“At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’
Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.’” v. 66-69
Jesus has just given a hard teaching about being the bread of life. There was a great debate and people began to choose sides and many deserted him. The people liked seeing the miracles but rejected the message. Here is what the NLT Life Application Study Bible had to say that I thought was very good and helpful:
Why did Jesus word cause many of his followers to desert him?
- They may have realized that he wasn’t going to be the conquering Messiah-King they expected.
- He refused to give into their self-centered requests.
- He emphasized faith not deeds.
- His teachings were difficult to understand, and some of his word were offensive.
As we grow in our faith we may be tempted to turn away because Jesus’ lessons are difficult. Will your response be to give up, ignore certain teachings, or reject Christ? Instead, ask God to show you what the teachings mean and how to apply them to your life. Then have the courage to act on God’s Truth!
