“Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.’ ” John 8:49
In John chapters 7 and 8, the Lord Jesus has encountered substantial opposition from unbelievers, including His brothers, Jewish pilgrims, Jerusalemites, religious leaders and others. In John 8:31-37, Jesus taught how He could free His audience from bondage to sin. But much of His audience were children of the devil because they sought to kill Christ and refused to believe in Him (John 8:38-47). From Jesus’ interaction with His opponents in John 8:48-59, we will learn how to overcome opposition to the truth about Jesus in our own lives.
How Can I Overcome Opposition to the Truth About Jesus? First, we want to ANALYZE THEIR ACCUSATIONS WITH GOD’S WORD (John 48-49). “Then the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ ” (John 8:48). Since the Jews had no answer to Christ’s arguments, they resort to name calling. Their question, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” expects an affirmative answer in the Greek language.
Samaritans were despised by the Jews because they were a mixed race. When Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, many Jews were exported and many foreigners were imported. Jews who stayed and Gentiles who came, intermarried. The offspring were half-breeds called “Samaritans.”Samaritans were lax in Judaism and did not observe all their traditions. Perhaps the Jews were responding to Jesus’ denial that they were children of Abraham (cf. John 8:42-47), and were saying, “You are no better than Samaritans.” After Jesus tells them that their father is the devil (John 8:44), they say that Jesus is demon-possessed.
Jesus responds, “Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.’ ” (John 8:49). Were Jesus’ claims like those of a demon-possessed person? Of course not. Rather than seeking His own self-exaltation like a demon, Jesus sought to honor and exalt His Father. By seeking to dishonor Jesus, these opponents of Christ were dishonoring God the Father (cf. John 5:23).
When people make accusations against Christ, it is important to analyze those charges with God’s Word. In this case, Jesus was far removed from having a demon as He aims to give honor where it is due while His Jewish audience did not. They sought to honor their father, the devil, who embraces lies and despises the truth.
Throughout the world, there are many religious groups that deny that Jesus is God. This assertion ignores the many verses in the Bible that point to the deity of Christ (cf. Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 8:13-14; Mark 14:61b-64; John 1:1, 14, 17; 5:17-18, 23-24; 8:59; 9:35-37; 10:30; 11:25-27; 12:44-45; 14:7-9; 20:28; Acts 16:31-34; Romans 1:3-4; 9:5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-17; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:1-3, 8-12; I John 5:20; et. al).
The Bible makes it clear that those who deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah-God, are liars and they are antichrist. “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (I John 2:22-23). Antichrists deny God the Father and God the Son. Their goal is to oppose and replace Jesus Christ with gods of their own making. They want to deceive and derail Christians from pursuing Christ. But when Christians submit to the Lord and stand upon His truth, the devil and his followers will flee (I John 2:19; cf. James 4:8).
Prayer: Lord God, we are living at a time where there is so much deception in the world. People are being dominated by emotions instead of truth. The ruler of this world, the devil, is using anything and everything to mislead people away from the truth about Jesus Christ. Please renew my mind with Your truth so I may honor You with my response to those who oppose the truth about Jesus Christ. I want to know Your Word so well that I will be able to identify lies in an instant because they are contrary to what I know to be true. I need Your Holy Spirit to empower me to give an answer to those who seek to replace Jesus as the true God with false gods of their own making. Please grant me boldness and clarity to lovingly share Your Word in season and out of season with all people, regardless of their country, culture, or color. Thank You for the hope I have in Jesus Who has already defeated the father of lies through His death and resurrection. In the matchless name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.