I and the Father
This phrase highlights the unique relationship between Jesus and God the Father. In the context of the Gospel of John, Jesus frequently emphasizes His divine sonship and unity with the Father (John 5:19-23, John 14:9-11). The use of "I" and "the Father" indicates a distinct yet unified relationship, reflecting the Trinitarian concept of God as three persons in one essence. This relationship is central to understanding the nature of Jesus as both fully God and fully man, a core tenet of Christian theology.

are one.
The assertion of being "one" with the Father is a profound declaration of Jesus' divinity. The Greek word for "one" (hen) used here implies unity of essence or nature, not merely agreement or purpose. This statement is pivotal in the context of the Jewish understanding of monotheism, as it equates Jesus with God, which was considered blasphemous by His contemporaries (John 10:31-33). This unity is further explored in John 17:21-23, where Jesus prays for His followers to be one as He and the Father are one, indicating a spiritual unity that believers are called to emulate. This concept is also a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and types, such as the unity and oneness of God expressed in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the anticipated Messiah who would embody God's presence among His people (Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2).

1. Jesus Christ
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is speaking to the Jews about His divine nature and unity with God the Father.

2. God the Father
The first person of the Trinity, with whom Jesus claims unity, emphasizing the divine nature of His mission and identity.

3. The Jews
The audience to whom Jesus is speaking, many of whom are skeptical or hostile to His claims of divinity.

4. Jerusalem
The city where this discourse takes place, a significant location for Jewish religious life and the setting for many of Jesus' teachings.

5. Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah)
The context in which this conversation occurs, a time when Jews celebrated the rededication of the Second Temple.Understanding the Trinity
Jesus' statement, "I and the Father are one," is a profound declaration of the Trinity. It challenges us to deepen our understanding of the complex yet unified nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Divine Authority of Jesus
Recognizing Jesus' unity with the Father affirms His authority and divinity. This understanding should lead us to trust His teachings and commands fully.

Unity in the Body of Christ
Just as Jesus and the Father are one, believers are called to unity in the body of Christ. This unity is a testimony to the world of God's love and truth.

Responding to Skepticism
Jesus faced skepticism and hostility when He declared His unity with the Father. As His followers, we should be prepared to face similar challenges and respond with grace and truth.

Living in the Light of Jesus' Divinity
Acknowledging Jesus as one with the Father should impact our daily lives, leading us to worship, obedience, and a deeper relationship with Him.(30) I and my Father are one.--The last clause of John 10:29 is identical with the last clause of John 10:28 if we identify "Father's" with "My." This our Lord now formally does. The last verses have told of power greater than all, and these words are an assertion that in the infinity of All-mighty Power the Son is one with the Father. They are more than this, for the Greek word for "one" is neuter, and the thought is not, therefore, of unity of person, but is of unity of essence. "The Son is of one substance with the Father." In the plural "are" there is the assertion of distinctness as against Sabellianism, and in the "one" there is the assertion of co-ordination as against Arianism. At recurring periods in the history of exegesis men have tried to establish that these words do not imply more than unity of will between the Father and the Son. We have seen above that they assert both oneness of power and oneness of nature; but the best answer to all attempts to attach any meaning lower than that of the divinity of our Lord to these His words is found here, as in the parallel instance in John 8:58-59, in the conduct of the Jews themselves. To them the words conveyed but one meaning, and they sought to punish by stoning what seemed to them to be blasphemy. Their reason is here given in express words, "because that Thou, being a man, makest thyself God" (John 10:33).

Verse 30. - Then follows the sublime minor premise of the syllogism, I and the Father (we) are one. As Augustine and Bengel have said, the first clause is incompatible with Sabellianism, and the second clause with Arianism. The Lord is conscious of his own Personality as distinct from that of the Father, and yet he asserts a fundamental unity. But what kind of unity is it? Is it a unity of wish, emotion, sentiment, only? On the contrary, it is a oneness of redemptive power. The Divine activity of the Father's eternal love did not come to any arrest or pause when he gave the sheep to the Son, but with its irresistible might is present in the "hand" of Jesus (no one "can," not no one "shall"). Therefore the ἕν, the one reality, if it does not express actual unity of essence, involves it. Some have endeavored to minimize the force of this remarkable statement by comparing it with John 17:21-23, where Jesus said believers are "to be in us," and "to be one, even as we are one," i.e. to have the same kind of relation with one another (being a collective unity) as the Father and Son sustain towards each other, "I in them, thou in me, that they may be perfected [reach their τέλος, by being blended] into one;" i.e. into one Divine personality by my indwelling. Now, it is nowhere there said that believers and the Father are one, but such a statement is scrupulously avoided. Numerous attempts have been made to escape from the stupendous assumption of this unity of power and essence with the Father. The whole gist of the assertion reveals the most overwhelming self-consciousness. The Lord declares that he can bestow eternal life and blessedness upon those who stand in close living relation with himself, and between whom and himself there is mutual recognition and the interchanges of love and trust. He bases the claim on the fact that the Father's hands are behind his, and that the Father's eternal power and Godhead sustain his mediatorial functions and, more than all, that the Father's Personality and his own Personality are merged in one essence and entity. If be merely meant to imply moral and spiritual union with the Father, or completeness of revelation of the Divine mind, why should the utterance have provoked such fierce resentment?

Parallel Commentaries ...


I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Father
Πατὴρ (Patēr)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

are
ἐσμεν (esmen)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

one.”
ἕν (hen)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1520: One. (including the neuter Hen); a primary numeral; one.


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NT Gospels: John 10:30 I and the Father are one (Jhn Jo Jn)