An Exodus of Disciples

John 6:60-71

 

INTRO: The verses before us form a sad end to the ministry of our Lord in Galilee.  It was here in Galilee that Jesus:

1. Turned water into wine.

2. Healed the nobleman’s son without going to where he was.

3. Fed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes.

4. Declared Himself to be the Bread of Life come from heaven (51).

5. Offered eternal life to His hearers and warned them that “except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”

These people had heard wonderful words of life from the greatest of all preachers, Jesus Christ.  They had seen work that only God can do.  How did many of them react?  They reacted in unbelief, and many walked away from Christ.

 

I.        VS 60, MANY TAKE OFFENSE TO THE WORDS OF CHRIST

A.       Three groups heard the discourse of Jesus on “The Bread of Life.”  They were “the Jews,” “the disciples,” and “the twelve Apostles.”

1. The disciples spoken of in this verse are not the twelve, but the scores who had followed Him around Galilee.

2. “When they heard this, “ speaks of Jesus presenting Himself as the Bread of Life.  They had seen Him as the miracle man not the Savior man.  The thought of drinking the blood of Jesus and eating His flesh offended these disciples.

a. When Jesus indicated that He would die a brutal death, it offended them.

b. To them this was a hard message: “Who can listen to it?”  The Greek word is skleros meaning “hard to accept.”

1- They were disgusted.

2- Their hearts rebelled against the words of Jesus (vs 53).  They understood the message, but did not accept it.

B.       People are still rebelling today.  The thought of Jesus shedding His blood for them offends them.

1. Dear friend, be not offended that Christ loved lost man enough to die for him (Rm 5:8).

2. Receive what Christ has done for you and be saved (vs 51).

 

II.       VSS 61-65, THE LORD’S COUNSEL TO THESE DISCIPLES

A.       Vs 61, These words speak once again of the deity of Christ.  He knew their thoughts.  They had been religious.  They had followed the Savior, yet He knew that they only had “a form of godliness” (II Tim 3:5).  Friend, He knows whether or not you are really saved or not.  You cannot fool Him.

1. The word offend is the Greek word skandalizo meaning: “to put a stumbling block, to cause to trip or fall, “to entice to sin,” “to cause to fall.”

2. Jesus is asking, “Have I caused you to sin?”

a. It was not the harshness of the sermon that caused them to fall away; it was the hardness of their hearts.

b. When Jesus pointed out that to be saved man must believe on Him (vs 41), it caused them to stumble.

B.       Vs 62, Hendriksen says: “Will not the Son of man’s ascension to heaven prove that he had really come down from heaven?” (246).  Would they be offended at this sight?

1. It would not be long before the one who was born in Bethlehem would go to the cross and shed His blood.  Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus would place His body in the tomb, and it would be there for three days, then He would arise.  He would appear to the twelve and others, and then He would ascend to heaven where as the Son of man, He would sit on the right hand of God the Father.  One day He is coming back just as He left (Acts 1:9-11).

2. “Because of His descent and ascent, heaven is the home of every one who, by eating His flesh and drinking His blood, becomes partaker of His life” (Pink 355).

C.      Vs 63, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth” refers to the work of the Holy Spirit.

1. Dead sinners must be made alive by the work of the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:1).  Sinners do not need revival; they need resurrection.  The Holy Spirit is God’s Divine Agent.

2. “The flesh profitteth nothing.”

a. Fleshly activities will not save us.

b. Titus 3:5.

3. “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

a. His words are full of spirit and full of life.  They are not dead words; they are living words.

b. The Word is God’s divine instrument.

1- James 1:18.

2- I Pt 1:23.

3- II Pt 1:4.

c. The words of Christ are spiritual and they are, “employed by the Holy Spirit to impact life” (Pink 357).

1- The need of today is faithful preaching of the Word.

2- “Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God.”

D.      Vs 64, Christ was not deceived by those who followed Him.  Many seemed to be true followers, but they were unbelievers.

1. Christ knows whether you are a true believer or not.

2. Their unbelief was inexcusable, but expected.

3. Judas Iscariot was known by Christ to be the betrayer.

E.       Vs 65, This verse points us back to verse 37 and 44.

1. Truly “the flesh profiteth nothing.”  To be born again, the sinner must turn away from self to the Father.

2. Man must seek God, seek His drawing power.  Without Him, no man can be saved.

3. We cannot be born by the will of the flesh (1:13).

 

III.      VSS 66 AN EXODUS OF DISCIPLES

A.       As a result of our Lord’s preaching on the “Bread of Life,” and because He said: “There are some of you that believe not,” many of His disciples went back and “walked no more with Him.”

B.       They went back to the things that they had left behind.

1. They went back to their old way of living.

2. They went back to their old way of thinking.

3. They went back to their old friends.

4. They went back never intending to return to Jesus, proving that they were not fit for the kingdom (Lk 9:62).

5. They went back because they had not been changed from the inside out (II Cor 5:17).

 

IV.      VS 67, THE TWELVE CHALLENGED

A.       Jesus turns to the twelve asking if they also want to leave Him.  This question is a test, a challenge to their faith.

1. Did they want to be popular or remain with Him?

2. The answer they would give would show whether or not a work of saving grace had taken place in their hearts.

3. Remember, a faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.

B.       Friend, this is the question put to you today.

1. Will you quit when the preaching gets tough?

2. Will you quit when it is no longer popular to belong to an old fashioned church?

3. What does the world have to offer the Christ?

 

V.       VSS 68-69, THE CONFESSION OF PETER

A.       Vs 68, Peter replies to the question of our Lord by saying: “To whom shall we go?”

1. There was no one else to go to as far as Peter was concerned, and he spoke for the majority of the twelve.

2. No one satisfies the yearning of the heart like Jesus.  No one cares for us like Jesus.  Peter knew this.

3. “Thou hast the words of eternal life.”

a. This points us back to verse 63.  Peter knew that the words of Jesus were not just sounds or dead utterances.

b. Peter realized that the words of Christ were dynamic, vital, and life giving– full of Spirit.

1- The words of Christ are the mans of bringing us to grace (Jn 3:16-17).

2- The way of salvation is found in the Words of Christ for they point to Christ as Savior .

4. Spurgeon said: “Remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee– it is Christ; it is not the joy in Christ that saves thee– it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that is the instrument– it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not to thy hope, but to Christ, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Christ, the author and finisher of thy faith; and if thou doest that, ten thousand devils cannot throw thee down.....” (42).