How does John 10:35 connect to Old Testament prophecies about Jesus? Setting the scene in John 10:35 • Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22). • After declaring, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), He faces charges of blasphemy. • To answer, He quotes Psalm 82:6 and adds, “If He called them gods to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Jesus’ argument and its roots • Psalm 82 addresses human judges as “gods” (elohim) because they wield delegated divine authority: “I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High’ ” (Psalm 82:6). • Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater: if mere men could bear such a title without blasphemy, how much more may He, the One “sanctified and sent into the world” (John 10:36), rightly claim to be the Son of God. • The hinge of His defense is the statement “Scripture cannot be broken.” Every prophetic word stands unshakable—including those that foretell His identity and mission. Old Testament echoes behind Jesus’ claim 1. Set apart and sent: • Isaiah 61:1 — “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.” • Deuteronomy 18:18 — “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in His mouth.” 2. Declared Son of God: • Psalm 2:7 — “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.” • Isaiah 9:6 — “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” 3. The Word embodied: • The “word of God came” to the judges (Psalm 82), but Jesus is the very Word made flesh (John 1:14). “Scripture cannot be broken”: a pledge of fulfilled prophecy Because Scripture is unbreakable, every promise concerning Messiah had to (and did) come to pass: • Birth in Bethlehem — Micah 5:2, fulfilled Luke 2:4–7. • Humble, triumphant entry — Zechariah 9:9, fulfilled John 12:14–15. • Rejection and piercing — Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 22:16; Isaiah 53:5, fulfilled John 19:34–37. • Betrayal for thirty pieces of silver — Zechariah 11:12–13, fulfilled Matthew 26:14–16; 27:9–10. • Resurrection hope — Psalm 16:10, proclaimed Acts 2:25–32. Prophecies fulfilled in Christ reinforce John 10:35 • Jesus’ defense rests on the permanence of Scripture; His life, death, and resurrection display that permanence in action. • Every fulfilled prophecy validates His claim to be uniquely “sanctified and sent” by the Father. • The unbreakable nature of Scripture means any future promises tied to Christ—His return, final judgment, and eternal reign—are equally certain (Acts 1:11; Revelation 22:12). Implications for believers today • Confidence: If no prophetic word concerning Jesus has failed, none ever will. • Clarity: Jesus’ identity as Son of God isn’t a later church invention; it is rooted in the unbroken testimony of the Old Testament. • Commitment: Since Scripture is unbreakable, faithful obedience to its teachings is the only reasonable response. |
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