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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_6:66-71
66As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" 68Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." 70Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?" 71Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
Joh_6:67 "the twelve" This is the first use in John of this collective term for the Apostles (cf. Joh_6:70-71; Joh_20:24). See Special Topic at Joh_6:13.
Joh_6:68 "Simon Peter answered" Peter is the spokesman for the Twelve (cf. Mat_16:16). This is not to imply they saw him as their leader (cf. Mar_9:34; Luk_9:46; Luk_22:24).
▣ "You have the words of eternal life" Christianity is both (1) truth contained in a message, "words of eternal life," and (2) truth expressed in a person, Jesus. The Gospel, then, is both a message and a person. The term pistis can relate to both (1) a message (cf. Jud_1:3; Jud_1:20) and (2) a person (cf. Joh_1:12; Joh_3:15-16). See special Topic at Joh_2:23.
Joh_6:69 "We have believed and have come to know" These are both perfect active indicatives. Salvation here is in perfect tense which means a past, culminated act has become a settled state of being. True salvation involves all the Greek verb tenses. See Special Topic: Greek Verb Tenses Used for Salvation at Joh_9:7.
NASB, NRSV,
NJB "You are the Holy One of God"
NKJV "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"
TEV "You are the Holy One who has come from God"
There is a manuscript problem at this point. The shorter text (NASB, NRSV, NJB) is supported by the ancient Greek manuscripts P75, à , B, C*, D, L, and W. Later scribes obviously inserted the additional words from Martha's confession of Joh_11:27 or Peter's of Mat_16:16. The UBS4 gives the shorter text an "A" rating (certain).
The phrase of "Holy One of God" is an OT Messianic title. It is alluded to in Luk_1:35 and Act_3:14. It is the title by which the demonic addressed Jesus in Mar_1:24; Luk_4:34. See Special Topic: at 1Jn_2:20. This is another confession of faith by the Twelve, similar to Matthew 16.
Joh_6:70 "Did I Myself not choose you" This is another emphasis on the divine election of the disciples (cf. Joh_6:44; Joh_6:65). Notice Jesus' question of Joh_6:67. Divine election and human volition must remain in a biblical tension. They are two sides of a covenant relationship.
▣ "and yet one of you is a devil" What a startling statement! It does not refer to one of the fringe disciples who turned back (cf. Joh_6:66), but to one of the twelve chosen apostles who claimed faith in Him. Many have linked this to Joh_13:2 or 27. There are several questions related to our understanding of this verse: (1) why did Jesus choose a devil? and (2) what does the term mean in this context?
The first question has to do with predictive prophecy (cf. Joh_17:12; Psa_41:9). Jesus knew what Judas would do. Judas is the ultimate example of the unpardonable sin. He rejected Jesus after hearing, seeing, and being with Him for several years.
The second question has two possible meanings.
1. some relate this to the devil (used with no article for Satan in Act_13:10 and Rev_20:2) entering Judas (cf. Joh_13:2; Joh_13:27)
2. possibly the term is being used generically (no article as in 1Ti_3:11; 2Ti_3:3; and Tit_2:3)
Judas was an accuser in the OT sense, as was Satan (see Special Topic at Joh_12:31). The Greek term implies a slanderer or tale-bearer. The Greek term is a compound, "to throw across."
Joh_6:71 "Simon Iscariot" There are several theories concerning this word (the word is spelled differently in various Greek manuscripts). It could refer to
1. a man of Kerioth, a city of Judah
2. man of Kartan, a city of Galilee
3. the leather bag used to carry money
4. the Hebrew word for "strangling"
5. the Greek word for assassin's knife
If #1 is true he was the only Judean in the Twelve. If #5 is true he was a zealot like Simon.
There has recently been written a book that interprets Judas in a positive light. The book is entitled Judas, Betrayer or Friend of Jesus? by William Klassen, Fortress Press, 1996. My problem with it is that it does not take the comments in John's Gospel seriously.
▣ "betray" This Greek term is widely translated and in most contexts is neutral. However, in connection with Judas handing Jesus over to the authorities, it takes on sinister connotations. See note at Joh_18:2.
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