 In John 10.34, when Jesus says you are all gods, what does he mean? When Jesus makes a statement, you are all gods, and he's quoting from Psalm 82, that particular verse tends to be taken out of context or misused by a lot of people. So the question is, what does he mean by you are all gods? What does he mean by gods? Well, let's go to the passage one. Let's go to the passage that he's quoting, which is in Psalm 82.6. And then let's see if we can understand what Jesus' point is, because surely he's not saying that all of us are gods, like the God, like God the Most High. In Psalm 82.6 he says, I said you are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. This word for gods is not to be taken as God, like the God, God the Most High, God the Father. No, it comes from this Hebrew word where we also understand and mean God, the word Elohim. The word Elohim does not mean just only God, but it also in a generic sense means a judge, somebody with rulership, someone with authority. And the whole point of what he's trying to make is that you have been given this authority, this ability to rule, this judge, this position of judging, and you are abusing it. Let's go further back into Psalm 82 and let's read even more, see if we can get a better understanding. In Psalm 82.1 he says God takes his stand in his own congregation. He judges in the midst of the rulers. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Now, if we look at one of the words before we continue, this word for rulers is the same word for judge. At the very end he says he judges in the midst of the rulers, and so he says he judges in the midst of and the word for rulers is Elohim. And so you can see how this word for Elohim is also used not just to describe the God, but also those who are performing or acting in a position of authority. More on that, but let's go back to the passage. Verse two. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Vindicate the weak and the fatherless. Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They do not know nor do they understand. They walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, here it is, you are God and all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you will die like men and fall like any one of the princesses. So his point is you've been given this authority, this position to rule, and you have misused it. You have abused it. You are not judging correctly. So as I said before, this term has been used to indicate not just the God, but also judges, as well. If we go to Exodus 228, we see it here says, if thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor's property. What the word for judge here is that same word that we're speaking of, Elohim. And so in the generic sense, the word Elohim can mean a judge, a ruler, or it can mean the God. Remember also, we see at one point that God is speaking to Moses when he says that you will be like God to Pharaoh, not to say that he will be God, but like God. In other words, you're going to be given authority and power to show to Pharaoh, but never to mean or to be taken that he is God. In this case, he'll be acting on behalf of God, but not that he is actually the God Most High. Think about it like this. We have this great judge who at some point in time is going to actually judge all of the other judges. This great God who is going to judge all of the other gods, lowercase G, those who have been given authority and power, who God has granted the ability to act in this position. But when they don't do what they're supposed to or abuse their power, God is going to deal with them. That's why he says that he's the king of kings. Not that there are no other kings. There are other kings, but he is truly the king of all kings. He is the Lord above all other lords, and he is the God above all of the gods. Not in the sense that they have power like another God, like God does because we all know that as human beings, we are frail. We are weak. We are bound by our own frailties. We are prone to sin, prone to any other thing that is unlike God. However, the Bible tells us this to know that we are positioned to know our position. Indeed, he says in Psalm 95, 3, says, The Lord is a great God and a king and a great king above all gods. Or some verse may even say all other gods, not meaning to take that there are other gods like him, but in the sense of rulers on this planet. And so God is going to judge them accordingly. So now we see what Jesus is quoting. So let's see if we can understand what Jesus's point is in what he's saying in John 10. To make our point, let's start in John chapter 10 verse 30. He says, I am the Father R1. And so what do the Jews do in verse 31? They pick up stones to stone him. And Jesus answers, says, I've showed you many good works from the Father. For which of them are you stoning me? The Jews answered him, For a good work, we do not stone you, but for blasphemy. And because you being a man, make yourself out to be God. And then here's where Jesus gives his response to them. And they don't know how to respond. He says, Has it not been written in your law? I said, You are God's. If he calls them God to whom the word of God came and the scriptures cannot be broken. Do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? You are blasphemy because I said, I am the son of God. And so his point is, if they can be God, well, then surely the son of man Jesus himself who was sent by God, he can be called God. Now they are perplexed. They don't know how to handle this. Is he saying that he's a God like them? Or is he saying that he is God like God the most high? Surely he's drawing comparison to both. While Jesus was indeed claiming to be God, he was also saying if they can be called God, then surely he can as well. And they could not deny the power by which he's come in. They could not deny the works. They could not deny the miracles, which he's shown. And so him saying that I and the Father or I and God are one that bothers them. And so what he's done is he's thoroughly confound them. And he says that if you don't believe in me and what I'm saying, then believe in the works that I do. And so let's be clear, though that people may want to use this passage to claim some sort of authority, let's remember we only have whatever authority that we have on this planet is only that that's been given by God and never to be likened to the God, God most high. We don't have the ability to create anything. We can't speak anything into existence. We don't. We are powerless amongst him. We die. We're going to die. We get sick. We sin. We have different issues that we deal with. That's unlike God. We need a redeemer. A true God does not. And that's the point. And so whatever authority that we've been given, anyone that's been given. Oh, by the way, everyone can't even claim that. Only those has been given a position of power. But even still, we have to remember who ultimately we have to go before and given account of our actions of the things that we do with whatever power has been given. And so for those in Psalm 82, they will be judged harshly before the great judge, before the only God according to what they've done or how they've mishandled or abused their authority. And even now he's actually doing the same thing Jesus is. He's impugning them and they don't get it about how they have abused their position, but also making it clear that he alone is God. They are not. And so don't let anyone confuse you or use this passage to give themselves some sort of place of preeminence or some sort of authority among the people. Only God alone is God the most high. Only he can claim the actual title of the God, not a ruler, not a judge, but the great judge, the Lord amongst all Lords. And he alone is the only wise God. Amen.