John 10:33

‘The Judaisers answered him, “We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a mere man, claim to be God”.'

Modern men here argue about the Aramaic and the Greek in this passage as to whether Jesus was really claiming to be God, but these ancient scholarly men who knew and spoke the language fluently, and knew its nuances, had no doubts. They knew what He was saying. And according to their viewpoint they were right. But it was only because they had not listened to His words and considered His works and followed Him in full recognition of His status. They had failed to recognise the implications of His life and teaching. There is no question that here Jesus has made clear His unique position ‘on the divine side of reality', and that it is something that they in fact at least have recognised. And had their hearts been right it would have led on to them acknowledging Him. But sadly their hearts were not right. They were full of their own preconceptions. Thus they missed the moment of truth.

Notice how easily they dismissed the works. All others marvelled at what He had done, but not these men. Their minds dismissed them almost before they happened. Jesus had done so many miracles that it had become almost commonplace. To them the theology of words was more important than the signs that revealed Who Jesus was. Their minds were fixed in the past and unchangeable. They could not believe that Moses could be superseded. They were tunnel-visioned.

However, His hour had not yet come so He challenged them to rethink their position.