Commentary - John 6:66-71

Bird's-eye view

The Lord Jesus has just finished His profoundly offensive discourse on being the Bread of Life, declaring that men must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life. This is not seeker sensitive stuff. The result is a great sifting, a separation of the wheat from the chaff among His followers. This passage marks a crucial turning point. The crowds, attracted by the signs and the free food, are now repulsed by the hard doctrine. Their departure reveals the superficiality of their commitment. In response, Jesus turns to the twelve, His inner circle, and puts the question to them directly. This forces a confession from Peter that stands as a monumental declaration of faith. But even within this confession, Jesus immediately introduces the dark reality of a traitor in their midst, reminding us that God's sovereignty is absolute, extending even to the presence of a devil among the chosen apostles. This is a passage about the cost of discipleship, the nature of true faith, the rock-solid identity of Jesus Christ, and the inscrutable wisdom of God in His election.

Outline

Commentary

v. 66 As a result of this many of His disciples went away and were not walking with Him anymore.

The "this" here is the hard teaching that preceded. Jesus had just told them that He was the bread from heaven, and that unless they ate His flesh and drank His blood, they had no life in them. This was a stumbling block, a hard saying, and it was designed to be. The gospel is necessarily offensive to the natural man. It confronts our pride, our self-sufficiency, and our carnal expectations. These "disciples" were following Jesus for the wrong reasons. They were in it for the miracles, the spectacle, and perhaps the political revolution they hoped He would lead. But when confronted with the spiritual reality of union with Christ, a reality that requires total dependence and submission, they choked on it. They "went away." This is not the story of true believers losing their salvation. This is the story of false professors revealing their true colors. They were never truly His. As John would later write, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us" (1 John 2:19). The Word of God acts as a sieve, and here it separates the true from the false.

v. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go?”

Jesus is not insecure here. He is not pleading with them to stay. He is the sovereign Lord, and He is forcing the issue. He turns to the twelve, the men He had personally selected, and puts them on the spot. The crowd has made its choice, now what about you? This is a question that every true disciple must answer at some point. Is your allegiance based on convenience and comfort, or is it based on the person of Christ Himself? Jesus is drawing a line in the sand. He is making them count the cost. This is not a manipulative tactic; it is a loving challenge. He wants them to affirm their loyalty not out of mere habit or peer pressure, but out of a settled conviction. He is asking, "Is my word enough for you, even when it offends your sensibilities and drives everyone else away?"

v. 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

Here we have Peter in one of his finest moments. His answer is not a sentimental outburst but a statement of profound theological and practical reality. "To whom shall we go?" This is the great question. If not Jesus, then who? If not the gospel, then what? The world offers a thousand different paths, a thousand different philosophies, a thousand different saviors. But Peter, speaking for the twelve, recognizes that they are all dead ends. They have seen enough and heard enough to know that every other option is bankruptcy. Where would they go? Back to their fishing nets? Back to the Pharisees? To the Essenes? To Rome? All other doors lead to darkness. Peter's statement is a confession of desperation, but it is a glorious desperation. It is the recognition that there is no Plan B. And the reason for this is that Jesus, and Jesus alone, has the "words of eternal life." Life is not found in a system, a set of rules, or a religious experience. It is found in the very words that proceed from the mouth of Christ. These are not just words about life; they are life. They are creative, powerful, life-giving words.

v. 69 And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Peter builds on his first point. Their decision to stay is not a blind leap. It is based on a firm conviction, a belief that has settled into a deep knowing. "We have believed and have come to know." Faith and knowledge are not enemies; they are partners. True faith is not a feeling; it is a firm trust based on the revealed truth of who Jesus is. And who is He? "The Holy One of God." This is a title steeped in the Old Testament, a title for God Himself. Peter is confessing the divinity of Christ. He is saying that Jesus is utterly unique, set apart, and divine. This is the bedrock of their faith. The crowds left because they were offended by His teaching. The twelve stay because they are convinced of His identity. When you know who Jesus is, you can weather any storm created by what He says.

v. 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”

Just as the echoes of Peter's magnificent confession are fading, Jesus drops this bombshell. It is a staggering statement, designed to shock and to instruct. He immediately turns the focus from their choice of Him to His choice of them. "Did I Myself not choose you?" This is the doctrine of sovereign election, stated plainly. Their faith, their confession, their perseverance, it all flows from His prior, electing grace. They did not ultimately choose Him; He chose them. But then comes the whiplash. In the very same breath, He reveals that His sovereign choice included the selection of a devil. "One of you is a devil." This is not to say Judas was an incarnation of Satan, but rather that he was Satan's man, a tool of the adversary, operating under his influence and for his purposes. This demolishes any sentimental view of election. God's sovereign choice is not some cozy, predictable affair. It is mysterious, and it serves His ultimate purposes, which are often beyond our comprehension. He chose the twelve, and that choice included Judas. This means that the betrayal, the cross, and our salvation were all wrapped up in this sovereign, divine decision from the beginning.

v. 71 Now He was speaking of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.

John, writing with the benefit of hindsight, makes the identity of the traitor explicit. It was Judas. The text emphasizes that he was "one of the twelve." He was not an outsider. He was in the inner circle. He walked with Jesus, heard the same sermons, saw the same miracles. He was a treasurer, a position of trust. And yet, he was the one who was going to betray Him. The word "going to" points to the future, but in the divine economy, it was already a settled matter. Judas's betrayal was not an unforeseen accident that God had to react to. It was woven into the fabric of God's redemptive plan. God is so sovereign that He can take the most wicked act of a man, the betrayal of the Son of God, and make it the very hinge on which salvation turns. This is not to absolve Judas of his guilt. He made his choices and was fully responsible for them. But his wicked choices were nonetheless encompassed within the sovereign decree of God, who works all things, even the treachery of a devil, according to the counsel of His will for the glory of His name and the good of His people.

Application

First, we must be prepared for the offense of the gospel. True biblical Christianity will always be a stumbling block to the world. If our message is palatable to everyone, it is likely because we have sanded off the hard edges. We must not be surprised when people walk away from the truth. The sifting is a necessary and ongoing work of the church.

Second, we must answer Peter's question for ourselves. To whom shall we go? When the culture presses in, when friends fall away, when doubts arise, we must come back to this fundamental reality. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Jesus Christ alone has the words of eternal life. Our faith must be anchored in His identity as the Holy One of God.

Finally, we must rest in the absolute sovereignty of God. Our salvation does not depend on our fickle choices but on His eternal decree. He chose us. And this same sovereignty means that nothing, not even the presence of devils and the treachery of men, can thwart His ultimate plan. He is in control of the traitors as much as He is in control of the saints. This should not lead to passivity, but to a profound sense of peace and a robust confidence. God is on His throne, and He is working all things together for our good and His glory.