John 10:19-21 19There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20And many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane; why listen to him?” 21Others were saying, “These words are not of a demon-possessed person. Is a demon able to open the eyes of the blind?”
Jesus’ words once again created controversy and conflict among the Jews. The identity of the Jews is vague. The Pharisees were part of this group (9:40), but it likely included other Jewish leaders and probably members of the Sanhedrin. The location of the dialogue in this chapter is also vague, but the assumption is still in the temple precincts. John is not always clear about places and people but focuses more on Jesus’ teaching about himself. The settings only serve the purpose of the message.
The division among the Jews was over Jesus’ identity. John lays out the two sides in these verses. Those who outright rejected Jesus thought he was demon-possessed. In modern terms, we might call such a person crazy or insane, but at that time, psychological problems were attributed to demon possession. Jesus’ words were confusing to people who would not believe them as the truth. They could not even accept the evidence of the miracles Jesus did. The same is true today. People who do not accept the claims of the gospel see Jesus as a wandering religious guru of the first century who deceived a lot of people.
The other group did not go as far as to blame demons for what Jesus said. They could not reconcile in their thinking that a demon-possessed person could heal a man born blind. Only God could do such a thing. Yet, this group also could not come to the point of faith. There are people today who are like these Jews. They accept Jesus as a historical figure of significance and a prophet. They may even accept his teachings as authoritative. However, they will not come to the point of believing him to be the Messiah and Son of God. The leap of faith requires accepting the claims about Jesus as the truth. He was the genuine and real presence of the Almighty God in human form. The reader is invited to think back once again to the opening verses of this Gospel and reflect on the claims of Jesus.
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