Question:
What did Jesus mean in John 10:34 saying, “I said, You are gods”?
Answer:
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? (NKJV)
Jesus was quoting:
Psalm 82:5-6 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable. I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. (NKJV)
In Psalms, God is calling unjust judges “gods” (because they think they are in their own mind, or at least act like it). The next verse (7) pronounces judgment on them declaring their death like ordinary men, not “gods”.
Jesus was using this verse in Psalms to point out to the Jews that there are legitimate reasons to call others “god” other than it only applying to the Almighty God. He accurately showed that they themselves “in their law” had called others “god”.
He was responding to their declaration that they wanted to kill him, not for His good works, but because Jesus had made Himself “God” (so much for people who say that Jesus never claimed to be God).
He is basically saying, “you guys call other people ‘god’, why do you object my title as ‘Son of God’?”
Like Jesus often did, He was clearly pointing out the never ending hypocrisies the Jewish religious establishment engaged in concerning Him.