John 6:66-71
Life Group Questions:
1. If you were not able to hear this week’s sermon, consider going to the church website and listening to it. What are some main ideas that you gathered from the sermon? What, if any, questions did the sermon cause for you or do you desire to have additional clarification?
2. Discuss the main reason many of Jesus’ disciples were departing from Him (cf. vs. 66). What was it about Jesus that caused them to leave? What was it about the teaching of Jesus that caused them discomfort (cf. John 6:1-64)? How does this occurrence compare with the state of Christianity today? Explain.
3. Why do you think John refers to the people who quit following Jesus as “disciples” (vss. 60, 66)? What is the difference between calling those people who left Jesus as disciples and referring to the twelve as disciples? Is disciple a relevant term today for those who follow Christ; should we use it? Explain.
4. Look through this passage and the previous section (vvs. 60-65) and point out some of the key descriptors of Jesus’ deity. In what way(s) does John show us that Jesus was distinct from all other people? How should this affect us?
5. List some things that often draw people away from God. Describe why it is foolish to depart from God for those things. What are some ways in which the world attempts to lure you away from God? Have you ever felt God asking you, or struggled with the question, “you do not want to leave Me also, do you?”
6. Compare Peter’s confession in response to the question of Jesus. What does Peter’s confession reveal about him? What does Peter’s confession reveal about the work of the Spirit (cf. vs. 63)? How does this confession compare with the one in Matthew 16:13-20? How does your confession compare with Peter’s?
7. Describe the response of Jesus to Peter’s confession. Why do you believe Jesus responded the way He did? Have you ever struggled with the tension of your choosing God and God choosing you (cf. Galatians 4:9)? Explain any thoughts. Describe the relationship between faith and knowledge; which comes first?
8. What does it mean that Jesus chose Judas? Did Jesus’ choosing of Judas make God a participant or somehow guilty of Judas’ sin (cf. Matthew 26:24)? Explain. Did Jesus choose Judas because He knew Judas would betray Him (foreknowledge) or was His choosing made in order that Judas would betray Him (divine providence)? Explain.