John 8:48-50 -- The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
Chapter Eight has been intense with everything going on between Jesus and the religious leaders. He has clearly told them they do the will of their father the devil and they do not hear God's words because they are not of God. We now see the Pharisees fire back by insulting and accusing Him.
The insult was calling Him a Samaritan. To them He didn't come from Judea where they were from, and He didn't learn about scripture the way they did. They hadn't been able to pin anything on Him, so they resorted to name calling. Sounds about on par for a pack of sixth-grade bullies.
Then they accuse Him of being demon possessed. Jesus doesn't bother to respond to the insult; however, He does to the accusation of being demon possessed. He opposes this quickly by pointing out He honors God the Father and does not seek His own glory. If you go back through all Jesus has said to these religious leaders, He has pointed over and over again to God the Father. He has said repeatedly He only does what His Father does. He only says what His Father says.
I read this in Guzik's commentary.
- Jesus’ desire to honor God and His personal humility disproved any charge of demonic possession. Since those who have Satan as their spiritual parent will have some of the characteristics of Satan, they will have an evident pride and self-seeking – things that were and are absent in Jesus.
- “No man can be said to have a devil who honors God; for the evil spirit from the beginning has been the enemy of all that glorifies the Father.” (Spurgeon)
It's interesting that we find so much in this chapter about spiritual parentage. It shows quite clearly there is significant importance in who you closely follow and walk with, as there will be traits that begin to come out. A lot can be hidden with a smile and curated social media posts for sure, but things will begin to leak out. Now what comes out is purely up to who you've been walking with. So be very intentional and treat it as urgent to know that you know who you are walking with every day. What and who goes in, is going to come out.
Proverbs 4:23 -- Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Matthew 12:34 -- You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45 -- The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Romans 12:2 -- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
These verses apply to anything we allow into our minds and hearts. Most times we instantly think about movies, TV, social media, tik-tok, youtube, books, etc… however it also applies to who we spend time with and who we allow to speak into our lives. So make sure you choose God first. Talk with Him in prayer and listen to Him in His Word. It's not something you, as a Christian, can afford to gloss over.
Well, this is where things went on today's journey with the Lord in His Word and prayer. Don't take my word on it, be the Berean and get into the Word to see for yourself!
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
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