WHAT IS THAT TO YOU?

WHAT IS THAT TO YOU? JOHN 21:20-22 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! (ESV) The final chapter of the Gospel of John is filled with examples of how to live as a Christian. The chapter opens with seven disciples which decided to go fishing. This group included Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and two others that were not named. They had fished at night and as dawn was breaking, Jesus was fixing breakfast on the shore. At first they had not identified Jesus as the cook. Jesus asked them if they had caught any food and they replied that they had not. Jesus gave them a familiar suggestion, one he had used twice before, Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. So they did and they could not handle all the fish that they had caught. The Apostle John was the first one to recognize that it was Jesus that was giving fishing advice. Simon Peter dove in and swam to the shore while everyone else brought the fishing boat to shore. When they arrived on the beach, breakfast of bread and cooked fish was on the grill. (Funny how they went fishing and Jesus had fish on the grill). This was the third time that Jesus had appeared unto the disciples and they all knew it was Jesus. This is the point that Jesus confronts Simon Peter concerning love. John 21:15-19 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my lambs. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Tend my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Do you love me? and he 1 P a g e

said to him, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. (ESV) The 21 st chapter of John has Jesus asking several questions: Children, do you have any fish? Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? (Perhaps, do you love me more than these other disciples? Or do you love me more than fishing?). Simon, son of John, do you love me? Simon, son of John, do you love me? That brings us to today s passage and the last question. Who Is The Object of Your Vision? 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? Following Jesus command to feed my sheep, Peter s eyes fall off of the Savior and his focus is drawn to John. Jesus charge to Peter was personal and direct. Under the gaze and criticism from the Master, Peter looks elsewhere than into the eyes of Jesus. It is always interesting to me that John takes such lengths not to call out his name when he writes about himself. It is as if he is distancing himself from the other John in his Gospel; John the Baptist. Instead he refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. (John 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20) and the other Apostles recognize John as the disciple whom Jesus loved. What a beautiful portrayal of the Love of God the disciple whom Jesus loved. It is not that John was set up as the only disciple that Jesus loved, but John had a special place in the ministry of Jesus the Messiah. As such, it was John, who was identified as being near the cross when Jesus was crucified. It was John that Jesus gave care over His earthy mother. It is John that was tasked with writing the Gospel, and three epistles. He was also given the great privilege to write the Revelation of Jesus. And, as Peter identifies him as the one who sat next to the Christ on the evening before His crucifixion at the dinner table. It was John who responded immediately to Jesus statement, Lord, who is it? (John 13:21-25) 2 P a g e

Deflecting the Focus Off of Ourselves When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? When deflecting criticism, it is easy to focus on the failures of others and say, Well, I am better than they are. Many Christians justify their less than God-honoring lifestyle by comparing themselves to others. It is easy to hide behind the failures of others or hide in a pack of hypocrites. However, we cannot live under the I am no worse than that person. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Here is the problem with that kind of thinking. The measuring stick of our holiness is not other humans, but God. He is the mark of righteousness that we are to strive to meet. Each one of us are accountable for our own sins. Romans 14:11 for it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. At the end of John s Gospel, the teaching centers on Peter and John. These two were the main players of the twelve, and Jesus disciple them. They, along with James, were the inner circle. They spent more time with the Christ and He gave them more time and teaching. Jesus had just spoken of the kind of death that Peter would suffer, so this question is probably, By what death with John die? It could be that Peter just wanted to know if he was the only one going to have to suffer towards the end. But in all honesty, that is not the language in which this is written. Looking at this question, Peter seems to be deeply concerned that John would have to endure the same manner of death. Either way, Peter has taken his mind off of the words of Jesus Feed my Sheep and is now focused on worldly matters; his own end. 3 P a g e

Eight Words That May Change Your Life Jesus said to him, If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me! It is hard to infer the body language or the tone of this last question from Jesus in this chapter. I do not see this question as one of harsh criticism towards Peter. I don t see this as exasperation on the part of the Savior. Instead I see it as a Jesus moving his focus back to the main point of the conversation Peter you have a ministry, feed my lambs and sheep until the day you die. Don t focus on your death, but on the task before you You follow me. People that surround you may be keeping you from doing what God has planned for you. Some may even put off making a decision about a personal relationship with the Savior because of others. The church is full of hypocrites! some proclaim. May I enlighten you this morning? That is a pretty accurate statement. The church is filled with people that sin every day. That is why we come together, as brothers and sisters to fellowship, learn and be challenged. I am not where I want to be, but I am so much better than where I once was. Perhaps the failure of a father, mother, sister or brother has kept you from making that decision. Perhaps you have a work environment where some proclaiming to be Christian, disappoint you over and over again. Maybe they have a holier than thou attitude or possibly they have just failed you when you needed the help the most. Remember, you are responsible for you and you alone. When you stand before God, your defense will not be, Well they did it! His reply could be something like what Jesus said to Peter; What do their failures have to do with you? You are responsible for the decisions you make and the actions you take. What if the reason you have put off becoming a Christian is that you have been hurt by Christians? What is that to you? You follow me. me. What if you envy other peoples talents, friends or position? What is that to you? You follow You must look past the disappointments and failures of others and put your gaze on the Savior. Conclusion I believe it is so easy to take our focus off of the ministry of enlarging the Kingdom of God and put our thoughts and efforts on things of the world. 4 P a g e

earthly good. I heard a preacher once say, Sometimes Christians can be so heavenly minded that they are of no Seven words that can change your life. What is that to you? You follow me. Robert C. Crowder 5 P a g e