John 6:66 kjv
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
John 6:66 nkjv
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
John 6:66 niv
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
John 6:66 esv
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
John 6:66 nlt
At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
John 6 66 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 6:60 | When many of His disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" | Disciples' negative reaction to Jesus' teaching |
| Matthew 13:20-21 | "He who was sown on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while..." | Superficial acceptance of the Word |
| 1 Corinthians 2:14 | "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." | Spiritual understanding vs. carnal |
| 2 Timothy 4:3-4 | "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they are starving for truth, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." | Enduring sound doctrine |
| Acts 20:30 | "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." | False teachers |
| Luke 14:25-27 | "Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.'" | Cost of discipleship |
| Isaiah 55:8-9 | "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord." | God's thoughts above man's |
| Romans 11:33 | "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" | God's inscrutable ways |
| Matthew 19:10 | His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry." | Difficulty of Jesus' teachings |
| John 3:34 | "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He does not give the Spirit by measure." | Jesus' divine authority |
| Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 | "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear... I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him." | Obedience to the Prophet |
| Hebrews 5:11-14 | "Of whom we have much to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing you have become dull of hearing." | Dullness of hearing the Word |
| John 6:35, 48, 51 | "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." | Jesus as the Bread of Life |
| John 6:53-54 | "Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.'" | Challenging statement about sustenance |
| 1 Corinthians 1:23 | "but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness," | Christ crucified as a stumbling block |
| Mark 4:16-17 | "Now the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, immediately receive the word with joy; and they have no root, they believe only for a while; in time of temptation they fall away." | Temporary faith |
| Psalm 119:110 | "My flesh and my spirit would fail, but I shall obey your word." | Commitment despite difficulty |
| Matthew 7:13-14 | "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." | The difficult path of true discipleship |
| John 8:30 | "As He spoke these words, many believed in Him." | Belief that fades |
| Romans 9:30-33 | "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, who pursued the law of righteousness, has not attained righteousness." | Different responses to righteousness |
| Amos 8:11 | "‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.’" | Famine of hearing God's Word |
John 6 verses
John 6 66 Meaning
This verse signifies the decisive departure of many disciples following Jesus' challenging discourse on the Bread of Life. They found His teachings too difficult, indicating a failure to grasp His spiritual reality and authority, and therefore, turned away from following Him.
John 6 66 Context
Chapter 6 of John's Gospel describes Jesus feeding the five thousand, His subsequent walking on water, and then a profound discourse on being the Bread of Life. This teaching caused significant consternation among His followers. This particular verse marks the point where many disciples, unable to accept Jesus' challenging claims about His identity and the necessity of "eating His flesh" and "drinking His blood" (symbolic of participation in His life and sacrifice), decide to leave Him. It highlights a critical juncture where genuine discipleship is tested by the difficulty of His teachings.
John 6 66 Word Analysis
- So (οὖν - oun): Therefore; consequently. Connects this verse directly to the preceding discourse and the disciples' reactions.
- many (πολλοὶ - polloi): Numerous. Emphasizes that it wasn't all, but a significant portion of His followers.
- of His disciples (τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ - tōn mathētōn autou): Of the students/followers belonging to Him. Refers to those who had been identifying with Jesus.
- when they heard (ἀκούσαντες - akousantes): Having heard. Refers to the specific teachings given just prior.
- this saying (αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον - autou ton logon touton): His word/teaching this. Refers to the specific, challenging statements made about His divine nature and the manner of receiving His life.
- were hardened (σ männer - skleros): Made hard, unyielding. Indicates their spiritual reception of the truth was blocked. (Note: The text uses σκληρός (skleros) which means hard. Some translations use "hardened," but the primary word conveys a state of being hard rather than an action of making hard).
- against Him (πρὸς αὐτὸν - pros auton): Towards Him. The opposition is directed at Jesus personally.
Words-Group by Words-Group Analysis:
- "So many of His disciples...": This phrase underscores the outcome of Jesus’ difficult teaching; many who had been following, identifying as disciples, could not stomach it. It points to a commonality of attraction to Jesus, but a scarcity of those who could sustain faith through His challenging self-revelation.
- "...when they heard this saying...": This directly links the disciples' departure to the preceding discourse on the Bread of Life (John 6:22-59). Their leaving is a consequence of hearing, processing, and rejecting the deeper spiritual meaning of His words.
- "...were hardened against Him.": This is crucial. The difficulty of the saying led not to humble inquiry, but to an unyielding, resistant stance towards Jesus Himself. It suggests an internal spiritual impediment that prevented understanding and acceptance.
John 6 66 Bonus Section
The teaching that caused this departure (eating His flesh and drinking His blood) is a foundational element in understanding Jesus’ unique role as the divine sustainer of life. While often interpreted sacramentally, at its core, it signifies a deep, vital union with Christ, where believers partake of His life, His sacrifice, and His resurrected power. Those who left could not comprehend this spiritual incorporation. The Greek word skleros (hard) implies an inner disposition, rather than just an intellectual disagreement. This same kind of hardness is seen in Pharaoh and in the Israelites in the wilderness, showing a recurring theme of divine judgment and human resistance to God’s truth when it confronts their preconceptions and desires.
John 6 66 Commentary
Jesus' teaching about being the Bread of Life was not merely symbolic for many; they perceived it as literal and repulsive. The rejection here stems from a fundamental misunderstanding, rooted in a hardness of heart towards Jesus’ divine claims. They sought earthly bread, not spiritual sustenance. This moment highlights the critical difference between following Jesus for worldly benefits versus true, obedient faith that accepts His full authority and unique identity, even when His words are challenging to human understanding. It's a stark illustration of how superficial commitment crumbles when faced with the cost of genuine discipleship, revealing those whose faith is not rooted in understanding Christ’s spiritual reality and divine origin.