I
The Greek word for "I" here is "ἐγώ" (egō), which is a personal pronoun emphasizing the speaker's identity. In the context of the Gospel of John, Jesus frequently uses "ἐγώ" to assert His divine identity and mission. This pronoun is significant because it highlights Jesus' self-awareness and His unique relationship with the Father. In the broader scriptural context, Jesus' use of "I" often precedes profound declarations about His nature and purpose, such as the "I am" statements found throughout the Gospel of John, which echo God's self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14.

and
The conjunction "and" in Greek is "καί" (kai), which serves to connect Jesus with the Father in a manner that implies unity and equality. This small word is crucial in understanding the relationship between Jesus and the Father, as it does not suggest a hierarchy or separation but rather a partnership and oneness in essence and purpose. Theologically, this conjunction supports the doctrine of the Trinity, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons yet one in essence.

the Father
The term "the Father" in Greek is "ὁ πατήρ" (ho patēr), which denotes a familial and authoritative relationship. In the Jewish context, referring to God as "Father" was a profound acknowledgment of His role as Creator and Sustainer. Jesus' use of "the Father" emphasizes His intimate and unique relationship with God, which is central to His identity and mission. This term also reflects the Trinitarian understanding of God, where the Father is the first person of the Trinity, distinct yet one with the Son and the Holy Spirit.

are
The verb "are" in Greek is "ἐσμέν" (esmen), which is the first person plural of "to be." This verb is significant because it indicates a present and continuous state of being. In this context, it underscores the ongoing and eternal unity between Jesus and the Father. The use of "are" rather than "were" or "will be" suggests that this unity is not bound by time but is an eternal truth. This aligns with the Christian belief in the eternal nature of the Godhead.

one
The Greek word for "one" is "ἕν" (hen), which signifies unity and singularity. In this context, "one" does not merely imply agreement or harmony but rather an essential oneness in nature and essence. This is a profound statement of Jesus' divinity, as it asserts that He and the Father share the same divine essence. Historically, this declaration was controversial and led to accusations of blasphemy from the Jewish leaders, as it equated Jesus with God. Theologically, this statement is foundational for the doctrine of the Trinity, affirming that while the Father and the Son are distinct persons, they are one in essence and being.

(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)