Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” John 21:20-22
If you want to see how frail we are as followers of the Lord you need go no further than this passage. Peter has been restored to service.
If he is willing to acknowledge Christ fully, even to his death, then he is to follow the Lord. The Lord’s instructions have been given.
Peter turned Peter turns to follow the Lord. His decision is made. He will follow the Lord even to the death. At this point we can picture Peter with his nose in the Lord’s back. He is ready and willing to go wherever the Lord leads. He will not lose focus again.
And saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” As Peter turns he sees His comrade John. (John wants us to know that this is him so he provides double verification of his identity.)
When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus The sin that so easily besets Peter (and us) attacks him again. Despite the Lord’s command, he becomes distracted with others, not the Lord. Whether it is fear of men and what they can do to us or coveting another man’s path,
turning our eyes on men rather than the Lord always leads us astray.
“Lord, what about this man?” Peter wants to know. Is he the only one that will suffer a horrible death; is he the only one who must die? Will John have to suffer too?
Jesus said to him Once again the word of God speaks directly to Peter. He gives him (and us two thousand years later) a direct answer.
“If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Following the Lord means accepting His will for your life. God has a different will and a different path for every one of His children. Each path has been designed by God for that child to bring Him glory. If it is the Lord’s will that John should live until the second coming of the Lord, that is God’s prerogative alone.
You follow me! The Lord restates the command that must govern Peter’s (and our) life. He cannot live another believer’s life – that is not his path, he is to do what that Lord has laid out for Him. The word follow used in the context of discipleship means to obey the Lord’s will physically, spiritually and without question. This is the path to faithfulness.
What can we learn? The Lord’s command to Peter is a direct and personal call to discipleship. The Greek word for follow indicates a continuous and committed relationship with Jesus. The Lord calls Peter to follow Him with his whole heart regardless of the path others are called to. The Lord asks for a radical commitment, a commitment which requires one to forsake everything else. For Peter that means the sin of fear and focus on others which so easily bests him.
There is a second lesson here. The Lord states the command “follow me” in the continuous tense. Start and don’t quit! This is a reminder to Peter that his commitment to the Lord to this point has been sporadic. The Lord calls him to continually keep his eyes on the Lord and follow him consistently, without ceasing. YOU follow ME without ceasing!
Third, the Lord uses the second person pronoun in his command. This makes it read “You must follow me”. This tells us this command is personal. Each of us is to keep our eyes on the Master and His path for us – a simple but single focus on our Lord.