John 6:66-71

 

John 6:66 (KJB)

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

 

Here is the difference between those who are true disciples and those who are counterfeit. Whenever the essence of true Christianity is spoken of, which is sacrifice, those who are counterfeit disciples will fall away. Those who are the true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ will realize that the true essence of Christianity is to forsake self and seek the Lord’s will in all matters of life. These people followed the Lord Jesus because they saw a notable miracle take place but when the reality of Christianity was presented to them, it was not what they expected and therefore turned back. (Mat 16:24 KJV) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. The false disciple will be glad to deny anyone but himself.

 

John 6:67 (KJB)

Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

 

Here Jesus was testing the twelve disciples and asked them if they were going to be like the counterfeits and leave Him? Before we condemn those who left Jesus, how many times have we been asked to do something by our Pastor or by another Christian and we have neglected to take on any responsibility? This is equal to going away from the Lord Jesus. If the responsibility is east and we go west, we are no different than the unbeliever. As Christians it is our responsibility to seek opportunities to serve the Lord and bring the Great Commission to the world. Whenever we decide to neglect that command, we place a double burden on other believers.

 

John 6:68 (KJB)

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

 

Peter is speaking a great accurate truth in this statement. He was not looking at the miracles as the base of his reason to follow Christ. He was weighing everything against the fact that the Lord had spoken of eternal life. The discourse about the living bread had everything to do with eternal life in Christ. Peter knows that there is no other teacher nor religion which was speaking and literally guaranteeing eternal life, so Peter asks, to whom shall we go?” This is a very important statement because two thousand years later we still have religions which speak about living eternally yet they are very nebulous in their approach of how to gain eternal life. Jesus was being very specific that those who are in Him will have eternal life and no works would be required to attain it because the life is in Christ and would be imputed to His Elect.

 

John 6:69 (KJB)

And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

 

Here Peter makes a declaration which he has made on another occasion. (Mat 16:16 KJV) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. The Greek words for “believe” and “are sure” are in the Perfect Tense which means their belief had started at a certain point previously and the effects of that belief continue to the present. This statement means that Peter and the others with Him, probably except for Judas, had agreed on this declaration of the deity of Christ. Judas may have agreed just to go along with the others, but no true unbeliever will ever exalt Christ as the Son of the living God. Judas was definitely a counterfeit disciple. Knowing that the Son of the living God was among them, who could they go to who would be any more exalted than Jesus?

 

John 6:70 (KJB)

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

 

Chosen - Choose, select, or elect

 

Here Jesus answers them by stating that He had chosen them as His disciples and because the Scriptures speak about Jesus being betrayed by one of them, had chosen Judas along with them. (Psa 55:11-14 KJV) Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets. {12} For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: {13} But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. {14} We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Psalm 55:11-14 gives a prophetic view of the betrayal of the Lord Jesus Christ by Judas.

 

John 6:71 (KJB)

He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

 

It is interesting that in God’s plan for the salvation of the Elect, an unbeliever was needed for a very specific purpose. (John 13:26-27 KJV) Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. {27} And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Satan had entered into Judas because the other eleven disciples were predestined for salvation and therefore Satan could not enter them. Satan needed a spiritually empty vessel to enter and Judas was that man. Judas was Satan’s man and entered him at the Last Supper because Jesus had to be betrayed into the hands of the Sanhedrin to begin the process of payment of sins for the Elect. This verse is also a warning to every true believer that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a real Christian.

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