John 10:30
What did Jesus mean when He said He and the Father are one? Some understand Jesus to be saying that He and the Father are the same one Being. Others say Jesus was saying that He and the Father are the same in purpose and will, etc.
But there is something we need to note about that verse that sheds some light on what Jesus meant by what He said. Notice the following verses:
In John 1:1, where John says “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”, the Greek word for “Word” and the Greek word for “God” are both masculine.
In John 20:28, when Thomas says “My Lord and My God”, the Greek word for “God” is also masculine.
However, in John 10:30, where Jesus says, “I and the Father are One”, the Greek word for “Father” is masculine, but the Greek word for “One” is neuter.
That means Jesus was saying that He and the Father are the same thing, but not the same Person.
In other words, Jesus and the Father are the same thing (God) … even though they are not the same Person. Jesus and the Father are the same thing — the same God — because they are the same in essence and in nature. That is why the Jews wanted to kill Him. Notice the verses that come immediately after John 10:30 …
John 10:31-33 The Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus … because they wanted to kill Him … for blasphemy (making Himself equal with God).
So what did Jesus mean when He said He and the Father are One? He was saying that He and the Father are one and the same thing (God), even though He obviously a different Person. He was, in fact, telling that He and the Father are the same God. In other words, Jesus was claiming to be God.