John 10:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

NIV: But others said, 'These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?'

NASB: Others were saying, 'These are not the words of one who is demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of those who are blind, can it?'

CSB: Others were saying, "These aren't the words of someone who is demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? "

NLT: Others said, 'This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?'

KJV: Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

NKJV: Others said, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

In Jesus' era, insanity was assumed to be caused by demonic possession. Whether or not it "always" was, that was the perception of His culture. When Jesus' critics accuse Him of "having a demon" (John 8:48–52), they're saying He's crazy. Jesus' public actions have led to occasional claims that He's mentally ill, including from His own family (Mark 3:21). In this particular case, Jesus recently claimed He will voluntarily die, and just as voluntarily rise from the dead, thanks to special authority granted Him by God (John 10:17–18). That, as expected, has caused a sharp controversy among those listening in (John 10:19).

Some, like prior critics, hear those extravagant claims and write Jesus off as unstable. To some extent, that response is rooted in spiritual stubbornness—such people are not willing to consider God under any circumstances (John 10:1–6; 7:17; 5:39–40). They aren't open to seeing Jesus' miracles as proof that He is everything He claims to be (Matthew 12:31; Luke 11:15).

In contrast, those miracles are the main point referenced by the other major faction in the crowd. They, like others before, rightly recognize that these are "signs" meant to give divine approval to Jesus' message (John 3:1–2).

After this, John's gospel skips forward several months to the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22). We don't learn, at least, here, how exactly the different factions in the crowd continue their debate over Jesus and His healing of the formerly-blind man.

John 10:1–21 continues directly from Jesus' encounter with local religious leaders, after giving sight to a man born blind (John 9). Jesus' references here to shepherds and shepherding are pointed barbs at these hypocritical, self-serving figures. In this section, Jesus actually creates three separate metaphors; these are not meant to be understood as a single analogy. The first comes in verses 1 through 6, the second in verses 7 through 9, and the third in verses 10 through 18. In doing so, Jesus explains how He differs from the corrupt leaders He confronts. He also delivers His third and fourth ''I am'' statements, out of seven in this gospel.

This passage continues Jesus' discussion with the religious leaders of Jerusalem, seen in chapter 9. Jesus lays out three separate analogies about His ministry, using the concept of sheep and shepherds. In those statements, Jesus explains why some people refuse to accept Him, declares Himself the only means of salvation, and again predicts His sacrificial death. This leads to controversy. Later, Jesus is cornered by a mob in the temple grounds. They once again try to stone Him as He repeats His divine claims, but He escapes in some way not fully described by the text. After this, Jesus leaves the area and returns to the region where John the Baptist had once preached.

Starting in chapter 7, the gospel of John describes Jesus' preaching at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. Through chapters 7 and 8, He debates with critics and attempts to explain spiritual truths. On the way out of the city, Jesus gives sight to a man born blind, as shown in chapter 9. That begins an extended debate which continues in this chapter. Jesus gives analogies of His mission using shepherding as a theme. Months later, He repeats those ideas when cornered by an aggressive mob in the temple. This sets the stage for His grandest miracle, the raising of Lazarus, seen in chapter 11.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.