July 7
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MANY DISCIPLES WITHDREW FROM FOLLOWING JESUS
66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” 71 Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
– John 6:66-71
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The previous verses before this led to many disciples withdrawing from following Jesus. They heard Jesus’ revelation of how everything comes from God and that He is the one who chooses who will be his people. Unbelief consumed some of the other disciples that hindered them from hearing truth. Isn’t this so true today with some Christians? We commit our lives to Jesus without counting the cost of what it takes to be a true disciple. Many of us heard wrong gospels that do not speak truth about who really Christ is and what are the requirements of being a disciple. It is sad to watch many churches cater to numbers to rise up instead of bringing the true gospel. I have observed many churches that looked more like organizations and clubs rather than a place for the body of Christ to grow in order to bring glory to the Lord. Many just grow in population, some members come and go as they please, other churches just have programs and fund-raising or projects to achieve. In a church I became a member of for six years, there was even no vision. In verse 67, Jesus asks the twelve disciples whom he personally chose if they also wanted to go? It is a test whether despite what he revealed to them, they will still choose to continue to follow His way. Once again, we witness Jesus’ divinity when he made a statement in verse 70-71 about Him personally picking the twelve of them and yet, one of them is going to betray Him. Of course, He knew already who was to betray despite Him not telling them which one of them is of the devil. This revelation leads us to a deeper analysis of the character of Jesus worth emulating. It shows that despite His deity, He never boasts about it. He kept quiet because He is operating in God’s timing, it wasn’t the right time yet. We also see how He does things in accordance to God’s will and never on impulse or of His own will. Obedience, humility and total surrender to God are evident here.
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REFLECTION
• Have you count the cost of being a disciple? What are your struggles as a disciple?