This past Sunday my Pastor used John 6:60 for his sermon text. That particular passage reads as follows: “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”

His thought was basically “Jesus had a lot of followers while everything seemed to be going well. However, once Jesus began to talk about spiritual matters, and the hardships that would soon come upon himself and his followers, many of them left and walked no more with Jesus. (John 6:66)

Jesus’ message was powerful and my pastor’s exposition of that text was moving. So much so that it gave me the idea and title “Team Jesus” for this article. One of my other brothers in Christ often reminds me that I need to do a better job explaining how the events recorded in the Bible apply to us today. So, this is another of my feeble attempts to explain how the events recorded nearly 2,000 years ago are relevant for us today.

First, in order to relate how these ancient events apply to people living in 2024, we must understand who the original audience is, or rather, was. Jesus’ original recipients of his teaching was not you nor I, but rather it was those people living 2,000 years ago who witnessed the things Jesus both said and did. (See 2 Peter 1:16) More specifically it was all of his disciples (pupils/learners/students), including his hand-picked 12 Apostles. Just to be clear at various points in his ministry, Jesus had many, many followers or disciples, not just the 12.

For the record let’s briefly list some of the events recorded by John the son of Zebedee thru roughly the midpoint of John Chapter 6:

John 1
• John the Baptist, as prophesied, declares Jesus to be the Messiah/Christ
• Jesus is Baptized by John, effectively anointing Jesus as the Christ
• Jesus’ first two Apostles/disciples called, others soon follow
John 2
• Jesus’ first miracle, water into wine at the marriage in Cana of Galilee
• Jesus clears the temple of money changers
John 3
• Nic at Night (Nicodemus questions Jesus about his identity)
• John the Baptist confirms to the Jewish leaders that Jesus is the Messiah
John 4
• Jesus reveals he is the Messiah to the Samaritan Woman at the well
John 5
• Pool of Bethesda miracle Jesus heals the lame man on the Sabbath
• Jesus rebukes the unbelieving Jewish leadership
John 6
• Jesus goes over the Sea of Galilee and a great multitude of people are following him because they saw his healing miracles
Note: At this point in John’s narrative New fans are being added to Team Jesus in masses!
• Jesus feeds the multitude of followers with five loaves and two small fishes
• John 6:14-15,19: Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. [15] When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Hum! Now let’s think about verses 14-15 for a moment. This great number/multitude of followers which have witnessed Jesus fulfill prophecy after prophecy, miracle after miracle, are now ready to carry Jesus to Jerusalem and by force make him King. Seems like everyone is on Team Jesus. They likely asked themselves questions such as: Is not Jesus the promised Messiah or anointed one? Is it not God’s plan for Jesus to sit on the throne of Israel in Jerusalem and rule as King? Surely this must be God’s plan?

John tells his readers that when Jesus heard the multitudes plan to make him King that Jesus “departed again into a mountain himself alone.”

We 2024 readers living on the resurrection side of the cross and having all four Gospel narratives need to ask ourselves a question: Did Jesus go to a mountain “alone” earlier in his ministry? Yes, Jesus did go “alone” to a mountain earlier in his ministry!

While on that first mountain trip, Satan came to Jesus offering him all the Kingdoms of this world, to which Jesus promptly replied “get thee behind me Satan.” At one point Jesus earnestly tells his 12 Apostles his true plan to be a suffering King who would die at Jerusalem. Peter even rebuked him, to which Jesus also replied “get thee behind me Satan.”

Now while Jesus was on the mountain alone, his closest disciples decided to enter into a ship. Jesus’s men next start rowing out to sea heading toward Capernaum. While on the way the wind got up and the seas became rough. Then the disciples see Jesus walking on the water. To calm their fear Jesus announces “it is I, be not afraid” and they welcome him into the ship, which immediately arrives at the destination. When the multitude of people left behind realized Jesus and his closest men had left, they boarded ships for Capernaum looking for Jesus.

Let’s pick up with John’s narrative at that point:

John 6:25-27 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? [26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. [27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Someone once said; “The multitude didn’t really love Jesus, they loved what was on the masters table!” As long as Team Jesus appeared to be easily winning every battle then all his followers were happy. However, just as soon as things didn’t go as smoothly or go the way Team Jesus’s followers thought they should, then the people began to murmur and complain.

Here Jesus begins to draw heavily upon the Exodus narrative from the Old Testament. Much as he did with Nicodemus, Jesus is using a natural event from Israel’s history, to relate a spiritual concept about God. He is using these O.T. events to show himself not as vengeful conquering King, but rather as a humble servant King. I am sure at this point that no one on Team Jesus realized that he was going to allow himself to be sacrificed, just like the Passover lamb from the Exodus account. However, what they did realize was that Jesus was not going to be the kind of Messiah the people wanted.

Therefore, the people began to murmur and complain about the way Team Jesus was going. Just like in Moses’ time, influential men began to fan the flames of discontent, hoping they could influence the outcome to their liking. The Pharisees and all the hypocrites from this point forward would imagine all kinds of falsehood, until ultimately the people would cry “away with such a man, crucify him!

Team fans are very fickle! The fans of Team Jesus 2000 years ago were very similar to sport team fans today. As long as things were going the way the fans think they should go, then the coach is the greatest guy ever. But, let one little hint of adversity befall the team and the followers will begin to complain. “That coach has lost his mind, if he keeps going down that path our team will be in last place!” Fire Coach Billy-Joe-Tom-Bob-Parker*.

John 6:66-69 KJV
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. [67] Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? [68] Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Let’s not be like bandwagon sports fans. Let us stick with Team Jesus in good times or bad times.

*Walker Johnson-Disc Jockey-Knoxville-TN-CP & Walker-WRJZ-AM-1979(?)