#1482 John 6 Part 5 Do You Also Want To Go?

 

59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were grumbling at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? 62 What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? 63 The Spirit is the One who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

Peter Confesses Jesus Is the Christ

66 As a result of this many of His disciples went away and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” 71 Now He was speaking of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him. John 6: 59-71 LSB

John 6: 59-71

V. 59 These things He said in the synagogue - This refers back to what He said about being the Bread of life and that He who does not eat of this bread and drink of His blood basically doesn't take part in His life and death. He is telling them that He is life, and that they need to trust in Him as the atonement for their sin. 

V. 59b He taught in Capernaum - Capernaum had it's own Jewish synagogue, and Jesus spent much of His ministry teaching. In this particular area they had many miracles which preceded the messages, yet they did not care for His words in this particular sermon. 

30But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way. 31Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people. 32They were astonished at His teaching, because His message had authority.… Luke 4: 30-32

…22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”… Matthew 11: 22-24

Brian Bell - These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. ILLUSTRATION - Several years ago a reader of The British Weekly wrote a letter to the editor as follows: "Dear Sir! I notice that ministers seem to set a great deal of importance on their sermons and spend a great deal of time in preparing them. I have been attending services quite regularly for the past thirty years and during that time, if I estimate correctly, I have listened to no less than 3000 sermons. But, to my consternation, I discover I cannot remember a single one of them. I wonder if a minister's time might be more profitably spent on something else? Sincerely... The letter kicked up quite an editorial storm of angry responses for weeks. The pros and cons of sermons were tossed back and forth until, finally, one letter ended the debate. This letter said, "My Dear Sir: I have been married for thirty years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals - mostly of my wife's cooking. Suddenly I have discovered that I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet, I received nourishment from every one of them. I have the distinct impression that without them I would have starved to death long ago.” Sincerely... - Precept Austin

V. 60 Therefore many of His disciples - We are mostly familiar with the twelve, but Jesus had many students, that's what a disciple is, a follower, someone who is learning from the Master. We are told of a time when He sends out 70 and even though most of these crowds disperse, lose their Jesus movement, bandwagon sort of feelings, He shows Himself to 500 after His resurrection. 

1After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to visit. 2And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.… Luke 10: 1-3

V. 60b This is a difficult statement, who can listen to it - They didn't like that He referred to Himself as the bread from heaven. The statements of His origin, of the giving of Himself, the sacrifice of His body, the blood of atonement, these are not foreign to OT Theology, but to their interpretation and understanding it may be. There is no mistaking that He claims to be from Heaven so they use their powers of discernment and deductive reasoning to comfort themselves in their rejection of Him. They write Him off as the carpenter's Son, never going back to the claims of the OT prophets. He also drops the bomb on them of having to be drawn to Him by the Father. Basically telling them that they aren't born again, they aren't being drawn and taught by the Father if they can't hear and believe. The miracles are great but the sermons aren't what they're here for, and if He keeps insisting that the fault lies with them, that they are sinners not in need of free food but who need to trust in His life, death and resurrection to satisfy the offense that they are towards God, well, now we moved from boring sermons to heresy against popular opinion. "My mom loves me just the way I am, I am a good boy who sometimes does bad things", no, Jesus is saying you are so messed up, in such a bad way, spiritually bankrupt, with no ability in yourself to rectify this situation. It's so bad that He has to come down, be born of a virgin as the prophet Isaiah said, live the life of a perfect son, grow in wisdom and favor as a man, perfectly keep the law to which you are in violation, preach the message of reconciliation to a resistant world. The situation is such that you can't even begin to hear or understand any of this unless His Father breathes life into you by way of the Holy Spirit, draws you to the Son to accept His life and death as the payment for yours. Something about all that didn't sit well with them. 

