John 6:60
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easy to miss here is that their complaint wasn't that Jesus' words were confusing, but that they were unpalatable. The original word translated "hard" implies something harsh, rough, or even repulsive, suggesting the disciples found the truth of His teaching unbearable, not just its meaning unclear. They weren't asking, "What does He mean?" but rather, "Who can possibly accept this?"
Jesus has just finished a lengthy discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum about being the Bread of Life, emphasizing that people must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. When many of those who had been following him heard these difficult words, they couldn't accept them and began to murmur their disbelief and offense. This reaction marks a turning point, causing a significant number of his followers to turn away from him.
Jesus shared some of the most profound truths of his ministry, but instead of drawing people closer, many disciples were pushed away. What made his words so difficult?
In John 6, Jesus delivers a challenging discourse about spiritual nourishment. He speaks of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, metaphors for completely receiving and participating in his life and sacrifice. For many disciples, especially those with a more literal or nationalistic expectation of the Messiah, this teaching was deeply unsettling.
When Jesus' disciples grumbled, it wasn't just a simple disagreement. Jesus perceived something deeper going on within them. What did he see that they didn't see in themselves?
Jesus' response to the disciples' murmuring reveals his divine insight into the human heart. While they voiced their objection externally, Jesus understood the internal disposition that fueled their discontent.
Understand the original words
mathētai · Greek Noun
A follower or learner of Jesus. While used broadly, it often highlights those who hear the teaching but may struggle to comprehend or accept the full implications of discipleship.
sklēros · Greek Adjective
A term describing Jesus' teaching as difficult, demanding, or offensive. It implies that the content challenges human comprehension or moral expectations, necessitating a radical shift in perspective.
This moment highlights a critical turning point where Jesus' followers are forced to confront the spiritual, rather than the political or material, implications of his ministry, leading to a dramatic sifting of his audience.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus ministers in Galilee
After initial ministry in Judea, Jesus moves to Galilee where crowds follow Him, seeking material and political benefits rather than spiritual truth.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus teaches in the synagogue at Capernaum
Jesus delivers a profound discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum, explaining his identity and spiritual purpose, including the metaphor of eating his flesh and drinking his blood for eternal life.
Early 1st century AD
Disciples reject Jesus' teaching
Many of Jesus' followers find his teaching on spiritual sustenance and his divine identity 'hard' and 'repulsive,' leading them to abandon him.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus sifts his followers
Jesus, knowing the hearts of those present, questions the twelve apostles if they too will leave, prompting Peter's declaration of faith.
This passage describes the Israelites grumbling in the wilderness about the hardship of following God's commands, echoing the disciples' sentiment of finding God's ways difficult and almost unbearable.
Deuteronomy 8:3Jesus quotes this verse to show that true sustenance comes from God's word, not just physical bread, a concept that was central to His teaching in John 6 and that many found difficult to accept.
1 Corinthians 1:23This verse speaks of the 'stumbling block' of the cross and the foolishness of the Gospel to many, paralleling the disciples' reaction to Jesus' 'hard saying' which challenged their expectations of a triumphant Messiah.
Hebrews 5:11The author of Hebrews admonishes his audience for their spiritual dullness, noting that they have become 'dull of hearing' and are still in need of basic spiritual instruction, much like the disciples who struggled with Jesus' deeper teachings.
Proverbs 15:1This proverb states that a 'harsh answer' stirs up anger, but a 'gentle answer' turns away wrath, highlighting the contrast between a receptive heart that can handle difficult truths and a resistant one that rejects them outright.
calvinJohn 6:59-64: "These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum."
- He spoke these things in the synagogue. John points out the place, that we may know that there were many present, and likewise, that a sermon was delivered as on a weighty and important subject. But it immediately follows that out of so great a multitude there were scarcely to be found a very few who profited by it; and -- what is worse -- it proved to be the occasion of desertion to many who professed to be d…
expositorsJohn 6:60: "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?"
Chapter 15THE CRISIS IN GALILEE. “Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it? But Jesus knowing in Himself that His disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause you to stumble? What then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where He was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth n…
What's easy to miss here is that their complaint wasn't that Jesus' words were confusing, but that they were unpalatable. The original word translated "hard" implies something harsh, rough, or even repulsive, suggesting the disciples found the truth of His teaching unbearable, not just its meaning unclear. They weren't asking, "What does He mean?" but rather, "Who can possibly accept this?"
Jesus has just finished a lengthy discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum about being the Bread of Life, emphasizing that people must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. When many of those who had been following him heard these difficult words, they couldn't accept them and began to murmur their disbelief and offense. This reaction marks a turning point, causing a significant number of his followers to turn away from him.
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Many heard Jesus' words but couldn't accept them. Jesus then pointed to a crucial element needed for true understanding and life. What is it, and why is it so vital?
Jesus explains why his profound words about spiritual life were rejected by many: the missing element was the Spirit's work.
Early 1st century AD
Many disciples depart
Following the difficult discourse, a significant number of Jesus' disciples turn away and no longer walk with him.
Jesus has just finished a lengthy discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum about being the Bread of Life, emphasizing that people must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. When many of those who had been following him heard these difficult words, they couldn't accept them and began to murmur their disbelief and offense. This reaction marks a turning point, causing a significant number of his followers to turn away from him.
"When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”" — What's easy to miss here is that their complaint wasn't that Jesus' words were confusing, but that they were unpalatable. The original word translated "hard" implies something harsh, rough, or ev…
