“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.’
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ 33 The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’ 34 Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law,“I said, you are gods”? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, “I am the Son of God”? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’ 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.”
John 10:22-39
Erik Manning from Testify and Is Jesus Alive explains that prior to the words recorded in John 10:34 (quoting Psalm 82:6), Jesus was “clearly claiming divine authority,” and the Jews demonstrated awareness of this because they picked up stones to kill Jesus for blasphemy (v33).
Manning points out that Jesus doesn’t correct these men, but (instead) doubles-down regarding his divinity. Erik:
“His point is a classic Lesser to the Greater argument. Even if corrupt rulers can bear the title gods in some sense, how much more can he, the one consecrated and sent by the Father, rightly be called the Son of God. And notice the twist in his words. He says in verse 35 , that those gods were the ones whom the word of God came. But then in verse 36, he identifies himself as the one whom the Father sent into the world. Now rewind. Let’s read in context and go back to John 1. Jesus is the Word, which means he’s not one of the rulers being judged. He is the Word of God who comes to judge them. And that’s exactly what John’s gospel keeps saying. [According to] John 5:22, the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son. [Per] John 9:39,’ for judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’ So, Jesus isn’t retreating from divinity. He’s actually raising the stakes.” (source)
Hold Fast Apologetics 