John 6:66

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. FROM THAT TIME, [ ek (G1537) toutou (G5127)] - or 'In consequence of this.' MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK. Those last words of our Lord seem to have given them the finishing stroke-they could stand it no longer. AND WALKED NO MORE WITH HIM. Many a journey, it may be, they had taken with Him, but now they gave Him finally up!...

66._From that time many of his disciples went back. _The Evangelist now relates what trouble was the consequence of that sermon. It is a dreadful and monstrous thing, that so kind and gracious an invitation of Christ could have alienated the minds of many, and especially of those who had formerly professed to belong to him, and were even his ordinary _disciples. _But this example is held out to us for a mirror, as it were, in which we may perceive how great is the wickedness and ingratitude of men, who turn a plain road into an occasion of stumbling to them, that they may not come to Christ. Many would say that it would have been better that a sermon of this kind should never have been preached, which occasioned the apostacy of many. But we ought to entertain a widely different view; for it was then necessary, and now is daily necessary, that what had been foretold concerning Christ shou...

66-71 When we admit into our minds hard thoughts of the words and works of Jesus, we enter into temptation, which, if the Lord in mercy prevent not, will end in drawing back. The corrupt and wicked heart of man often makes that an occasion for offence, which is matter of the greatest comfort. Our Lord had, in the foregoing discourse, promised eternal life to his followers; the disciples fastened on that plain saying, and resolved to cleave to him, when others fastened on hard sayings, and forsook him. Christ's doctrine is the word of eternal life, therefore we must live and die by it. If we forsake Christ, we forsake our own mercies. They believed that this Jesus was the Messiah promised to their fathers, the Son of the living God. When we are tempted to backslide or turn away, it is good to remember first principles, and to keep to them. And let us ever remember our Lord's searching qu...

Verse 66. _MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK_] They no longer associated with him, nor professed to acknowledge him as the Messiah. None of these were of the _twelve_. Christ had many others who generally attended his ministry, and acknowledged him for the Messiah....

MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES - Many who had followed him professedly as his disciples and as desirous of learning of him. See the notes at John 6:60. WENT BACK - Turned away from him and left him. From this we may learn, * Not to wonder at the apostasy of many who profess to be followers of Christ. Many are induced to become his professed followers by the prospect of some temporal benefit, or under some public excitement, as these were; and when that temporal benefit is not obtained, or that excitement is over, they fall away. * Many may be expected to be offended by the doctrines of the gospel. Having no spirituality of mind, and really understanding nothing of the gospel, they may be expected to take offence and turn back. The best way to understand the doctrines of the Bible is to be a sincere Christian, and aim

EXPOSITION JOHN 6:1 2. _Christ declares himself to be the Sustainer and Protector of the life of which he is the Source_. JOHN 6:1 (1) _The supply of human wants illustrated by a well known _"_sign_" _of power_. Chronological difficulties beset our treatment of this miraculous narrative with its varied consequences and results. Many curious and even violent measures have been resorted to with a view to solve them. Some have supposed that John 5:1. and 6. have been inverted in order, and that thus the presence of our Lord in Galilee, mentioned in...

FROM THAT [TIME] MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK,.... Not any of the twelve apostles, for they are distinguished from these in the next verse; nor any of the seventy disciples, for their names were written in heaven, and could not apostatize totally and finally, as these did; but some of the multitude of the disciples, who followed Christ, heard him, and professed to believe in him, and were baptized in his name, but were not true disciples, only nominal ones: they had never heard and learned of the Father, otherwise they would have known what it was to come to Christ, as the Father's gift, and under the drawings of his grace; and would not have been offended at the words of our Lord, just now spoken by him, concerning that sort of coming to him: but from the time he spoke those words; "because of this word", as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions render it; they withdrew themselves...

John 6:41. _The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day._ Christ never retracted a truth or diminished its force because it was rejected, but he rather seemed to say, «You refused this truth. I knew you would. You need not murmur: you are none of mine. If you had been, the Father would have drawn you. You will not come. So are you set against truth that you cannot see it. So blind are your eyes that you do not behold it. No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him.»...

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The Feeding of the Five Thousand Men. (John 6:1 .)_ 2. The Attempt to Make Him King, (John 6:15 .) 3. The Stormy Sea. “It is I, be not afraid.” (John 6:16 .) 4. The Discourse on the Bread of Life. The Food of the Believer. (John 6:22 .) 5. The Falling Away of Disciples. (John 6:60) 6. Peter's Confession. (John 6:67 .) The events which are recorded in this chapter happened at the Sea of Galilee, the sea of Tiberias. John exclusively uses t

MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK. They were of the unbelieving. Their faith was not strong enough to accept the great doctrine of eating his flesh....