John 6:66 - Printer Friendly

ESV: After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

NIV: From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

NASB: As a result of this many of His disciples left, and would no longer walk with Him.

CSB: From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him.

NLT: At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

KJV: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

NKJV: From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

The Greek word translated "disciples" is this verse is mathētōn, meaning "students." This is not a reference to the inner circle of twelve men; those men will be addressed in the next verse. Rather, this statement describes the general group of people following Jesus and listening to His teachings. Some of these were probably with Him prior to His string of miraculous healings (John 6:2). Others might have joined because of those. Certainly, some were interested in Jesus because of His feeding of thousands the previous day (John 6:9–14).

However, Jesus has just finished explaining that miracles are meant to point to spiritual truth. Jesus is the "true bread from heaven," and only those who believe in Him can see eternal life (John 6:29, 32–33, 40, 47–51). This requires complete commitment, not shallow interest. This teaching generated controversy (John 6:41), and even outright arguments (John 6:52). Jesus' teaching challenged their beliefs (John 6:60), and for some, this is simply too much to bear. Rather than change their minds, they walk away. This is the fundamental reason people reject Jesus Christ: He doesn't coordinate with our own selfish interests.

The Greek used here to describe the reaction of these people is apēlthon eis ta opisō, kai ouketi met' autou periepatoun. This sentence is alternatively translated using "withdrew," "turned back," or "turned away," such that the people "deserted," "no longer walked," or "no longer followed" Jesus. The words used here are specific and dramatic. An alternative paraphrase might be, "His students went back to not adhering to His teachings anymore." They dropped their interest in Jesus and returned to their previous spiritual attitudes.

This verse says much more than "the people no longer went where Jesus went." It specifically says that a large number—probably most of those who had been learning from Him—rejected His teachings. They no longer lived, thought, or acted according to them. When confronted with a challenging truth (John 6:60), these people decided to completely reject it, rather than change their minds.

John 6:60–71 shows the drastic impact of Jesus' teaching on the crowd: most walk away. When confronted with spiritual needs and a spiritual message, most people will turn it down. What society wants is spectacle, material things, and a political savior. The more Jesus insists on being the means to eternal life, the angrier the crowd becomes, until the vast majority simply abandon Him. The twelve disciples, on the other hand, seem willing to follow Jesus, though they are also struggling to accept His recent claims. Peter's declaration will be the third of John's seven witnesses to Jesus' divinity.

In chapter 6, Jesus feeds thousands of people who had been following Him. He does this by miraculously dividing the contents of a small meal, leaving more left over than He had to begin with. At first, the crowd is amazed and they enthusiastically praise Jesus. After sending the disciples across the Sea of Galilee and rescuing them from a storm by walking on the water, Jesus once again addresses the crowd. This time, He emphasizes the spiritual lesson behind His prior miracle. In response, most of those who had been praising Jesus turn away in disappointment.

John chapter 6 occurs some months after the events of chapter 5, bringing the narrative to about one year prior to Jesus' crucifixion. As with the rest of the gospel of John, the purpose is not to repeat information from the other three Gospels, but to focus on Jesus' status as God incarnate. This chapter continues to expand the list of Jesus' miraculous signs and the witnesses to His divine nature. Here, Jesus also gives the first of seven ''I am'' statements found in this gospel. Chapter 7 will once again skip ahead to a major public step in Jesus' path to the cross.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.