Beloved, listen carefully. People accused Jesus of blasphemy. They said, “You make yourself God!” But Jesus did not say, “I am El Elyon.” He did not claim to be the Most High. He did not take the place of the Father. He did not break the commandment.
Yet many today read these words, Thomas’ exclamation, John 1:1, John 8:58, and they assume — yes, assume — that Jesus is El Elyon. They read the Gospel through that lens. And when they do, they miss the caution that John 10 gives. They miss how careful Jesus is. They miss how he protects the commandment.
In John 10, Jesus appeals to Psalm 82. He shows that the Most High reigns supreme. Others — called “gods” or “sons of the Most High” — bear authority in a derived, dependent way. Jesus places himself there. He is exalted. He is worshiped. He is Lord. But he is sent. He is obedient. He calls God “my God.” He gives all glory back to the Father. He hands the kingdom back so that God may be all in all.
That is the pattern. That is the way of faithful worship. That is the way Scripture itself keeps the Most High honored, while glorifying the Son. Exaltation. Yes. Worship. Yes. Obedience. Absolutely. But never stepping outside the commandment. Never claiming what is not his.
Imagine if we all read John 10 like this. Thomas’ words would not be a blunder or proof-text for what Jesus did not claim. The Prologue would not erase distinction. The “I am” statements would show preexistence and authority, not replacement of God. The tension John preserves — exaltation and obedience, glory and subjection — would guide everything we teach, everything we preach, everything we worship.
So remember: The Father alone is Elyon, the Most High. The Son is Lord, preexistent, exalted, worshiped, yet obedient, sent, and consecrated. The Spirit glorifies and testifies, proceeding according to the Father’s will. Worship rightly. Honor the Son. Honor the Father. Keep the commandment. Protect the order Scripture gives.
Hear Jesus’ caution in John 10. Do not assume he claims what he does not. Do not confuse the Most High. The Son is glorified, yes — but the Father remains the Most High. And when we keep that order, when we honor the hierarchy Scripture sets, when we follow the Son in obedience, we live in the radiant harmony Scripture reveals: from the Most High, through the Son, and back again to the Most High. All glory. All honor. Forever. Amen.
AI wording as prompted by Stephen D Green, February 2026
And for those more theological in their understanding, here it is again in more theological terms.
In John 10, Jesus provides a remarkably careful demonstration of how to assert his authority and divine honor while preserving the supremacy of the Father. When accused of blasphemy for claiming divinity, he does not say, “I am El Elyon,” the Most High. He does not collapse his identity into that of the Father, nor does he make any claim that would violate the commandment prohibiting blasphemy. Instead, he grounds his defense in Scripture, appealing explicitly to Psalm 82. This psalm already illustrates a hierarchy in which the Most High reigns supreme, while others, called “gods” or “sons of the Most High,” exercise authority in a derived, accountable manner. Jesus situates himself within this scriptural pattern: exalted, worshiped, and uniquely empowered, yet always sent, consecrated, and subordinate to the Father.
This careful positioning has profound implications for how the Gospel is read. Many interpreters approach John 20:28, John 1:1, John 1:18, and John 8:58 with the prior assumption that Jesus is numerically identical with El Elyon. They read Thomas’ exclamation, “My Lord and my God,” and the Prologue of John, and they interpret these texts as declaring that Jesus claims to be the Most High. Such readings, however, obscure the caution modeled in John 10. Jesus does not make that claim. He demonstrates that one may be worshiped and exalted while remaining obedient, sent, and consecrated by the Father. The “I am” statements, the preexistence of the Word, and even Thomas’ confession are properly understood within this framework: they affirm the Son’s authority, glory, and unique role without violating the Father’s supremacy.
John 10 therefore functions as an interpretive safeguard. It preserves the tension deliberately maintained throughout the Gospel between exaltation and obedience, glory and subjection. The Son is acknowledged as Lord, preexistent, and worshiped; yet the Father alone is Elyon, the Most High. Worship and honor directed to the Son do not constitute blasphemy because they flow from the Father’s authority and point back to the Father’s glory. This framework allows for a faithful reading of the Johannine texts in which divine language is applied to the Son without erasing the hierarchy that Scripture carefully maintains.
Applying this framework consistently resolves interpretive tensions. Thomas’ confession is properly read as recognition of the Son’s unique mission and exalted status, rather than as a claim to ultimate identity with the Most High. The Prologue can be understood as affirming the Son’s divinity and preexistence while preserving the distinction between Father and Son. The “I am” sayings express preexistence and authority, not a claim to replace God. The hierarchy John preserves — the monarchy of the Father, the Son’s obedience and exaltation, and the Spirit’s testimony — remains intact, safeguarding the commandment against blasphemy while upholding the Son’s glory.
Thus John 10 provides a central hermeneutical principle: any interpretation of high Christology must account for both the exaltation of the Son and his subordination to the Father. Exaltation does not imply equality with the Most High in unqualified terms, and subordination does not diminish the Son’s divine status. The tension preserved in Scripture is not accidental but intentional. It models the proper balance between reverence for the Most High and acknowledgment of the Son’s authority.
From this perspective, the key to theological unity is the careful heeding of John 10. When the Gospel is read through this lens, the Son’s preexistence, authority, and worship are understood as deriving from the Father. Thomas’ confession, the Prologue, and the “I am” sayings cohere without compromising monotheism. The Father remains Elyon; the Son remains Lord; the Spirit glorifies and testifies according to the Father’s will. All things flow from the Most High, through the Son, and return to the Most High, preserving the order, the commandment, and the harmony that Scripture intends.
Again, AI wording as prompted by Stephen D Green, February 2026
