What does John 10:33 mean?
John uses the term "the Jews" as a generic reference to the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus has had many conflicts with them. The current squabble is over Jesus' response to their threatening challenge. The men have cornered Jesus, pressing in on Him with stones at the ready, and goading Him to speak. Jesus responded by repeating His prior claims, with the added point that He and the Father "are one" (John 10:22–30). Their response was another assassination attempt (John 10:31), to which Jesus asked a somewhat odd question: "for which [miraculous work] are you going to stone me?"The real point of Jesus' question is that He has performed miracles—why, then, do these men insist that He's wicked? Or blaspheming? Shouldn't they be recognizing His authority, instead?
The mob responds by ignoring—or missing—the actual point Jesus makes. Instead, they give the shallowest view of what Jesus said: that He's a human being insulting God by claiming to be His equal. Jesus, in turn, will respond with a brilliant use of their own tactics. Religious leaders of that day would often debate Scripture in much the same way as modern politicians: with an emphasis on technicalities, obscure details, and other confusing points. Jesus will turn that upside down, using it as a way to further condemn their rejection of His gospel.
