S – 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.

John 6:66–69 ESV

O – Commentary:

6:66. His rejecting their desire to make Him their political king; His demand for personal faith; His teaching on atonement; His stress on total human inability and on salvation as a work of God—all these proved to be unpalatable for many people. They gave up being His disciples (“disciples” here refers to followers in general, not to the 12 Apostles; this is evident in v. 67).

6:67. You do not want to leave too, do you? He framed this question to encourage their weak faith. The Twelve were affected by the apostasy of the many, and Jesus used that occasion to refine their faith. They did not fully understand His words either and would not until after the Resurrection (20:9).

6:68–69. Peter, as a spokesman, gave his confession of faith. The path may be difficult, but he was convinced that Jesus’ words lead to life. No one else has the gift of eternal life. “We have believed and have known” is a better translation of the Greek perfect tenses (niv: We believe and know). Peter was confident of the apostles’ commitment to Jesus as the Holy One of God. This title is unusual (a demon addressed Jesus that way; Mark 1:24). It suggests Jesus’ transcendence (“the Holy One”) and His representation of the Father (“of God”); thus it is another way of confessing Him as Messiah

 Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 298.

A – Lots of great principles here. Jesus knew they wanted to make him the “earthly” king of the Jews and that was not his mission. As he unveiled God’s plan and claimed to be God in human form, he made them choose who they thought he was.  Many today will walk away from God because he isn’t tangible enough.  Secondly, this discourse challenged the disciples’ core faith and belief.  As believers, our faith is tested by God, the enemy, circumstances and life – all pointing to the same question – “Do you want to leave Jesus too?” Finally, Peter speaks for the disciples and us – When you truly believe in Jesus as a savior, where else can you go to find salvation, relationship with God and eternal life?

R – Heavenly Father, you Holy and Yahweh.  There is only you that is God, Savior and the Holy One.  We choose you today in the testing of our faith and trust in you.  Empower us to grow in our faith and love so as the tests grow, we meet them with more conviction and resolve in our relationship with you.