John 10:35 (ASV)

Passage

If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken),

Nearby Context

John 10:33 The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods?

John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken),

John 10:36 say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am [the] Son of God?

John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "gods", "word", "came", "scripture", and "broken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "gods", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 34's "Jesus answered them Is it not written..." into verse 36's "say ye of him whom the Father...", so "called" and "gods" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "gods" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.