Church Fathers Commentary John 8:48-51

"The Jews answered and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon? Jesus answered, I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye dishonor me. But I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death." — John 8:48-51 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Whenever our Lord said anything with a lofty meaning, the Jews in their insensibility considered it madness. Thus, they answered and said to Him, Say we not well that you are a Samaritan, and have a devil?

Origen of Alexandria: But we may ask, how could they dare to call our Savior a Samaritan, when the Samaritans denied a future life and the immortality of the soul, while He had preached so much about the resurrection and the judgment? Perhaps they only meant it as a general rebuke for teaching what they did not approve of.

Alcuin of York: The Samaritans were hated by the Jews; they lived in the land that had formerly belonged to the ten tribes, who had been carried away.

Origen of Alexandria: It is also not unlikely that some may have thought He really held the Samaritan opinion of there being no future state, and only put forth the doctrine of a resurrection and eternal life in order to gain the favor of the Jews. They said He had a demon because His discourses were beyond human capacity—namely, those in which He asserted that God was His Father, that He had come down from heaven, and other similar claims. Or perhaps it was from a suspicion, which many had, that He cast out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, they called Him a Samaritan because He transgressed the Hebrew ordinances, such as the one concerning the Sabbath, for the Samaritans were not strict observers of the law. And they suspected Him of having a demon because He could disclose what was in their thoughts. The Evangelist nowhere says when they called Him a Samaritan, which is proof that the Evangelists omitted many things.

St. Gregory the Great: You see, when God suffers a wrong, He does not reply with insults. Jesus answered, I have not a devil. This is an intimation to us that when we are falsely reproached by our neighbors, we should not retaliate by bringing up their evil deeds, however true such charges might be, lest the vehicle of a just rebuke turn into a weapon of rage.

St. John Chrysostom: And observe, when He had to teach them and pull down their pride, He used roughness. But now that He has to suffer rebuke, He treats them with the utmost mildness. This is a lesson for us to be severe in matters concerning God, but unconcerned about ourselves.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We must first imitate His patience if we would attain His power. Though He was reviled, He did not revile in return. It was, however, incumbent on Him to deny the charge. Two charges had been made against Him: You are a Samaritan, and have a devil. In His reply, He does not say, I am not a Samaritan, because "Samaritan" means "keeper," and He knew He was a keeper. He could not redeem us without at the same time preserving us. Ultimately, He is the Samaritan who went to the wounded man and had compassion on him.

Origen of Alexandria: Our Lord, even more than Paul, wished to become all things to all men that He might gain some, and therefore He did not deny being a Samaritan. I have not a devil is what Jesus alone can say, just as He alone can say, The prince of this world comes, and has nothing in Me. None of us are entirely free from having a demon, for even lesser faults come from him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Then, after being so reviled, all that He says to vindicate His glory is, But I honor My Father. This is as if to say, "So that you do not think Me arrogant, I tell you, I have One whom I honor."

Theophylact of Ohrid: He honored the Father by vindicating Him, not allowing murderers or liars to call themselves the true sons of God.

Origen of Alexandria: Christ alone honored the Father perfectly. No one who honors anything that is not honored by God, honors God.

St. Gregory the Great: Since all who have zeal for God are liable to meet with dishonor from wicked men, our Lord Himself has set us an example of patience in this trial, saying, And you do dishonor Me.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is as if He were saying, "I do my duty; you do not do yours."

Origen of Alexandria: And this was not addressed to them only, but to all who by unrighteous deeds inflict injury upon Christ, who is righteousness, or who by scoffing at wisdom wrong Him who is wisdom, and so on.

St. Gregory the Great: He shows us by His own example how we are to accept injuries, when He adds, I seek not Mine own glory; there is one that seeks and judges.

St. John Chrysostom: This is as if to say, "I have told you this on account of the honor I have for My Father, and for this you dishonor Me. But I do not concern myself with your insults; you are accountable to Him for whose sake I endure it."

Origen of Alexandria: God seeks Christ's glory in every one of those who receive Him—a glory He finds in those who cultivate the seeds of virtue implanted in them. And those in whom He does not find His Son's glory, He punishes, for There is one that seeks and judges.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This, of course, means the Father. But how does this align with what He says in another place: The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son? The word "judgment" is sometimes used for condemnation, whereas here it simply means a trial or discernment. It is as if He were saying, "There is One, my Father, who distinguishes My glory from yours. You glory in the things of this world; I do not."

The Father distinguishes the glory of the Son from that of all other people, for the fact that He was made man does not mean we can be compared to Him. We humans have sin; He was without sin, even when He was in the form of a servant. For as the Word who was in the beginning, who can speak worthily of Him?

Origen of Alexandria: Or, to put it another way, if what our Savior says elsewhere is true, All men are yours, it is clear that the judgment of the Son is itself the Father's.

St. Gregory the Great: As the perversity of the wicked increases, preaching, far from giving way, ought to become even more active. Thus our Lord, after being accused of having a demon, imparts the treasures of His preaching to an even greater degree: Verily, verily, I say to you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Here, "see" is used to mean "experience." But since He Himself was about to die and was speaking to those who were also about to die, what does this mean: If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death? What can it mean, except that He saw another kind of death from which He came to free us—eternal death, the death of the damned, which is shared with the devil and his angels? That is the true death; the other is merely a passage.

Origen of Alexandria: We must understand Him, as it were, to be saying, "If a person keeps My light, he shall not see darkness forever." The word "forever" applies to both parts of the sentence, as if it read, "If a person keeps My saying forever, he shall not see death forever." This means that a person does not see death as long as he keeps Christ's word. But when a person, by becoming sluggish in observing His words and negligent in guarding his own heart, ceases to keep them, he then sees death; he brings it upon himself.

Thus, taught by our Savior, we are able to answer the prophet who asks, What man is he that lives, and shall not see death? The answer is: "The one who keeps Christ's word."

St. John Chrysostom: He says "keep," which refers not only to faith but also to purity of life. At the same time, He also tacitly implies that they can do nothing to Him. For if whoever keeps His word shall never die, it is much less possible that He Himself should die.