Simon
Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
John 6:68-69
John 6 [66.] At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You don’t also want to go away, do you?”
John 6 [68.] Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
John 6 [70.] Jesus answered them, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” Now he spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for it was he who would betray him, being one of the twelve.
Meaning:
The day after Jesus fed the five thousand, crowds followed him to Capernaum hoping for more bread. In the synagogue there he taught that he himself is the bread of life, and that people must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life (John 6:53-54). Many found this teaching offensive and stopped following him. Jesus then turned to the twelve and asked whether they too wanted to leave. Peter’s answer is one of the great confessions of faith in the Gospels: there is nowhere else to go, because only Jesus has the words of eternal life.
- A day of departures
John 6 begins with a crowd so enthusiastic that they wanted to make Jesus king by force, and ends with many disciples walking away. The crowds wanted a provider of bread and a political deliverer, not a Saviour who would give his flesh for the life of the world. Jesus did not soften his words to keep them. He explained that “the words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life” (John 6:60-63), but he let people make their choice.
In the ancient world a “disciple” was a learner who followed a rabbi, often literally walking with him from place to place. To “walk no more with him” meant abandoning his teaching and his company.
- “Lord, to whom would we go?”
Peter does not claim to understand everything Jesus has said. His answer is honest and humble: the alternatives are empty. The religious leaders, the popular teachers and the political movements of the day could not give life. Only Jesus speaks “the words of eternal life,” words that bring a person into a living relationship with God now and forever.
Peter’s words also express the heart of discipleship. Faith sometimes means holding on to Jesus when we cannot fully explain his ways, because we know who he is.
- “The Christ, the Son of the living God”
Peter adds, “We have come to believe and know.” Faith and knowledge belong together: trust in Jesus has grown into settled conviction through time spent with him. His confession closely matches the one he made at Caesarea Philippi in the other Gospels (Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29). Some of the oldest manuscripts of John read “the Holy One of God” here, the same title an unclean spirit used of Jesus in Capernaum’s synagogue (Mark 1:24); either way, Peter confesses Jesus as the unique one sent from God.
- A sobering reply
Jesus responds that he chose the twelve, yet one of them, Judas, “is a devil.” Even among the closest followers, outward association is not the same as true faith. The contrast between Peter and Judas warns every reader to examine whether we follow Jesus for who he is or for what we hope to get.
The Significance of John 6:68-69
- When teaching is hard
There are times when the words of Jesus challenge our comfort, our understanding or our desires. Peter shows us what to do: stay with Jesus, because he alone has the words of eternal life.
- Faith that grows into knowledge
Peter’s “we have come to believe and know” describes a faith that deepens through walking with Christ. Believers today grow in the same way, through Scripture, prayer, fellowship and obedience, until we too can say with confidence who Jesus is.
Cross-References:
Matthew 16:16: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter makes the same confession at Caesarea Philippi.
John 6:63: "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life." Jesus’ words give life, which is why Peter refused to leave him.
Acts 4:12: "There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!" Peter later preaches what he confessed here: there is no one else to go to.
John 20:31: "but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John wrote his Gospel so that readers would share Peter’s faith and receive eternal life.
Conclusion: When many turned away, Peter spoke for the twelve: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.” His words have comforted believers in every generation who have faced hard teaching, doubt or the pull to walk away. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and there is no one else who can give eternal life.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible