Lesson 21
It's you and Jesus.
"When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." John 21:21-22
Read John Chapter 21
The disciples go back to fishing and once again spend a whole night fishing and catch nothing, I mean Nothing!! Sound familiar. Jesus appears on the scene, tells them to throw their nets on the right side, they catch so many fish they can't haul the nets in....duh, go figure...it's Jesus giving the direction...hello!! And you've just gotta love Peter, once he realizes it's Jesus he's diving overboard and swimming full steam towards him. They eat some fish & bread together and Jesus questions Peter on his love and loyalty towards him and gives Peter the charge to "feed his lambs, take care of his sheep and feed his sheep." Sounds like Jesus is asking Peter to take on the role of a Shepherd, which all comes from loving Jesus! However, Jesus then gives Peter some sobering news about his future and his death....eeeek! Then Jesus says to Peter "Follow me."
And Peter's response is "Lord, what about him." Lol. If Jesus told me how and when I was going to die and it included a whole bunch of pain, I think I would have a similar response..."what about him? He can go in my place!" Either that, or like Jonah I would be on the next flight, train or bus outta here!! I have to admit, it's so easy to compare ourselves with others. That person is more attractive, he's got more toys, she has more friends, they have a bigger house, a fancier car, a cushier life, a brighter smile, a bigger church, a greater position, more notoriety, more power or adoration...the list goes on. And social media has launched these comparisons into the stratosphere 24/7 to a point that we can become dissatisfied and discontent. We want somebody else's life! Especially when life is hard!
Jesus' answer " Follow me." Follow Jesus. Keep your eyes and ears on Jesus. Follow him, not man, not woman, not others. He is God in the flesh. He is our source of love, of life, of everything and he has all the power to give us what we need; and like a good parent, a lot of what we want and desire. There will be great times following Jesus and there will be painful times following Jesus....but it will be an adventure and you will live life to the full with him. The choice is yours.
What do you want to do?
Some questions to ask.
1: The book of John ends here but do you want to know what happens to the disciples? Read the book of Acts.
2: Based on what you've read so far do you want to follow Jesus?
3: If you have doubts, can you pray and ask God for direction? He will make it clear.
4: In Lesson 19 we studied the torture and crucifixion of Jesus and asked why would he do it? If you want to know, I have given some scriptures as clues in the next lesson; simply called "The Clues." Do you want to find out?