“Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?”
The full verse · John 8:48 · KJV
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Asked by
Jews: the Jews disputing with Jesus in the temple, whom He had just told, "ye are not of God" (John 8:47)
The Scene
In the temple, right after Jesus tells His hearers, "ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God" (John 8:47), the Jews answer Him.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus had told them they were not of God, and they struck back with two insulting names. Barnes connects the two: "This charge they brought against him because he had said that they were not of God." "Say we not well" means, in Barnes' words, "Say we not truly," as if they had been right about Him all along. Barnes says the name Samaritan "was a term of contempt and reproach" with "the force of charging him with being a heretic or a schismatic." Gill explains "hast a devil" in two ways: as having dealings with evil spirits, or as being taken "for a lunatic, or a madman" whose madness came from the devil, and he says the second "rather seems to be the sense." The question was not looking for an answer. It was meant to brand Him.
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus answered: "I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me" (John 8:49). Barnes observes, "To the first part of the charge, that he was a Samaritan, he did not reply." Jesus added, "I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth" (John 8:50). Then, to the same people, He offered a promise: "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" (John 8:51).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsJews and Samaritans were deeply divided; as the woman at the well said, "the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). Gill says that calling someone a Samaritan "was all one as to call him an heretic, an idolater, or an excommunicated person."
The charge "Thou hast a devil" had already been made in John 7:20, and it would be made again: "He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?" (John 10:20). Their words "Say we not well" suggest this was what they had been saying among themselves about Him.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJesus' reply shows what He cared about. He did not deny being a Samaritan, and earlier He had stayed two days among Samaritans who believed on Him (John 4:40-42). But He did deny having a devil, setting against it His honor of the Father: "I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me" (John 8:49). His concern was the Father's honor, not His own: "I seek not mine own glory" (John 8:50).
Matthew Henry observes that "those who are dead to the praises of men can bear their contempt." Jesus left His reputation with the Father, "one that seeketh and judgeth" (John 8:50), and kept offering life to the very people insulting Him (John 8:51).
Look Closer
Which part of the insult did Jesus deny?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, when people misjudge me, how can I care more about Your honor than about defending my own name?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Jesus let one insult go and answered another because it touched His Father's honor. How do you decide which criticisms are worth answering?
- Tell about a time someone answered hostility with grace, and how it affected you.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
You don't have to answer every insult. Jesus let "Samaritan" pass, but He would not let His Father be dishonored. When you are attacked, ask what is really at stake: your pride, or God's honor and the truth.
Jesus also shows that a calm answer can still be a firm one. He said plainly, "ye do dishonour me" (John 8:49). Grace is not the same as pretending nothing wrong was said. He then left judgment to the Father and went on offering life.
Scripture's own application: 1 Peter 2:21-23
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Keep questioning
“Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?”
“Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? And the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?”
“Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?”
“Why hear ye him?”