John 8:48

From this to the end of the Chapter, these adversaries do change their way of proceeding with Christ. So long as they had any seeming ground, or shew of reason, they debate the matter; but now being put from all that, they fall a railing at his person; and Christ defends and replies, till they come to violence. It may be taken up in this order. 1. They rail at him, ver. 48. and he vindicates himselfe as an honourer of his Father, and therefore they were in the wrong who reproached him ver. 49. and behoved to make account to God for it, ver. 50. And he sheweth their losse who despise his Word, which preserveth men from death, ver. 51. 2. They take occasion from what he saith of his Word, to carp again: objecting that Abraham and the Prophets were dead, ver. 52. And that he should make himselfe greater then they, ver. 53. And he clears himselfe of ambition in this matter, charging it on them, ver. 54, 55. and sheweth that Abrahams joy depended on him, ver. 56. before whom he had a subsistence as God, though as man he was not old, ver. 57, 58. Upon which assertion, they betake themselves to violence, and he avoideth it, ver. 59.

In this verse we have their first attempt; wherein, taking advantage of his sharp censure of them, they charge him with being a Samaritan and possessed with an evil Spirit. They do particularly charge him to be a Samaritan, not only, because they accounted the Samaritans the most impious of men, because of their Apostacy from the Church of Judah, and the true Religion there, (whereof they account him also guilty by his doctrine) but specially, because as the Samaritans were most bitter enemies unto, and traducers of the Jewes (as may be seen in part, Joh. 4.9.) so did they account of him, who durst be so bold as to deny them to be children of God, and to say they were of the devil. As for the other charge, thou hast a devil, it is true that elsewhere they do maliciously assert against their light, that he was guided and assisted by Satan in his doctrine and miracles, Matth. 12.24. But here, it seemes, they only intend to retort his challenge, and do say, he had a devil, which prompted him to say they were of the devil. And so the challenge is all one with the former of a Samaritan, whom they looked on (as on all wicked men) as guided by an evil spirit, and accordingly, Christ answers both, in answering one of them. Doctrine 1. Albeit wicked enemies to truth may, for a time, enter the lists of dispute, as if they minded to seek out, and follow truth; Yet conviction in debate will not gain ground upon them; As appeares in these Jewes, who when they are put to the worse in dispute, yet they come nothing the nearer to truth. 2. Unbeliefe and contempt of the truth will end in blasphemy; And impious men, being convinced, will turne ratlers, and betake themselves to personal reflexions against the persons of men who maintain the truth, when they can do no better: for, so do they deal with Christ. 3. Wicked men can vent no reproaches, calumnie;, or blasphemies, against Christs servants and people, which Christ hath not sanctified in his own person, being called to his face the worst of men, a reproacher and enemy to the people of God, and one possessed with an evil spirit; As here we see. 4. There are none more ready to reproach Christ and his followers, as if they were possessed with an evil spirit, then these who are his real slaves themselves; for, they who are of the devil, ver. 44. say of Christ, thou hast a devil. 5. Such is the power of ignorance, prejudice, or malice, when men are possessed therewith, that they will draw bad conclusions, and put hard constructions upon best actions; for, upon Christs useful and true doctrine, they think they do well to draw these bad conclusions, Say we not well (intimating they had a custome of it before) that thou art a Samaritan, &c. since thou speakest so.