John 10:20 (LSB)

Passage

And many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?”

Nearby Context

John 10:18 No one takes it away from Me, but from Myself, I lay it down. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

John 10:19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words.

John 10:20 And many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?”

John 10:21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of someone demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

John 10:22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saying", "demon", "insane", and "listen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saying" and "demon", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "A division occurred again among the Jews..." into verse 21's "Others were saying These are not the...", so "saying" and "demon" 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 "saying" and "demon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.