John 6:70

My Notes

What Does John 6:70 Mean?

John 6:70 is Jesus acknowledging that He knowingly chose a traitor: "Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?"

The Greek ouchi ego hymas tous dōdeka exelexamēn — "Have not I chosen you twelve" — is emphatic. I chose. Not you applied. Not you volunteered. I selected. All twelve. Including the one Jesus now identifies as diabolos — a devil, a slanderer, an adversary. The word is the same used for Satan himself.

Jesus didn't discover Judas' treachery after the fact. He chose him knowing. The selection was deliberate. The betrayer was part of the plan from the beginning — not because betrayal is acceptable, but because God's sovereignty incorporates even the worst human choices into the redemptive design. Jesus chose twelve knowing one was a devil. He washed his feet anyway (13:5). He shared bread with him anyway (13:26). He called him friend at the moment of arrest (Matthew 26:50).

The verse comes after many disciples have left (6:66) and Peter has declared loyalty (6:68-69). Jesus' response to Peter's confession isn't celebration. It's sobering realism: yes, I chose you. And one of you is working for the other side. The inner circle isn't safe simply because Jesus assembled it.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Jesus chose Judas knowing he was a traitor. Does that change how you process the presence of untrustworthy people in your life?
• 2.Is there someone in your inner circle whose motives you suspect but haven't addressed? How does Jesus' example inform your response?
• 3.Jesus washed Judas' feet, shared bread with him, called him friend. Can you love someone you know is working against you? What would that cost?
• 4.The betrayal was woven into the plan. Have you seen God use someone's treachery to accomplish something they never intended?

Devotional

Jesus chose Judas. Knowingly. Deliberately. With full awareness of what was coming.

That's the detail that should rewire how you think about the people God puts in your life. Not everyone in your inner circle is on your side. And Jesus — who sees the heart, who knows the end from the beginning — allowed a devil into the twelve. He didn't filter Judas out. He included him. Washed his feet. Shared meals with him for three years. Called him to the same table, the same mission, the same intimate proximity as Peter and John.

Why? Not because Jesus was naive. Because the plan required it. The betrayal that would lead to the cross — the worst act of treachery in human history — was woven into the redemptive design. Judas' presence among the twelve wasn't a failure of Jesus' selection process. It was part of His sacrifice. He lived for three years with the man who would sell Him, knew it every day, and loved him anyway.

If there's someone in your life who is working against you from the inside — someone whose loyalty you've trusted who is operating with different motives — Jesus understood that experience from the first day of His ministry. He didn't remove the traitor. He incorporated the betrayal into His plan. Not because betrayal is acceptable. Because God's sovereignty is large enough to use even the devil in the room for purposes the devil can't see.

The inner circle isn't automatically safe. Jesus knew that. He built His ministry knowing it. And He went to the cross through it, not around it.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture