Posts by Yong Joo Park:
Jesus, the Messiah who has the words of eternal life
John 6:60-71 [1]
Rejection by Many Followers
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they 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 would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
Confession by Peter
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
Message
See v60.
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
What they found hard to accept was the sacrificial model of His Messiahship. That is, there was a cost to follow the Messiah. This was very different from what they expected from the Messiah. They did not expect the love and sacrifice but the power and domination model of the Messiahship.
See v61-63.
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Jesus is the living bread which came down from heaven (John 6:51a). ‘Where He was before’ is ‘heaven’. What if Jesus ascends to heaven? Jesus said this bread was His flesh (John 6:51b). However, this bread is not His physical body but His sacrifice (to get us right with God). Eating this bread means believing in His sacrifice.
See v64.
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 would betray Him.
Many of His disciples left (66) and Judas Iscariot, one of twelve was going to betray Him (70-71).
See v65.
65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Jesus said this in John 6:44.
See v66.
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
This ‘love and sacrifice’ model of His Messiahship might offend them. When they realised the cost to follow Jesus, they left Him.
See v67.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
Jesus didn’t beg them to stay. Instead, He challenged and asked them whether they also wanted to leave Him.
See v68-69.
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
When Peter confessed His faith in Jesus saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16),
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and 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 (NKJV))
Jesus said it was God’s revelation that let Peter know the truth. So, his faith was like the solid rock, the right foundation to build the house that can withstand the rain, the floods and the winds (Matthew 7:24-25).
See v70.
70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
Jesus knew all men (John 2:24). Jesus knew one of the twelve was a devil. Jesus did not rely simply on every believing (John 2:23-24, James 2:19). Jesus was not deceived simply by the membership one held.
See v71.
71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
References
- The New King James Version. 1982, Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
John 5:36 ~ 6:60-64
The weekly messages between Sunday 30 Apr 2023 and Sunday 13 Aug 2023 are available here: 16 messages on John 5:36 ~ 6:64 * This website was down between 2 Oct 2023 and 8 Feb 2024 and restored on 9 Feb 2024 using the website backup file created on 23 Apr 2023.
Another Witness of Jesus – John the Baptist
John 5:33-35 [1] 33 ‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. Last week, we studied that there […]
The Testimony of Jesus Is Always True
John 5:31-32 [1] 31 ‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favour, and I know that his testimony about me is true. The Jewish leaders began to persecute Jesus because they thought He was breaking the Sabbath law (John 5:16). Jesus started his defence from John […]
Jesus, the True Light, the Resurrection and the Life
John 5:26, 21 [1] 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Happy Easter! Jesus is the […]
Friendship and Revelation
John 5:20-30 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to […]
The Son can do only what he sees his Father doing
John 5:19 [1] 19 Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. The reason Jesus did good works on the Sabbath was ‘My Father (God) is always at […]
Repent your persecution. Receive the Gospel. Start a new life.
John 5:16-18 [1] 16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defence Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’ 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not […]
Continuing to sin may cause something worse
John 5:9b-15 [1] The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, ‘It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’ 11 But he replied, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Pick up your mat and […]
Jesus changed the game. Start to live now.
John 5:1–9a [1] Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, […]
