Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

John 21:21

For Meditation

Unbelievable, Peter.

After all that you’ve been through with the Lord – the warnings, the candid statements to you, your failures, your frustrations, His refreshing fellowship, and restoration this morning – is that what you can do to begin this journey with Him? When He commanded you to follow Him, did He include anyone in the conversation? Why then are you asking about the fate of John? Why not take time to ponder over what He has told you and ask Him for wisdom, strength, the courage to face the future?

By the way, why did you look back? Do you realize your problem? You did the same thing when Jesus invited you to come to Him on the sea, the night you walked on water by His power. You know how it would have ended for you, had it not been for His grace (Matt. 14:29-30). Again, remember when you compared yourself with the others at the Passover table, thinking you were stronger than them and made those boastful claims. How about your fall in Gethsemane and the high priest’s court? Just yesterday, you looked back again and picked up your old trade. The result is still fresh to instruct you, reminding you of His grace. So why do you keep looking back?

God help us. For this is the problem of us all. We hear His word. It cuts through our heart and we squirm. We look back and around to see how others are doing. We want to know why it is us and not them. We are tempted to think we have been more faithful to Christ than them and we deserve better. You know how it feels and where it gets us. We get distracted and start following from a distance. Meanwhile, the Lord waits to continue the journey with us.

Maybe Peter has forgotten how he “followed at a distance” when they arrested Jesus (Lk. 22:54). It was a sign of cowardice, which was confirmed by his denials shortly after (55-62).

The Hebrews writer has it right about focusing on ourselves. If we must follow Him, we must fix “our eyes on Jesus, [and Him alone who is] the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). And as Paul said, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” (2 Cor. 10:12).

What the Lord is telling us is what He finally told Peter. “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”