John 6:66-71 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

God Save Us From “Consumer Christians”

The crowd grew in Capernaum, flooding the synagogue there, as people flocked to see Jesus. They wanted to be fed without working, to be healed without condition, to be saved without condition. They wanted what Jesus had and what Jesus offered, but did not want a life WITH Jesus. They wanted what many

“Christians” in America today want
a “Consumer Christianity”!

Jesus doe not offer a “Consumer Christianity” where we are to be pleased regardless as to the glory of God. Jesus demanded something else. He wanted people to believe in Him for life just as they believed in FOOD for life. He wanted people to bind to Him, to hear Him, to live by His Words, to follow His commandments. Jesus said:

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

When Jesus made it clear that faith in Him meant walking with Him and feeding on Him, the Bible says:

John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Word Study: The word “disciples” is the Greek μαθητής mathētḗs, {pronounced math-ay-tes’}, which means “learner, pupils”. Jesus had a large following as long as He was giving them things, meeting their tewmporal needs. But when Jesus began to demand allegiance and loyalty, they decided they would rather be somewhere else. Jesus demanded that His disciples follow Him for HIS sake. Jesus called to people – and calls today “Come, follow Me”. There is no Christian unless there is a following of Christ. When Jesus called Matthew the Tax Collector to follow Him, the Bible says:

Matthew 9:9 Jesus … saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Matthew was sitting collecting taxes from the people – a table filled with money in front of him. When Jesus called Matthew saying “Follow me”, Matthew immediately left that table and followed Jesus. To be a Christian is to follow Jesus. The Bible tells us that another time a fellow told Jesus:

Matthew 8:21 … Lord, {allow} me first to go and bury my father.

The man’s father was NOT DEAD YET (according to the commentaries I read), but was elderly and near the end of life. This man had a legitimate reason, he thought, to put off serving Christ. Yet this is not what Christ calls us to. Jesus told this man:

Matthew 8:22 … Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Those Who Are Spiritually Alive Follow Jesus

Those who do not know Christ as Lord and Savior are spiritually dead, just as we all are from the time we leave the womb and are physically born into this life (Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 2:1-3). Those without Christ have the wrath of God hanging over them:

John 3:36 (NASB 95) He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

1 John 5:12 (NASB 95) He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

The lost who do not know Christ are but temporary disciples. They come to Jesus for THINGS and STUFF that pass away, but care nothing of friendship with God or fellowship with the Spirit. As these false disciples leave, Jesus asks:

John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

As Jesus speaks to the twelve original disciples – those who first followed Him – He asks “Will ye also go away?”. My Commentary notes:

“As John phrases our Lord’s question in Greek, he implies that it was not asked in a mood of despair; the use of the Greek negative me in a question indicates that the answer ‘No’ is expected. ‘You don’t want to go away too, do you?’” (F. F. Bruce)

Jesus knows the hearts of the twelve that are following Him – even Judas Iscariot. Jesus knows that eleven of His disciples – soon to be Apostles – had given their hearts and their allegiance to Him. So as Jesus asked “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”, He expected a sincere “no” answer from eleven men. Peter spoke up:

John 6:68 … Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Saving Faith Is A Know So Faith

In these few words Peter makes a wonderful statement of true faith:

• Saving Faith recognizes Jesus as LORD. Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh, taking the most Holy Name of God to Himself. Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58). Jesus declared Himself the very Son of God. The Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:18). It is one thing to SAY you believe, but another thing to BELIEVE. When Jesus said the hard things, the false disciples walked away, never walking with Jesus again. But those who truly believed in Christ unto salvation stayed with Him. J. V. Fesko notes in his essay The Doctrine of Saving Faith:

“I can go to the airport and recognize the fact that there is an airplane in front of me. I can acknowledge the fact that the airplane and its pilot can hurtle down the runway and leap into the air for sustained flight. I can study the principles of aeronautics and comprehend that when air rushes over a curved surface it creates lift, which thus enables the airplane to fly. But I must trust the airplane and its pilot, board the aircraft, take my seat, and ride the airplane in order to demonstrate my faith in it. A bare knowledge of Christ and his claims is insufficient for salvation. We must trust that he is the only way to be saved from our sin and the only one who can give eternal life.”

Will you go away with the crowd, or stay with Jesus? If Jesus is Lord then you will follow Him whether you understand all things or not. “This is the work of God that you believe on Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29). God the Father sent Jesus to lead His people from Hell and Hellish behavior to Heaven and Heavenly behavior. God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus is Lord, as God the Father is Lord.

Receiving Jesus is not just saying a “sinner’s prayer”, but it is a repentance, turning from being lord of your life to giving yourself to Christ’s Lordship.

The Scripture says in Romans 10:9 (ESV), “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” When Peter preached his first sermon, he preached:

Acts 2:36 (NET) Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.

Jesus is BOTH LORD and CHRIST. He is LORD of His people, and “saves His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). But Jesus is also CHRIST, the Messiah come to save us from our sins.

• Peter not only recognized Jesus as LORD, but recognized Jesus is the PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE. “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” Only Jesus has the words of eternal life, the words that will last and lead to eternity. Peter next makes an assumption that is not true:

John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

Peter speaking for the group notes that they together believe that Jesus alone is the Christ, the Messiah sent of God, the Son of God. What Peter is saying is a revelation that can only come from God. In another place Jesus asks His disciples,

Matthew 16:15 … whom say ye that I am?

