John 6:65-71

And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” ⁶⁶ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹ and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” ⁷¹ He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

1. What can the Church today learn from the Great Disciple Defection (GDD)? Why didn’t Jesus work to avoid this mass exodus? God’s Word is a great divider and a great uniter. How so?
2. It’s a well-known saying of Jesus that “the truth will set you free.” But what does that mean, exactly? What is the context of those words of Jesus (John 8:31-32)? What should this teach us about the Christian life?
3. Thinking about Peter’s great confession in John 6:68-69, what do you find striking about it? Why did he and the other Apostles (save Judas) stay with Jesus when so many left? Do his words “YOU ARE” remind you of anything you’ve heard repeatedly in this sermon?
4. Peter calls Jesus “the Holy One of God” (6:69) – a rare and unusual title. Who is the only other person in the New Testament who calls Jesus by this title? How does this indicate that something shocking is happening? Is there an Old Testament passage that this title reminds you of? What does it tell us about Jesus? Where do you think Peter came up with it in the first place?
5. To say that Jesus’ ‘Bread of Life’ sermon was not well received at the time would be quite an understatement! But what has the long-term impact of the sermon been? What can the Church today learn from this?
6. In 6:67, there is a word that occurs for the first time in John’s Gospel. Why is the introduction of this word at this time so significant with respect to what follows in the remainder of our chapter?
7. Why did Judas stay with Jesus when so many others left? What’s remarkable about Jesus’ response to Peter’s confession? What did Jesus actually reveal in His response? (Be careful to separate what Jesus said from John’s editorial remarks as the Gospel’s narrator.) What effect would Jesus’ words have had on the Twelve (the 11 + 1?)
8. What does the fact that Jesus ‘chose’ the Twelve (and John’s comment in 6:64b) tell us about His choice?