Therefore
a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”
John 10:19-21
John 10 [14.] I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”
John 10 [19.] Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”
John 10 [22.] It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Meaning:
Jesus has finished his teaching about the Good Shepherd, ending with the astonishing claim that he would lay down his life and take it again by his own authority (John 10:16-18). John now records the reaction. Once again the people are split. These verses close the section that began with the healing of the man born blind, and they show how the same words and works lead some to reject Jesus and others to take him seriously.
- “A division arose again”:
The word “again” reminds us that this has happened before. At the Feast of Tabernacles “there arose a division in the multitude because of him” (John 7:43), and after the healing of the blind man even the Pharisees were divided (John 9:16). Simeon had said of the infant Jesus that he would be “a sign which is spoken against” (Luke 2:34). Jesus himself said, “I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34), meaning that his claims would divide even families. No one can stay neutral about him for long.
- “He has a demon, and is insane!”
This accusation had been made before. During the feast the crowd said, “You have a demon!” (John 7:20), and the leaders asked, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?” (John 8:48). In Galilee his own relatives thought he was out of his mind, and teachers from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul” (Mark 3:21-22).
Why such a harsh charge? Because the claims of Jesus were so great. A man who says he is the door of the sheep, the only true Shepherd, and that he can lay down his life and take it up again, is either telling the truth or deeply deluded. Many Christian writers have pointed out that his words leave no room for calling him merely a good teacher. His opponents chose the label of madness so that they would not have to listen: “Why do you listen to him?”
- “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon”:
Others were not convinced. They weighed his words and found them sane, wise and good. The teaching about the Good Shepherd is full of care, sacrifice and truth, not the confused ravings of a man under evil control. Jesus had taught that “the tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33); the fruit of his words showed their source.
- “It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”
These listeners also pointed to his works. The healed man was still there as living proof. Demons destroy; they do not heal. The PIB footnote points to Exodus, where God asks Moses, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh?” (Exodus 4:11). To give sight to a man born blind is the work of the Creator. Jesus answered the Beelzebul charge in the same way: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation” (Matthew 12:25); Satan does not undo his own work.
The Significance of John 10:19-21
- Facing the question:
The people around Jesus could not ignore him. Neither can we. Everyone who hears his words must decide whether they are the words of a deluded man or the words of the Son of God. The evidence of his teaching and his works calls for faith.
- Looking at the fruit:
The listeners who were open-minded judged by what they heard and saw. Honest enquiry into the life, teaching and works of Jesus still leads people to recognise that he is from God.
- When believers are misunderstood:
If the Master was called insane, his followers should not be surprised when they are mocked. They can respond as the faithful listeners did, by pointing calmly to the goodness of his words and the reality of his works.
Cross-References:
Exodus 4:11: "Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh?" Only God gives sight.
Mark 3:22: "He has Beelzebul" The same accusation in Galilee.
Luke 2:34: "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against." Jesus divides opinion.
Matthew 12:25: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation" Satan does not undo his own work.
Conclusion: After the Good Shepherd teaching, the people divided again. Some dismissed Jesus as demon-possessed and insane, while others saw that his words were sound and that no demon could open the eyes of the blind. The passage calls every hearer to weigh his words and works honestly and to recognise in them the work of God.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible