John 10:21 (ASV)

Passage

Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?

Nearby Context

John 10:19 There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words.

John 10:20 And many of them said, He hath a demon, and is mad; why hear ye him?

John 10:21 Others said, These are not the sayings of one possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?

John 10:22 And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem:

John 10:23 it was winter; and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon`s porch.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "others", "said", "sayings", "possessed", "demon", "open", and "eyes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "others" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And many of them said He hath..." into verse 22's "And it was the feast of the...", so "others" and "said" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "others" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.