…41At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’” 43“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied.… John 6: 41-43

V. 61 Does this cause you to stumble - The question is somewhat rhetorical in nature. He is already aware that they are offended, they are grumbling after all and He can see their thoughts. In the context one could read, does this cause you to fall away, is this too much for you, is this a deal breaker? I looked for reasons to leave God because the way was too narrow in my mind. I wanted to believe the world, it's enticements, and I think many that were brought to church or brought up in that tradition fall away, not because I had solid reasons, had been able to disprove the Bible as I hear some claim, but simply because I believed my own feelings over what God said. I believed that I could find more happiness in my sin, my worldly friendships, chasing experiences and living to myself. I also thought that if I was wrong then it would be okay anyway because I had a godly mother and I had walked the aisle as a child and said the sinner's prayer. I was like the Free Will Baptist pastor who left my driveway screaming, I didn't like the way Jesus laid it out. I liked Him in the sandals, meek and mild, loved when He fed them, especially when He healed, but I didn't want to read about Him, I really didn't want to hear Him call me a sinner or say that He came to fulfill the law. It angered me when it said that no one seeks the truth, that the Father has to draw or that Jesus chose, I am the one that said that prayer, I am the one that accepted Him into my heart, it was much more palatable on my terms. If you listen to Jesus' words it's like you can't save yourself, it's like salvation is of the Lord. The Jews thought they had a good system, that it was possible to earn salvation by way of the law, did not see themselves as dead in their trespasses, in fact, they thought they had salvation in being sons of Abraham.

…32Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” Romans 9: 32-33

…22Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.… 1 Corinthians 1: 22-24

…7To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word— and to this they were appointed. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.… 1 Peter 2: 7-9

Stumble (fall away; take offense) (4624) skandalizo from skandalon= a trap = put a snare or stumbling block in way; English = scandalize = to offend the moral sense of) means to put a snare (in the way), hence to cause to stumble, to give offense. To entrap, trip up, or entice to sin, offend. So here in Mt 5:29-30 skandalizo is used in the active sense which conveys the idea to cause to do wrong, to entice to commit sin. In the passive sense it  means to be led into sin, to be caused to do wrong. In the passive some uses mean to be offended (Mt 11:6), the idea being that one is taking offense at Jesus and/or refusing to believe in Him. Finally, skandalizo can mean to furnish an occasion for some to be shocked, angered, or offended (Mt 17:27).

Skandalizo is derived from skandalon which refers to stick in a trap on which the bait is placed and which springs up and shuts the trap at the touch of the careless, unwary animal. It follows that the idea is to put a stumbling block or impediment in one's way, upon which another may trip and fall. Jesus' point is that anything or anyone that morally traps us (by our senses, visual, touch, and by expansion not excluding the other senses such as hearing), and causes us to fall into sin should be eliminated, radically and quickly. If we do not make every necessary effort to control our surroundings, what we watch and read, who we keep company with and speak with, etc, then those things will control us. If you cannot control something, it needs to be "jettisoned" to keep the boat afloat so to speak. - Precept Austin

…57Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.… John 8: 57-59

V. 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before - This is a beautiful invitation, "stick around, if you have doubts about My origin then just stay with Me to the end, You will see Me ascend back to My Father, back to Heaven. If that's your biggest worry, if that's what is holding you back, keep watching."

…9After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”… Acts 1: 9-11

V. 63 The Spirit is the One Who gives life - This is the work of regeneration, and the words that Jesus employs about the bread, eating His flesh and drinking His blood have deep spiritual meaning for those being born again, born from above, born of the Spirit. 