Peter replies, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus tells Peter,

Matthew 16:17 … Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

The knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God can only come through the Father. God must reveal this truth to us all. Peter said:

we believe and are sure
that thou art that Christ

Word Study: Saving faith has these two elements. “we believe” is the Greek pisteuō, which means “to put our trust in, to commit our lives to, to believe or rest in”. Then Peter continues with, “and are sure”. This is the Greek ginōskō, which means “to come to know, to have a certain and intimate knowledge of”. There is no such thing as a “hope so” salvation. The Christian has been convinced that Christ is the only reasonable alternative to what the world and Satan offers. But Peter goes a little too far when he says, “and WE are SURE”. And Jesus corrects him:

John 6:70-71 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Lessons Learned From Judas Iscariot

Jesus CHOSE and CALLED OUT these original twelve men to follow Him. Yet one of these men was specifically chosen because his faith was misplaced and false. This man was “Judas Iscariot the son of Simon”. Jesus did not accidentally choose Judas. We were told:

John 6:64 … Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

Jesus chose Judas Iscariot, knowing that he would betray Him to the Cross. Why?

1 Scripture is truth, and cannot be broken. It was prophesied in

Psalm 41:9 (ESV) … My close friend in whom I trusted, who ate My bread, has lifted his heel against Me.

The Messiah would be betrayed to death – used of Satan to crush Him – by a close friend. Judas Iscariot was chosen by Jesus on purpose. Jesus said in:

John 13:17-19 (ESV) If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.

One of the chief proofs that Jesus is the Messiah promised from the Old Testament prophecies is that he was betrayed of Judas. When Peter would later recount Judas’ fall from grace, he would say …

Acts 1:16 (ESV) Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

As Jesus headed toward the Cross, every prophecy of the coming Messiah had to be fulfilled in Jesus’ life. One Commentary notes that:

“Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry.”

2 God uses broken and sinful people to accomplish His glorious purposes on the earth. Every account and action in the Bible shows us a point of view from God or from man. Looking at it from a human standpoint, Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus with a kiss is despicable, the act of a coward and a thug and a thief. The fact that Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver is horrible. An innocent man died on the Cross because of Judas and the religious Pharisees who encouraged him. But looking at this from God’s viewpoint, what happened was controlled and contributed to by God. Jesus said

John 10:17-18 (ESV) For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.

Though Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, he could not have done as he did had not the Lord allowed it and decreed it. When Peter and John were threatened with harm if they continued to preach Christ, they prayed:

Acts 4:27-28 (ESV) … for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

It is the will of God that took control of the situation. What “Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel” did – which was to crucify an innocent Man – was an action that God decreed and God ordained. God is over all!

3 In Judas Iscariot we see that there are different types of faith. Spiritual giftedness is no evidence of saving faith. The Bible tells us in:

Matthew 10:1-4 (ESV) {Jesus} called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Every one of the original twelve – which includes Judas Iscariot – were given equal power of God to cast out demons, to heal diseases and afflictions.

Just being a great preacher or a miracle worker does not mean that you are saved. Salvation is based on being known of Christ. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

As a pastor I meet other pastors, both ex-pastors as well as in service pastors. Several years ago I met a pastor who had previously shepherded a Church that I was now in. The man bragged to me how he got into a fist fight – on Church grounds – with another deacon over some trivial matter. This scripture came to my mind while he was speaking. There are many who PROFESS Christ, even in pulpits, but do not POSSESS a relationship with Him by faith. He must be BOTH your LORD and SAVIOR, or you are DAMNED.

4 Though God uses the broken and sinful to accomplish His will, God is not to blame for YOUR sin. When Judas watched Christ being crucified, he came back to the Pharisees and Priests and tried to give the 30 pieces of silver back. He said:

Matthew 27:4 (ESV) … “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

5 And finally, in Judas we see that putting your love into temporal things can bring about eternal damnation. Each disciple that followed Jesus had a responsibility to both Jesus as well as to the group. Judas’ responsibility was to look after the purse or the treasury of the twelve. When Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus’ feet with oil, the Bible says:

John 12:4-6 (ESV) … Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Judas Iscariot began to put the things of the world above the things of God. What about YOU? Have YOU put your earthly job, your earthly paycheck above your service to Jesus? Have YOU settled your heart on the temporal rather than the eternal? Pastor John Piper writes:

“Judas loved money more than he loved Jesus. That’s horrific, unbelievable, unspeakably evil. It should make every one of us tremble at the thought of the power that money has in our lives to blind us to what is true and beautiful and precious. So, when Judas got his chance, thirty pieces of silver is all it took to sell the very Son of God.”

Jesus warned us against the mindset of Judas Iscariot. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Judas’ heart was in money, in that which is temporary, fleeting. In time, Judas followed his heart to a horrible death. Oh that God would lead each of my readers to Christ, to His blessed embrace. May His Holy Spirit open your eyes to Christ, and lead you, like Peter and the other ten, to cling to Him no matter what. Amen and Amen.