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"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (John 6:66). Why would a disciple abandon his Master?
Some leave because they object to something he has said. Though God's commandments are not grievous, they sometimes go against our grain, thus testing our willingness to obey (Hebrews 5:8, 9).
Others leave because of social pressure, the fear of what their friends will think of them. "The fear of man bringeth a snare" (Proverbs 29:25), and the strongest of men often fall into it. Aaron made the golden calf, Peter denied the Lord, and Barnabas joined in with hypocritical brethren, all because of the fear of man.
A self-sufficient attitude moves some to forsake the Lord. Like the rich fool, they have all they need--or at least they think they do. Someone said, "The only thing on earth money won't buy is happiness; the only place money can't get you is heaven." It is difficult for wealthy men to recognize their poverty-stricken condition before God (Matthew 5:3).
The love of sin pulls some away from Jesus. Unlike Moses who chose to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, they live merely to enjoy the sensual pleasures of this life. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26a).
Rick Duggin
