None of Our Concern

 “Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?””

John 21:22-23 ESV

 

We have a tendency to compare ourselves with others. And this is true in many ways. It is true when it comes to our appearance, our weight, and even our intellect. However, this also happens in terms of our faith.

 

In the church, we will often compare our gifts with those of other believers. We will compare our position or our station with that of others. We will compare our perceived influence with that of others. We will compare our calling with that of others. And we will compare our circumstances with those of others.

 

This often leaves us discouraged. It leaves us disheartened. And it does so because we feel that we have received the short end of the stick. We believe that others have it so much better than we do.

 

In John 21, Peter was doing the very same thing. After Jesus invited him to affirm his love for him, and reinstated him to his prior ministry, he gave to Peter some disturbing news. Jesus told Peter that he would die for his faith. He told Peter that he would be crucified.

 

He then called Peter to follow him. And although this spoke to the ministry he was to carry out, it also spoke to his death. Jesus was calling Peter to lay down his life for him. He was calling Peter to follow him in death.

 

Seeing John following behind them, Peter asked about him. He wanted to know if John would suffer the same fate.  He wanted to know if he too would die for his faith. And Jesus responded with the words we see above.

 

Jesus asked Peter: “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?  And, based on this statement, a rumor circulated among the disciples. The saying spread that John would not die.

 

However, as it is clarified for us, this is not what Jesus meant. Jesus was telling Peter that John’s future and that John’s calling was none of his concern. It was none of his business. He was simply to follow Jesus.

 

The same thing is true for each one of us. Although we like to compare ourselves with others, their calling, their circumstances, and their future, are not our concern. They are none of our business. We are to simply follow Jesus. We are to carry out the calling he’s given to us.