Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
John 10:21 belongs to the portrayal of Jesus as the good and true Shepherd. That pastoral picture shows His relation to believers as the faithful Shepherd who cares for, gathers, and protects His flock. In it His followers are presented as a helpless and dependent flock under His care.
Some who heard Jesus rejected the charge that He had a demon or was mad. They insisted that His words were not those of a demon-possessed person under demonic influence. Their defense distinguished His speech from the speech of one controlled by an evil spirit.
They appealed to His opening the eyes of the blind as evidence that a devil could not do such a work. His works, including that healing, refuted the accusation that He had a devil. Their question expresses the judgment that works of good and divine power do not come from an evil source.
John 10:21 belongs to the portrayal of Jesus as the good and true Shepherd. That pastoral picture shows His relation to believers as the faithful Shepherd who cares for, gathers, and protects His flock. In it His followers are presented as a helpless and dependent flock under His care.
Some who heard Jesus rejected the charge that He had a demon or was mad. They insisted that His words were not those of a demon-possessed person under demonic influence. Their defense distinguished His speech from the speech of one controlled by an evil spirit.
They appealed to His opening the eyes of the blind as evidence that a devil could not do such a work. His works, including that healing, refuted the accusation that He had a devil. Their question expresses the judgment that works of good and divine power do not come from an evil source.