The above words were spoken to Peter by our blessed Lord, in a meeting with His disciples on the shore of the sea of Galilee, after His resurrection. The occasion is one of great interest to us, and there are many different lines of truth contained in the account. But one story stands out clearly — the public restoration of Peter. Peter had failed seriously in denying his Lord and Master before the cross, but grace had worked repentance in his soul, and evidently the Lord had already had a private meeting with him. It is not recorded in the Gospels, but it is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:5: “He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.” Now, in John 21, he was to be publicly restored.
It is not my intention to dwell on the ways and means the Lord uses to restore Peter publicly, except to remark that He tests Peter’s love by asking him the same question three times: “Lovest thou Me?” (John 21:15-1715So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:15‑17)). But then He commits to Peter’s care that which was dearest to His heart — His lambs and sheep. We can only imagine how encouraging and uplifting this was to Peter, while at the same time humbling him, as he remembered how he had boasted of his love for his Lord in front of the other disciples.
Restoration
So it is today. God’s children may fail, and often do, but He loves to restore, and He works that same restoration in their hearts. The Lord Jesus could say to Peter, long before he had failed, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:3232But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:32)). His prayer was answered, for after Peter had failed and then “wept bitterly,” grace began the work of restoration in his heart. For each one of us, the Lord foresees failure long before it happens in our lives, and He begins to work toward our restoration.
“Follow Me”
The Lord also gives Peter some encouragement in another direction, by foretelling that he would, at some point when he was old, give his life for his Lord. None could follow the Lord Jesus into death when He went to the cross, but most of His disciples did in fact suffer martyrs’ deaths at some point. Peter’s will had been to give his life for his Lord, and later he was able to do this, but in the timing of God’s will, not Peter’s will. The Lord’s simple command after this was, “Follow Me.”
But then Peter, turning and seeing John, is moved to ask, “Lord, and what shall this man do?” (John 21:2121Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? (John 21:21)). The question was doubtless an honest one, stemming from Peter’s close friendship with John and genuine interest in what John might be given to do. Our Lord’s answer was short and brings in His coming: “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me” (John 21:2222Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. (John 21:22)). There are several lessons for us in this answer.
The Lord’s Will
First of all, it is important that we listen to the Lord’s will for ourselves, without being unduly occupied with what others are doing. Peter evidently had great affection for John, and their subsequent labors together demonstrate this clearly. But it is easy for us to compare ourselves with others and what the Lord has given them to do, and to have our eyes taken off the Lord. The Lord Jesus, no doubt, saw this tendency in Peter, and in a gentle way He told him that even if John were to remain until the Lord’s coming, that was no concern of Peter’s. Again the Lord’s command was, “Follow thou Me.”
This did not imply that Peter and John could not work together and be interested in what the other was doing. Rather, it was a warning to Peter not to allow his devotedness to the Lord to be sidetracked by an undue occupation with another’s work. Peter had already failed because he compared his faithfulness to that of others; now he must be ready to follow the Lord with a single eye, without any distraction.
The Lord’s Coming
Second, the Lord speaks of His coming and the possibility that John might remain alive on earth until He came back. The Lord had told His disciples of His return for them in John 14, but the full details of His coming before the tribulation were not given until Paul’s ministry. Immediately some seized on the Lord’s remark to broadcast the supposed fact that John would not die. But the Lord had not said this; He had only raised the possibility, to emphasize Peter’s responsibility to Him. Since Paul’s ministry, it has been the proper hope of the believer to expect the Lord to come at any moment. Although this hope was subsequently lost for many centuries, the Lord has graciously restored it to us, and many today enjoy that hope. But it must have seemed strange and new, yet wonderful, to the disciples in those early days to think that some might not die. But even if this were to be true of John, it was not Peter’s business, so to speak; his responsibility was to follow his Lord. The Lord might choose to reveal to Peter something of what lay in his future, but it was not for Peter to ask for such information about others.
Encouragement
Finally, it was a note of encouragement, not only to Peter, but also to all the disciples. Some might indeed die a martyr’s death, or even a natural death, but this was not necessarily to be their destiny. The Lord might well keep John alive, and perhaps others too, until He came. The Lord chose to reveal to Peter that he would eventually give up his life for his Lord, and later the same thing was revealed to Paul (2 Tim. 4:6). But these were exceptions, in that it was revealed to them that they would go through death. The proper hope of believers in this dispensation of God’s grace is to “wait for His Son from heaven” (1 Thess. 1:10). John did in fact die, although he outlived all of the other disciples. But he was used of the Lord to write the Book of Revelation, which gives us a panoramic history of the church in chapters 2-3, as well as details of God’s judgment on this world. In this way John did, in one sense, tarry until the Lord came.
In summary, then, we are encouraged by the hope of the Lord’s coming, and that some will be alive at that time, while at the same time we are warned that our primary duty is to follow the Lord and not to be concerned about the service of others.
“That I may undistracted be,
To follow, serve and wait for Thee.”
W. J. Prost