“I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30)

In this short but profound verse, Jesus claims deity and oneness with God the Father. The Jews who had encircled Him in the temple had said to Him, “If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). Instead, Jesus gave a discourse on who the true followers (sheep) of Christ were, claiming unity in the work of salvation with the Father. He said, “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (v. 28), and “no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (v. 29). This is followed with “I and my Father are one,” which prompted the crowd to try and stone Him.

Their heated response was rooted in the writings of Moses, specifically Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD.” A more literal rendering of the Hebrew is “hear, Israel [imperative command]: Yahweh our Elohim [is] Yahweh—One.” Yahweh is the unique name of God, and Elohim is the grammatical plural of God (El), giving veiled reference to the Trinity toward which Jesus is now making a startling revelation.

When Jesus claims unity with the Father, we have the added bonus of its specificity being written in Greek, in which the word for “one” is hen, which is neuter as opposed to the masculine form heis. This distinction preserves the trinitarian aspect that is one in purpose and will with the distinction of its individuals.

And of God’s Son, John tells us in his gospel that Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the Light of the World, the True Vine, the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, and that all things were made by Him, our Creator. JPT

From Days of Praise