Introduction

Last week, we witnessed this beautiful moment as Jesus restored Peter from the damage he had done to himself through those three denials. Jesus loved Peter. So, in these following few verses, we see how Jesus assures Peter that he will never deny Him again. In fact, Jesus tells Peter that he would glorify God by dying a martyr’s death in old age. Those words that assured him of his faithfulness as a follower of Jesus also brought a grim reality of the kind of death he would suffer. Jesus invited Peter to follow Him. By the time the gospel of John was written, Peter had already suffered a violent death.

However, that day on the beach, while Peter walked and talked with Jesus, those prophetic words brought a bit of envy as he once again took his eyes off Jesus, but this time, he wasn’t looking at the storm that nearly caused him to drown, this time he was looking back at the “beloved disciple” with envy and comparison. Jesus’ path for Peter was uniquely his, and John’s path was likewise. So, Jesus asked, “What is it to you.” It was more of a statement than a question. Jesus calls each of us personally and uniquely to follow Him.

No Turning Back

• Upon hearing this, Peter immediately turns around and sees John following Him. John was the disciple who never left Jesus’ side, no matter the circumstances. John, the disciple who called himself the beloved of Jesus. John, the one who reclined on Jesus. John, the one entrusted with the care of Jesus’ mom.
• At that final Passover meal, John had sat next to Jesus at His right side (Jn 13:23-25). That was the place of highest honor, and if Jesus placed John there, it may have meant that He thought of him as more spiritually mature than the others.
• Those men cared about such things. They had spent time discussing among themselves which one of them was the greatest (Mk 9:33-34; Lk 9:46; 22:24). And to make the situation even worse, John’s mother had tried to arrange for her sons, James and John, to be given the most powerful positions in Jesus’ future kingdom (Mt 20:20-24).
• So, there may have been an element of jealousy in Peter’s question. If Jesus allowed him to be martyred, would John be martyred too? Or would John be spared a violent death, or maybe not die at all, but remain alive until the Lord’s return?
• How often do we get caught in these moments? We begin to see Jesus call us to a particular place or people, and instead of recognizing that God has made us and called us uniquely with a purpose, we become focused on others’ calls and gifts.
• If God said I’m going to ask you to serve me in a capacity that you will never see the results, would you still serve Him and follow through with what He has asked of you?
• Many times, we are a people who need to see immediate results, but God is working on the long game, and we just play a small part in His bigger plan.

Follow Me!

• In this passage, Jesus invited Peter to follow Him twice.
• When Jesus said these words to Peter, Jesus reminded Peter that he had said “yes” to that call years earlier.
• It was beside this same lake that Jesus had said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men (Mt. 4:19).
• Additionally, when He appointed Peter as one of the twelve to travel and minister alongside Him, He warned him, “He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of Me (Mt.10:38).”
• Jesus was challenging Peter to decide again. Those were the terms of their original agreement. Peter had accepted, but now all of that felt more real. He knew where his discipleship would lead him. Was Peter still committed?
• More than likely, no one in this room will experience a martyr’s death, but every true disciple will find that Jesus leads them to an authentic and painful surrender.
• He leads all of us to a place where we must die to our ambitions and live for Him.
• As believers, we will spend a lifetime saying “no’ to wrong desires from our flesh and temptations from the enemy.
• We will give more generously than we thought we could give. We will serve longer and more selflessly than we thought we were capable of serving.
• More than likely, sooner or later, we will suffer rejection, ridicule, and maybe even harsh treatment at the hands of those who are hostile towards God.
• Peter and John suffered immensely as the first followers of Jesus carrying a new faith in a dangerous environment.
• God calls us to walk that same path of surrender. He turns to us as He did the disciples and says, “Follow Me.” Same path but different assignments.

A Unique Assignment

• The Bible does not say that God has the same plan for everyone.
• It says that He is just to everyone. His love, attitude, and motives are the same for all, but that doesn’t mean He treats everyone the same way.
• He does what is right for each person.
• We might find ourselves questioning God. Why did something unfair happen to one person, but another person suffered a trial?
• We must be careful not to allow suspicion that God is unfair to linger in our hearts because we will grow bitter. After all, we believe He has unjustly withheld something we need or are proud of because our circumstances are better than someone else’s.
• Jesus simply told Peter that what would happen to John was none of his business. He needed to concern himself with living out his own assignment.
• If indeed Peter’s question was asked out of jealousy, the most troubling part of it was that it indicated that he suspected Jesus of favoritism.
• It would mean that he was worried that he was going to be martyred because Jesus didn’t love and value him as much as He loved and valued John.
• Of course, that assumption is entirely wrong. Jesus does not have favorites.
• John did not escape the horrors of martyrdom. He simply didn’t die in the attempt and was then exiled to a prison island where, because he had been miraculously delivered from the boiling oil, he was able to write the book of Revelation.
• So, Peter was not going to die a martyr’s death, while John would have an easy life to the end.
• Jesus replied to Peter’s question by telling him to quit comparing himself to others and focus instead on his own assignment. And then He reminded him of the call to discipleship to which he had said “yes” years earlier (Lk 9:23), which brought their awkward conversation to an end.
• Listen to some of these reflection questions. Your answers will expose whether or not you believe God is fair:
1. Are you grateful for the way God made you and where He has led you, or do you find yourself constantly comparing yourself with others?
2. When something good happens to someone else, are you glad, or do you feel jealous and wonder why God loves them more than you?
3. Can Jesus ask you to do something difficult without you becoming angry at Him?
4. If He asks you to give up something you enjoy doing, do you think He is being mean to you?
• If you answered yes to any of these questions, we must remind ourselves of two fundamental truths: Whatever God asks us to do is just and right because that is who He is. So, we cannot compare ourselves to someone else. Their path is their path, and our path is our path. Secondly, we may need to remind ourselves of the original terms of agreement to be Jesus’ disciples.
• He said, “Follow Me.” We said, “Yes.”

Conclusion

Jesus calls each of us personally and uniquely to follow Him. God’s love, attitude, and motives are the same for all, but that doesn’t mean He treats everyone the same way. His assignment is unique for each of us, and we cannot allow our hearts to grow bitter toward Him or become jealous of others as we compare ourselves to them. We have each been given the opportunity for forgiveness and restoration. We have each been given the opportunity to answer Jesus with a “yes” when He said, “Follow Me.” Now, we must decide if we want to accept His assignment for each of us.

Discussion Questions

What was the most difficult thing God ever asked you to do__?

Reveal Answer
Do you ever struggle with spiritual jealousy of others? How do you deal with it__?

Reveal Answer