As true Christians, we know that people cannot self-select to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Some may church-hop and browse the services to see if it fits their lifestyle. However, as we read in John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” God the Father initiates the spark that draws a person to His Son. It is as wondrously simple and as complex as that. The 71 verses that comprise John 6 are packed with fundamental elements of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and coming King. Once I began my study of this particular chapter, I realized that I wanted to devote this entire Q&A to an examination of John 6 and the context of two questions shared in a conversation between Jesus and His apostle, Peter.
Let’s begin with those two fundamental questions: In John 6:67Jesus asks Peter a pivotal question: “Do you also want to go away?”In verses 68 and 69, Peter responds as follows:“Then Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”
In order to properly consider these questions and the interaction between Jesus and Peter, we must first understand the context within which these words were spoken.
Consider this moment in time for Jesus and His many followers presented in John 6. So much transpires in this chapter that would serve to create a strong and enduring bond for Jesus with 11 of His 12 apostles. They had been traveling with Jesus and had come into Galilee and were preparing for the Passover that would soon arrive. Many thousands of people had followed Jesus to try to catch a glimpse of a healing or some other miracle as they considered whether He truly was the Messiah. The apostles assisted Jesus as He divinely dealt with the matter of feeding thousands with the few loaves of bread and the fish they had. Later on, His apostles witnessed the Son of God walking on the Sea of Galilee as they sat frightened in their boat. These actions alone were staggering, even for His closest followers, but soon Jesus would share even more miraculous and challenging ideas that would leave no doubt as to His lineage and the promise of His coming Kingdom.
In John 6:48. we join the scene as Jesus addresses the apostles and other followers. Here He begins to set the stage for later verses and the Passover supper itself whereby Jesus established the literal sharing of His body and blood so that those whom the Father calls may share in everlasting life with Him and the Father. Consider the words of verses 48-51 that He spoke to the many followers who had assembled:
”I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
Many who had been following Jesus to this point found His words troubling, to say the least. In John 6:60 we read: “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’” Indeed, many were perplexed and could not fathom His meaning. In a sense, Jesus was culling the followers to the point where those whom the Father had called would be challenged to remain by His side and be prepared for what was to come. We see this illustrated in verses 66 and 67: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’” This was the catalyst for Peter’s response to Jesus, and it is interesting that he responded with a question of his own, rather than simply saying no!
Let’s consider verses 68 and 69 once again with the understanding explained above: “But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”Let’s read on in verses 70 and 71: “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.” The response to this question and statement from Peter affords Jesus the opportunity to establish what was clearly building throughout the verses of John 6. He had selected His closest followers who had remained by His side as many walked away. Yet even this seemingly joyful moment would be tempered by the reality that one of the twelve would become a false accuser—a devil. This is also the choice that the Father and Jesus Christ put before those whom the Father calls. We have the opportunity to accept that which ultimately requires a leap of faith and a lifetime of study and devotion to His Truth.
When the world around us seems so willing to cast their lot with imperfect and corrupt human individuals, the choice for true Christians harkening back to Peter’s question is clear, but let’s do all that we can to ensure that we are not among those who were so perplexed by the words of the Father and our Savior and left to seek a simpler and more worldly path. Let’s accept this offer of everlasting life with a resounding yes!
Lead Writer: Frank Bruno