…6But springs welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. 8And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.… Genesis 2: 6-8

…44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual.… 1 Corinthians 15: 44-46

…5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. 6And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,… 2 Corinthians 3: 5-7

…17For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, 19in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison… 1 Peter 3: 17-19

It is the Spirit (pneuma) Who gives life (zoopoieo - present tense); the flesh (sarx) profits (opheleo) nothing (oudeis - absolutely nothing!!!) - Keep the context in mind - Jesus has been speaking of how to obtain eternal life, clearly stating it is by believing in Him. In Jn 6:32 it is the Father "who gives you the true Bread out of heaven (and with it eternal life)." In Jn 6:32 (cf Jn 6:51) it is Jesus who "gives life to the world." Now it is the Spirit Who gives life. Thus we see the Trinity involved in the giving of life to dead sinners. - Precept Austin

Steven Cole adds "The Holy Spirit imparts life to dead sinners. Human religious effort will not get you into heaven. Apart from the new birth, you can never understand why it is necessary to eat My flesh and drink My blood.”

Barton - This statement gives us the key to interpreting Jesus’ discourse. His hearers had not understood the spiritual intent of his message. A fleshly interpretation of his words would yield nothing; one must apply a spiritual interpretation to Spirit-inspired words. Human effort that begins with the desires and objectives of human wisdom accomplishes nothing. (Borrow John - Life Application Commentary) - Precept Austin

The flesh profits nothing - They put much on circumcision, on genealogy, feasts, traditions, clothing and appearance before and approval from men. Salvation does not come by way of these, men are born spiritually dead, and so the Spirit must give life, it cannot be earned by their soiled merit. 

Do not men receive the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper? Yes, spiritual men do, in a real and spiritual sense, but not in a carnal way—not so as to crush it with their teeth, or taste it with their palate, or digest it by the gastric juice; but they receive the Lord Jesus, as incarnate and crucified, into their spirits, as they believe in him, love him, and are comforted by thoughts of him. ‘But how is that a real reception of him?’ cries one. Alas, this question reveals at once the world’s thoughts; you think the carnal alone real, and that the spiritual is unreal. If you can touch and taste, you think it real, but if you can only meditate and love, you dream it to be unreal. How impossible it is for the carnal mind to enter into spiritual things! Yet, hearken once again, I receive the body and blood of Christ when my soul believes in his incarnation, when my heart relies upon the merit of his death, when the bread and wine so refresh my memory that thoughts of Jesus Christ and his agonies melt me to penitence, cheer me to confidence, and purify me from sin. It is not my body which receives Jesus, but my spirit; I believe in him, casting myself upon him alone; trusting him, I feel joy and peace, love and zeal, hatred of sin and love of holiness, and so as to my spiritual nature I am fed upon him. My spiritual nature feeds upon truth, love, grace, promise, pardon, covenant, atonement, acceptance, all of which I find, and much more, in the person of the Lord Jesus. Up to the extent in which my spirit has communion with the Lord Jesus, the ordinance of breaking of bread is living and acceptable. - C. H. Spurgeon

…24As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” 25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26If a man who is not circumcised keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?… Romans 2: 24-26

…27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.… 1 Corinthians 11: 27-29

…20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water. 21And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also— not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God— through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.… 1 Peter 3: 20-22

We know of many who have been deceived into believing that the learning and the memorizing of Christian doctrine is all sufficient. They actually think that somehow they are better off for having learned the doctrines of religion.

God actually asks of us what He asked of Noah long ago! “Demonstrate your faith in God in your everyday life!”

It is evident that God did not say to Noah, “I am depending on you to hold the proper orthodox doctrines. Everything will be just fine if you stand up for the right doctrines.”

I have read a statement by Martin Lloyd-Jones, the English preacher and writer, in which he said: “It is perilously close to being sinful for any person to learn doctrine for doctrine’s sake.”

I agree with his conclusion that doctrine is always best when it is incarnated—when it is seen fleshed out in the lives of godly men and women. Our God Himself appeared at His very best when He came into our world and lived in our flesh! - A. W. Tozer

V. 65 For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father - Or believe that statement, that is a great difficulty in the evangelical world today, accepting the gospel according to Jesus, trusting in God to save Whom He will, the way He will, by His power invested in His Word. Many stumble over Romans 9 and think that John Calvin wrote it, but listen, your salvation is no less a miracle than the raising of Lazarus from the dead, and it took more power, a greater act of God than that. This remains a stumbling block to this day.

