Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 6:60

"Many therefore of his disciples, when the heard [this], said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" — John 6:60 (ASV)

The enigmatic words of Jesus puzzled some of the disciples just as much as they did the mixed crowd. “Disciples” (GK 3412) here refers to the total group of adherents who had attached themselves to Jesus, however loosely, not solely to the Twelve. Any who could not understand him or were unwilling to trust him completely withdrew. They lacked the spiritual perception to grasp his meaning.