives analogies of His mission using shepherding as a theme. Months later, He repeats those ideas when cornered by an aggressive mob in the temple. This sets the stage for His grandest miracle, the raising of Lazarus, seen in chapter 11.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.