Remember, Jesus just finished a long discourse where He made one of the famous “I am,” statements. This one being, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48). He taught the crowd that followed Him from the day before that they needed to believe in Him as the Messiah that would give unto them eternal life. This would happen through His death, burial and resurrection as means for salvation.
The Disciples’ Reaction (6:60-66)
60. The author includes a reaction to the discourse this time. Yet, the reaction comes from the disciples as opposed to those who were following Jesus. Jesus’ teaching that they must consume His this bread, that is, His flesh which He will offer up for the life of the world, then they will receive eternal life, is hard for the disciples to accept. They were not expecting a Messiah that would about such things. Jesus is teaching about Him needing to suffer a death and then be resurrected. Even Peter had a hard time understanding that the Messiah must suffer death on the cross (Matt. 16:16, 21-22; cf. 1 Cor. 1:23). They all expected Him to take on a kingly role.
61. Jesus knew in Himself that these men were grumbling. We have seen Jesus practice this insight that goes beyond human ability before (John 2:24-25; 4:18-19; 6:15).
These disciples now do what others were doing before. They are murmuring/complaining/grumbling amongst themselves about what Jesus is teaching them.
Jesus then asks an odd question. The word offend is the Greek word σκανδαλίζω which often means, “to cause to be brought to a downfall, cause to sin,” or in this case, “to shock through word or action, give offense to, anger, shock.”1 The noun form of this word, σκάνδαλον, is a trigger used to set off a trap.2
62. This question that Jesus asks causes commentators to differ in opinion as to what Jesus is referencing. Some commentators state that Jesus is talking about being lifted up upon the cross and it therefore talking about His crucifixion. I, however, would disagree. Jesus states that the Son of Man was there previously. Jesus was not on the cross previously. Jesus kept making mention of how He was sent by God the Father and from heaven (John 6:33, 38, 39, 40, 44, 46, 51, 57 and 58). Therefore, Jesus is talking about Him ascending into heaven.
The whole point of the question is to see if these disciples would be offended even more at this thought. Jesus is merely carrying the truth to its logical conclusion. If He came from heaven then He should be able to go back to heaven. This question pushes the issue even further for these men.
63. It is almost best to work on this verse backwards. Jesus’ words, if you believe them, bring life. Jesus’ words are spirit. Therefore, when Jesus says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth,” He is saying that one must believe in His message in order to have life. A person has to practice faith. The will of the flesh will never lead to salvation. A person is dead in their trespasses (Eph. 2:1). They will never want to come to the Father (John 1:13). All of your striving is not seeking what you need, which is salvation, but only what you want, which is your own pleasure.
64. Jesus makes a very straightforward statement, “there are some who do not believe.” This means that they will not receive life. They were following Jesus around and listening to His messages and seeing His works but there were not believing what He said.
What is interesting to note is that is states that, “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not.” This means that were multiple disciples that lacked faith and that they also were there from the beginning. This causes me to think that these disciples saw Jesus turn the water to wine, heal the noble man’s son from a distance, heal a lame man, feed the five thousand and then walk on the water and listen to all of His discussions concerning Himself and they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah or that He came to die. Unfortunately, this can be characteristic of too many people that sit in church pews today. They come to church because they hear an encouraging message. They come to see friends. They come to enjoy good music. But they never start believing in the Person that founded the Church. They are only moral zombies. That’s why the church needs to hear the gospel just as the unchurched.
The verse also mentions that Jesus knew who would betray Him. This is able to happen from one of the disciples because the betrayer never believed in the words of Jesus.
65. Jesus repeats what was mentioned earlier (John 6:37, 39, 44). This is the doctrine of that an individual is called by God and is regenerated so that he can believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Faith practiced by us is wrought by God (John 6:29).
The implication is that if you lack faith, then the Father never you to come unto Himself. This may seem like a hard thing to accept but the Father would have been just in allowing none to come to salvation. The fact that He called some is grace. We all were dead in trespasses. All of us, without faith, are without life (John 6:53, 63).
66. Many of the disciples that were with Jesus from the beginning found what Jesus said to not be what they wanted to hear. They wanted to see a sign (John 6:30). They wanted to make Him king (John 6:15). Instead they hear this odd message about how they need to eat His flesh in and drink His blood. They did not want to hear that Jesus was going to offer Himself up as a sacrifice. Therefore, these disciples no longer journeyed with Jesus (cf. 1 John 2:19).
True vs. False Disciples (6:67-71)
67. Jesus then turns asks the twelve what their decision is. The unbelieving disciples departed from Jesus and went home. The twelve must be a reference that was inherently known to the reader. We are introduced to some of the disciples in John 1, but we are never given the names of twelve of the disciples like the synoptics.
68-69. Interestingly, Peter gives an answer with not where but who, “To whom shall we go?” He asks this question because Peter understands and believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Peter believes in the words of Jesus. Peter believes that Jesus is the bread of life. Peter believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is very much a parallel to the key verse all of the same clauses are present, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).
Many commentators think that this is a parallel account to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ (Matt. 16:16ff). There are numerous similarities. However, there are also too many differences to say that they are both accounts are of the same event. John’s account was in Capernaum. Matthew’s account was in Caesarea Philippi. John’s account asked if He would leave. Matthew’s account asked what people were saying about Jesus.
70-71. There is a contrast that is being made here. Peter is one of the twelve and he believes in the words of Jesus. Judas Iscariot is one of the twelve as well but he is called a devil. The word devil should really be translated slanderer.3 Both Peter and Judas witnessed the same miracles and heard the same messages taught by Jesus. Yet, Judas’ life ended very differently than Peter’s life. Judas would eventually betray Jesus. Peter would eventually deny any association with Jesus but repented and went on to be one of the biggest pieces of the foundation for the Church. The difference was that Peter was called by God and practiced faith and believed in the message of Jesus. He did not understand at this point that Jesus needed to die, but he believed that Jesus was truly the Messiah, that Jesus was the Son of God and by believing He could have life in His name. Judas had no faith. Judas did not believe.
Are there any here that do not believe?
1 Frederick William Danker, ed., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature (BDAG), 3rd ed. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), 926. To see σκανδαλίζω being used in the second sense as in John 6:61 (shock), see also Matt. 15:12; 17:27; and 2 Cor. 11:29. ↩
2 Ibid. This may or may not have any bearing on the conversation at hand. ↩
3 Ibid, 226-7. ↩
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