John 6:69

John 6:69, in plain English

Peter goes further: We believe and we know that You are the Holy One of God. This is not blind faith. It is conviction born from experience.

Why it's here

Peter is not just staying because there is nowhere else to go. He is staying because he has experienced who Jesus really is.

Who's speaking

Peter continues speaking for the Twelve, pouring out a confession that comes from deep personal experience.

Where it sits in the story

There is a difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone. Peter has moved from curiosity to conviction. He has walked with Jesus long enough to know that this man is unlike anyone who has ever lived.

The scholarly reading

Peter's confession deepens: the Twelve have come to believe (pepisteukamen, perfect tense indicating settled conviction) and know (egnōkamen, experiential knowledge) that Jesus is ho Hagios tou Theou (the Holy One of God).

Language and setting

The title Holy One of God is rare and significant, used by demons who recognized Jesus (Mark 1:24) and here by Peter as a confession of faith. It emphasizes Jesus' consecrated, set-apart status before God.

Voice

Peter continues his confession, now using a distinctive christological title that acknowledges Jesus' unique relationship to God.

Significance

Peter's faith is both intellectual and experiential. The perfect tenses indicate a settled conviction born from walking with Jesus. They do not just believe about Him; they know Him as the Holy One set apart by God.

67So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?”

68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

69We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”

70Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”

71He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.

Read all of John 6 — Jesus feeds five thousand, walks on water, and then makes a claim so shocking that many of his followers abandon him on the spot.