John 6:66

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

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(66) From that time.—The addition of the word “time” has given a definite and questionable meaning to the Greek, which is indefinite. “From that” probably means on that account, because of the words He had spoken. The actual departure was the result of the teaching, which tested their faith and found it wanting, and was at that time, not gradually from that time onwards. (Comp. Note on John 19:12.)

Many of his disciples.—Co-extensive with the same term in John 6:60.

Benson Commentary

John 6:66-69. From that time many of his disciples went back — This discourse of our Lord was, in all its different branches, so offensive to many, who till now had followed him, and professed to be his disciples, that, from this time, they ceased to attend on or hear him. So that he now began to purge his floor: the proud and careless were driven away, and those only remained who were meet for the Master’s use. Then said Jesus unto the twelve — Jesus, perceiving this defection to be very general, asked the twelve if they were going to leave him with the rest. Then Peter — With his usual zeal; answered, Lord — If we were really disposed to quit thee; to whom shall we go? — Or, what advantage could we expect by it? Thou hast the words of eternal life — Thou, and thou alone, speakest the words which show the way to life everlasting; and hast even now been directing us therein; and God forbid that any other hopes and views should ever be preferred by us to these! And — However others may be governed by their carnal prejudices, and a deluded multitude may treat thee with contempt; we firmly believe, and assuredly know, on the most convincing evidence, that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God — On which persuasion we are determined to cleave to thee, to continue to learn of thee as thy disciples, to confide in thee for salvation, present and eternal, and to hazard all in thy service. So that Peter’s implicit faith in our Lord’s doctrine was founded, as it was right it should be, on his faith in him as the Messiah, the Son of God.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:66-71 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 question; Shall we go away and forsake our Redeemer? To whom can we go? He alone can give salvation by the forgiveness of sins. And this alone brings confidence, comfort, and joy, and bids fear and despondency flee away. It gains the only solid happiness in this world, and opens a way to the happiness of the next.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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,

1. 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.

2. 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 to do the will of God, John 7:17.

3. We should examine ourselves. We should honestly inquire whether we have been led to make a profession of religion by the hope of any temporal advantage, by any selfish principle, or by mere excited animal feeling. If we have it will profit us nothing, and we shall either fall away of ourselves, or be cast away in the great day of judgment.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

66-71. From that time, &c.—or, in consequence of this. Those last words of our Lord seemed to have given them the finishing stroke—they could not stand it any longer.

walked no more—Many a journey, it may be, they had taken with Him, but now they gave Him up finally!

Matthew Poole's Commentary

His disciples at large, so called because they followed him, partly to hear what he would say, partly to see his miracles, followed him no more. Many professors and seeming disciples of Christ may draw back and fall from their profession, though none that truly receive Christ shall fall away, but be by the power of God preserved through faith unto salvation.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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 from his ministry, they dropped their profession of faith in him, and relinquished him as a Saviour and Redeemer: for finding that he would not be made king, nor set up for a temporal redeemer; and talking of himself as the bread of life, and of coming to him, in a sense they did not understand; they turned their backs on him; and as the words may be literally read, "returned to the things that were behind"; to the world, and to their old companions, to Satan and their own hearts lusts; like the dog to its vomit, and the swine to its wallowing in the mire: their true picture is drawn, in the parable of the unclean spirit going out of the man, and returning, Matthew 12:43. And they returned to their quondam teachers, the Scribes and Pharisees, and to the law of works, and to seek for righteousness by it; setting up their own righteousness, and not submitting to the righteousness of Christ; and thus to look back and draw back, is a sad case indeed:

and walked no more with him; never returned to him more, or went with him from place to place as before: never more attended on his ministry, or had any intimacy and fellowship with him: and so it commonly is with apostates from the profession of Christ; they seldom or ever return, or are recovered; it is difficult, if not impossible, which is sometimes the case, to renew them again to repentance.

Geneva Study Bible

{15} From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

(15) Such is the malice of men, that they bring about their own destruction, even in hearing the very doctrine of salvation, but there are a few who believe through the singular gift of God.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

John 6:66-67. Ἐκ τούτου] not: “from this time forwards” (so usually even Lücke, De Wette, Hengstenberg), for a going away by degrees is not described; but (so Nonnus, Luthardt): on this account, because of these words of Jesus, John 6:61 ff., which so thoroughly undeceived them as regarded their earthly Messianic hopes. So also John 19:12; Xen. Anab. ii. 6. 4, iii. 3. 5, vii. 6. 13. Comp. ἐξ οὗ, quapropter, and see generally, concerning the ἐκ of cause or occasion, Matthiae, II. 1334; Ellendt, Lex. Soph. i. 551, who justly remarks: “His etiam subest fontis, unde aliquid exoriatur, notio.”

εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω] they went away, and went back, so that they no longer accompanied Him, but returned to the place whence they had come to Him. Comp. John 18:6, John 20:14; 1Ma 9:47; Proverbs 25:9; Genesis 19:17; Luke 17:31; Plato, Phaedr. p. 254 B; Menex. p. 246 B; Polyb. i. 51. 8.

τοῖς δώδεκα] who and what they were, John takes for granted as well known.

μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς, κ.τ.λ.] but ye too do not wish to go away? Jesus knows His twelve too well (comp. John 13:18) to put the question to them otherwise than with the presupposition of a negative, answer (at the same time He knew that He must except one). But He wishes for their avowal, and therein lay His comfort. This rendering of the question with μὴ is no “pedanterie grammaticale” (Godet, who wrongly renders “vous ne voulez pas?”), but is alone linguistically correct (Baeumlein, Partik. p. 302 f.). According to Godet, the thought underlying the question is, “If you wish, you can,” which is a pure invention.

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 6:66. ἐκ τούτου, “on this”; neither exclusively “from this time” ἔκτοτε (Euthymius), “from this moment onwards” (Lücke), nor exclusively “on this account,” but a combination of both. Cf. John 19:12. Here the time is in the foreground, as is shown by the οὐκ ἔτι following. Lampe has: “Qui ab illo tempore Iesum deserebant, clare indicabant, quod propter hunc sermonem istud fecerint”. πολλοὶ ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω … περιεπάτουν. Many of those who had up to this time been following Him and listening to His teaching, returned now to their former ways and no longer accompanied Jesus. [ὀπίσω δὲ νόει μοι, καὶ τὸν πρότερον βίον αὐτῶν, εἰς ὃν πάλιν ὑπέστρεψαν, Euthymius.] εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω occurs John 18:6, John 20:14; also Mark 13:16. But the most instructive occurrence is in Psalm 44:18, οὐκ ἀπέστη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν, where the literal sense passes into the spiritual meaning, apostasy, abandonment of God.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

66. From that time] This may be the meaning, but more probably it means in consequence of that. Hereupon has somewhat of the ambiguity of the Greek, combining the notions of time and result. The Greek phrase occurs here and John 19:12 only in N.T.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 6:66. Πολλοί, many) By this means their number was cleared of the unworthy, and made the more select [and this, in the very place (Capernaum we may suppose) in which He had sojourned previously for the longest time.—Harm., p. 337]. A promiscuous multitude is not of so much consequence as is sincerity. [This was a most severe purification.—V. g.]

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 66. - Upon this (ἐκ τούτου; cf. ἐξ οῦ, equivalent to qua propter). Not "from that time forwards," not a gradual thinning down or departure of some disciples, one today and another tomorrow, but a kind of rush and stampede took place. Those who a few hours before were ready to call him their Messianic King, were entirely disenchanted. The claims of Christ were so profoundly different from what they anticipated that upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. The fascination those felt who had seen some of the excellences of Jesus led them to put themselves at his disposal, to wait upon him, to desert their ordinary occupations. Hence part of the phraseology of redemption was derived from the method of Christ. Men "came" to him; they "followed" him; they "walked" with him; they could "go back," desert, forsake their Lord. These actions of his first disciples have created the vocabulary of the kingdom of God. Christ's teaching tested as well as attracted men. There was a repellent force as well as an infinite fascination. He sifted as well as saved. The very deeds and words that broke some hearts into penitence roused impatient and angry remonstrance in others. There is seen in this Gospel a continual departure and a deepening faith. John 6:66

Vincent's Word Studies

From that time (ἐκ τούτου)

Render, as Rev., upon this. As a result proceeding out of (ἐκ) this. Compare John 19:12.

Went back (ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω)

The Greek expresses more than the English. They went away (ἀπό) from Christ, Literally, to the things behind, to what they had left in order to follow the Lord.

Walked (περιεπάτουν)

Literally, walked about, with Jesus in His wanderings here and there.