3For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.… Titus 3: 3-5

…28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God. 29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, 30since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.… Philippians 1: 28-30

V. 66 As a result of this many of His disciples went away and were not walking with Him anymore - Result of what? What He said, they did not like what He had to say. He was not a crowd pleaser when He spoke. A lot of preachers can't handle that today, and you can tell because they look for ways to draw crowds, they think that they build the church. It is a cult of personality they follow, they try to stay relevant, and really they simply don't believe in the power of God's Word. Jesus would empty every mega church out there today. Why? Because He preaches against sin, about repentance, gives hard doctrines that don't fit with men's desire or ideals about self love and self esteem. Read the parable of the seed and the sower, many are shallow confessors, many are pulled away by the cares of this world. Christ doesn't need your worldly fame or personality to build His church. 

…20If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them. 22Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”… 2 Peter 2: 20-22

…21Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth. 23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.… Matthew 19: 21-23

…17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”… Matthew 16: 17-19

V. 68 You have the words of eternal life - The confession of some that stayed is an interesting contrast, for it 's not that it wasn't difficult for them too, no, it's that God holds them there. It's not that they had full comprehension to depths of what Jesus was saying, which we will see, but God was drawing some of them, they were believing.

…11And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.… 1 John 5: 11-13

Who can deny that there are certain persons who, though still unconverted, nevertheless differ from the crowd, marked out of God, stricken with an interior wound and susceptible to the call of God?

In the prayer of Jesus in John 17:11, He said: “Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.” Surely no man is ever the same after God has laid His hand upon him. He will have certain marks, perhaps some not easy to detect.

First might be a deep reverence for divine things. A sense of the sacred must be present or there can be no receptivity to God and truth.

Another mark is great moral sensitivity. When God begins to work in a man to bring him to salvation, He makes him acutely sensitive to evil.

Another mark of the Spirit’s working is a mighty moral discontent. It does take a work of God in a man to sour him on the world and to turn him against himself; yet until this has happened he is psychologically unable to repent and believe! - Precept Austin

V. 69 And we have believed and come to know that You are the Holy One of God - The statement is a beautiful contrast to the crowd. Peter is not siding with numbers, and the statement is closing the door to salvation by other means. He is placing all of his eggs or fish in this One basket. This is the great Ark of his hope, and it is getting closer to the time that the door will shut and he will forsake this world for the love of his Savior.

…5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.… Hebrews 11: 5-7

A T Robertson- Peter is the spokesman as usual and his words mean that, if such a thought as desertion crossed their minds when the crowd left, they dismissed it instantly. They had made their choice. They accepted these very words of Jesus that had caused the defection as "the words of eternal life." - Precept Austin

V. 70 Did I myself not choose you and yet one of you is a devil - Jesus corrects them again as to why they believe, and also to the harsher reality that there is one among them, who received the outward call, but his heart was not changed. This is Judas, and there are many who could wear his name today. They will follow for the money in the bag, for free food, for social programs, for prestige, for applause, for the hope of being a big man in the kingdom the way they picture it. People come looking for a moral spouse, friendship, feelings and potlucks, and many of them walk away early, but some stay almost all the way to the end before they betray Him.

17If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 18I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture: ‘The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it comes to pass, you will believe that I am He.… John 13: 17-19

Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose (eklego) you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil (diabolos) - Note the context has Peter's confession that begins with "WE," but here Jesus corrects Simon by pointing out that one of the twelve is an accuser, who would betray Him to the Romans in the Garden.

A T Robertson - Jesus does not say that Judas was a devil when he chose him, but that he is one now. In John 13:2, 27 John speaks of the devil entering Judas. How soon the plan to betray Jesus first entered the heart of Judas we do not know (John 12:4). One wonders if the words of Jesus here did not cut Judas to the quick. - Precept Austin

18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.… 1 John 2: 18-20