In response to the charge that he makes himself God, Jesus quotes, 'I said, Ye are gods,' and adds that Scripture cannot be broken. He then asks why the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world is accused of blasphemy for saying, 'I am the Son of God.'
Jesus in Context
I Said, Ye Are Gods: Jesus and Psalm 82
Jesus answers the blasphemy charge by citing Psalm 82's language of 'gods,' arguing from Scripture while maintaining his unique identity as the one sanctified and sent by the Father.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
Psalm 82 addresses figures called elohim, traditionally understood in several ways, most commonly as human judges/rulers or members of a heavenly council. Jesus' argument does not require settling every aspect of that debate. Its force is at least a lesser-to-greater appeal: if Scripture can employ 'gods' in that setting, the terminology itself cannot make his claim automatically blasphemous.
Jesus then distinguishes himself as the one uniquely sanctified and sent by the Father and points to his works. His conclusion is mutual indwelling: 'the Father is in me, and I in him.'
Why It Matters
The citation should not be used to flatten Jesus' claim into 'everyone is divine.' That is the opposite of the direction of the argument.
Jesus uses Psalm 82 to answer a charge based on terminology, then returns to the extraordinary evidence of his works, his identity as Son, and his unique relation to the Father.