"JUST FOLLOW ME!"

John 21

I love Peter.  I love to put myself in his place throughout the gospels and the Acts.  I love to just stop and think about how he must have felt in certain situations.  I love to puzzle over why he said or did certain things.  He was just such a guy!  I don’t even think for a second that I could measure up to Peter’s courage and determination.  At the same time, when I ponder his goof-ups I see myself and I can understand why he did what he did.  Maybe that’s why the Lord spoke so powerfully to me recently when I was reliving John 21.

On the night Jesus was betrayed Peter was in the courtyard of the high priest’s house and he found himself denying he even knew Jesus.  He went so far as to call on God to bring curses upon him if he was lying.  Then came that fateful call of the rooster and Peter must have just wanted to die!  After all, he was the one who swore he would die for Jesus!  He was the one who pulled his sword and struck out at the servant of the high priest!  He was the one who courageously followed along with John into the very property of the high priest!

After the crucifixion he couldn’t face the others.  Even when they were together Peter must have avoided making eye contact with the other guys.  He wasn’t even sure they knew what he had done but he sure felt like they knew!  Now Jesus was dead and he would never have a chance to prove himself, to make it up to Jesus.  He felt so worthless!

Still we see Peter seizing every opportunity to do something worthwhile.  Remember the day of resurrection?  When Magdalene reported that not in the tomb he jumped up and ran to the tomb!  Yes, John outran him but when he got there he actually went inside while John hesitated.  Then in John 21 Peter was the one who decided to go fishing.  He had to do something.  Couldn’t just sit there anymore.  And when John whispered that it was Jesus who had helped them catch the fish it was Peter who leaped into the water and swam ashore. 

Then we have the beautiful account of Jesus restoring Peter to ministry.  “Peter, do you love me more than all of this?”  Peter couldn’t answer quickly enough!  “Yes Lord, you know that I love you!”  Then came the words Peter had been longing to hear.  “Feed my lambs.”  Now I don’t want to go into all the arguments and questions surrounding this story.  The point is, Jesus lifted Peter up and made sure Peter felt forgiven and assured him he still had a place in the ministry.  Just beautiful!

But there is a difficult part to this too.  Jesus tells Peter that the day will come when he will be arrested and bound and crucified (John 21:18, 19).  This couldn’t have been easy to hear.  But Jesus again invites Peter to share in his life, ministry and death.  Jesus says those sweet words to Peter, “Follow me.”

Are you still with me?  Are you understanding Peter?  Can you sense the relief and release Peter must have felt in those moments?  When I read the next words in verse 20 I was stopped in my tracks.  “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them…When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’”

Did you see it?  Jesus had just told Peter to follow him and what did Peter do?  He turned around and saw John there!  Jesus had restored Peter to ministry, renewed his hope, and reassured him of forgiveness.  All he asked Peter to do was to follow him…and Peter turned around!  You can’t follow Jesus if you are looking backwards.  You have to keep your eyes ahead, fixed on him!

I heard the voice of the Lord in this passage.  “Follow me!  Don’t look around.  Don’t stop to see what other pastors are doing.  Don’t worry about what I’m doing in their churches.  Don’t even take a moment to measure what’s going in at New Hope.  Just follow me and leave all that to me.  If you follow me you can be assured that I’ll do what I plan to do in your life and ministry.”

What do you hear the Lord saying to you?  He asks you to simply follow him…