If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must
follow me (John 21:22).
Jesus is talking to Peter after he has just had a very important encounter
with him. This encounter is one of the last ones Jesus will have with Peter.
This is the third time Jesus has shown himself to the disciples after His
resurrection. It is the famous dialogue between Jesus and Peter in which
Jesus asks Peter if he loved Him three times. Jesus answered Peter with the
command, “Feed my sheep.” Jesus goes on to foretell of Peter’s future death.
As they are walking together, John is with Peter and Jesus. Peter asks Jesus
about John and whether he will die also. Jesus reacts to Peter’s comment
sharply and tells him not to worry about what John’s role or purpose is in
life. All he had to do was worry about fulfilling his own purpose.
As business people we tend to measure our success on whether we have
achieved a certain position or stature in life. Even as Christians the
temptation to believe that someone is blessed if they have achieved
prominence is always confronting us. Jesus was getting at the very heart of
the matter of a person’s calling in his discussion with Peter. Peter was
worried about whether his friend John was going to get the same lot in life
as he was. Jesus told him it should not be his concern. He was to concern
himself only with one thing: his own calling before God.
Are you tempted to compare yourself with where others are in their life? Are
you dissatisfied with where God has you right now? Be of good cheer, my
friend, “be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6)