John 10:31

The Jewish mob is greatly offended by Jesus’ claim of equality with God. They take up stones to pummel him to death.” John 10:31 EFP 

No doubt Jesus’ claim to be one with the Father must have sounded like the boldest blasphemy of all to the Jewish contingent. It must have been a hard thing to listen to, even to those who resonated with his teachings. It is not surprising the Jewish extremists would resort to capital punishment. They were defending God’s honor. In their minds “God is one” not “God is two in one”.

It bears serious contemplation to reconsider the long-standing mental pictures we cherish regarding the judgment and the apparent dichotomy between Jesus and the Father in those scenes. The images of Jesus pleading before the Father and showing the Father his scars on behalf of the penitent sinner seems inconsistent with the claim of Jesus to be one with the Father as it is often explained. They are on the same page regarding their desire to save humanity. The Father does not need convincing.

So as I continue to find biblical passages that confirm the one-ness of the Godhead, there will no doubt be opposition, unlikely one that exhibits murderous intent, but nonetheless passionate and destructive. There is a cost to defending the character of God. That is what is at stake when all is said and done. Is God fair? Is God loving? Is God always good? It God truly sovereign? All these are questions that challenge our concept of God. Lord, let me always speak well of you! Let me always be faithful to the Scriptures; let them always be the last word—not subject to another source of authority.