One of the most forthright claims of deity made by Jesus occurs in John 10, where he claims: "I and the Father are one." However, not everyone agrees with this interpretation. A number of people claim that what Jesus really meant was that he and the Father were the same in that no-one could snatch his "sheep" out of his hand, or that the were of the same mind in regard to this. This claim is particularly made amoung Jehovah's Witnesses, who accept the inspiration and authority of the Bible, but reject the divinity of Christ. Consequently, they are left with a number of passages that they must offer alternative explanations for.
In this particular case, I think that their interpretation is ungrounded for a number of reasons:
- If Jesus meant that he and the Father were of one mind, or were alike in this regard, why didn't he say so clearly? The Jews asked him whether he was the Messiah - he must have known how they would interpret the response he gave.
- The Jews understood his claim as a claim to be God. They weren't unsure about it at all. They would not have tried to stone him, if they thought he meant that he and God were of the same mind on this matter.
- Once they got ready to stone him, and Jesus spoke again, he didn't try to correct himself, but ended his statement with: "that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." He reinforced his prior claim. Surely if he didn't mean that he was God, and the Jews started to stone him for that, he would have tried to explain what he really meant. But he didn't. The Jews understood him perfectly - Jesus' clarification was in fact to reinforce his claim to be God.
The context here seems to clearly indicate that Jesus was claiming to be God, and a claim that this was not the case seems to me to be begging the question.
Comments
Of Jesus it is written, ' he is the exact representation of the Father' so ' that everyone seeing jesus has seen the father also' Jesus also said 'The father is greater then he is' Jesus also said the Father and he are one and prayed that ' we may be one with him and the father' Jesus said ' that if we obey him the Father and himself will come and live in us and make us their abode.' It is also written Jesus will be called 'eternal father mighty God'But can not find the word 'trinity' in Bible and because of not accurately knowing scripture, and adding words the command to baptize people in the name of the Father has not been carried out, although baptism in the name of son has been.Agree that there has not been another name such as Jesus Christ,given amongst men for us to be saved, but the name of the father is a protection into which righteous runs and is given protection.Jesus taught us to direct our prayers to our Father in heaven, Jehovah God, to whom we can not gain access, eccept we go through his only begotten son, Jesus Christ.