Your Eyes on Your Own Paper Text: John 21:20-23
Introduction: The Great Distraction
We have come to the end of John's gospel, to this appendix on the beach, where the resurrected Lord is restoring His chief apostle. Peter, having denied the Lord three times by a charcoal fire, has now been graciously reinstated three times by another charcoal fire. He has been fed, forgiven, and commissioned. Jesus has just told him what his future holds, that he will die a martyr's death, stretching out his hands where he does not want to go. And then He gives him the foundational command of all discipleship: "Follow Me."
And what is Peter's immediate response? He turns, sees John, and immediately gets distracted. "Lord, what about this man?" This is one of the most common, most persistent, and most corrosive temptations in the Christian life. It is the sin of comparison, the sin of envy, the sin of worrying about another man's race instead of running your own. It is the temptation to take your eyes off the Lord and to put them on the person in the next lane.
We live in an age that has weaponized this temptation. Social media is a finely tuned engine for generating envy and comparison. We scroll through curated highlight reels of other people's lives, their successes, their families, their ministries, and the question bubbles up in our hearts, unbidden but powerful: "Lord, and what about this man?" Why does he have it so easy? Why is his ministry growing faster? Why is his family so perfect-looking? Why doesn't he have to suffer the way I do? Or, conversely, why is he suffering so much when he seems so faithful?
This is a spiritual disease, and it is deadly. It will rob you of your joy, poison your gratitude, and paralyze your obedience. And the Lord's response to Peter is His response to us. It is a sharp, necessary, and ultimately liberating rebuke. It is a command to mind our own business, in the best possible sense. The business of our discipleship is between us and the Lord Jesus, and no one else.
The Text
Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?"
Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!"
Therefore this saying went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"
(John 21:20-23 LSB)
The Inquisitive Glance (v. 20-21)
Let's look at the setup for this temptation.
"Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, 'Lord, who is the one who betrays You?' So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, 'Lord, and what about this man?'" (John 21:20-21)
Jesus has just given Peter his marching orders. "Follow me." This is a call to a specific kind of death, a specific kind of martyrdom. It is a hard calling. And in that moment, Peter turns. The text is very clear. Jesus is walking, and Peter is meant to be following Him. But he turns around. That's the first mistake. His eyes are supposed to be fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith, but instead, he looks behind him.
And who does he see? He sees John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." John makes a point of identifying himself not by his own name, but by his relationship to Christ. He is the one who enjoyed a unique intimacy with the Lord. He was the one at the Last Supper who was close enough to ask the most sensitive of questions. There was a history here. Peter and John were friends, partners in ministry, but there was also, no doubt, a friendly rivalry. And now, having just received a very difficult prophecy about his own future, Peter sees John, and the comparison bug bites him hard.
"Lord, and what about this man?" You can almost hear the tone. "Okay, I get it. I'm going to die a horrible death. Fine. But what about him? What's his story going to be? Is he going to get the easy path? Does he get to live to a ripe old age while I'm being crucified upside down?" This is the voice of the flesh. It is the voice of self-pity laced with envy. It is the logic of the disgruntled older brother in the parable of the prodigal son. "I've been serving you all this time, and you never gave me a goat, but when this son of yours comes home..." It's the same spirit.
Peter is measuring his calling against John's. He is trying to evaluate the fairness of God's sovereign assignments. This is a fool's errand. God does not deal with His children on an assembly line. He is a master craftsman, and He fashions each of us for a unique purpose and a unique path. To compare your calling to another's is like a hammer complaining that it is not being used as a screwdriver. It is to misunderstand both your own design and the wisdom of the craftsman.
The Sovereign Rebuke (v. 22)
Jesus' reply is swift, sharp, and utterly essential for us to hear.
"Jesus said to him, 'If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!'" (John 21:22 LSB)
The Lord does not entertain the question. He does not give Peter a rundown of John's future ministry. He rebukes the premise of the question itself. The first part of His response establishes His absolute sovereignty. "If I want him to remain until I come..." Jesus asserts His lordship over John's life, his death, and his entire timeline. He is saying, in effect, "John's life is My business. I am the Lord of his story, just as I am the Lord of yours."
Jesus posits a hypothetical. What if I want John to live until the Second Coming? What if he never dies? This is a statement of raw, sovereign prerogative. The word is "if I will" it, or "if it is my desire." The destiny of every single believer is held in the hand of the sovereign Christ. Some are called to a long life of quiet faithfulness. Others are called to a short, spectacular martyrdom. Some are given public platforms; others are given sickbeds. Some are given ten talents; others are given two. The master of the house distributes these assignments as He sees fit, and He is not obligated to explain His reasoning to the servants.
Then comes the piercing question: "what is that to you?" This is a divine brush-off. It is the biblical equivalent of "mind your own business." Or, more accurately, "mind the business I have given you." The details of John's life are, frankly, none of Peter's concern. Peter's concern is Peter. His assignment is his own obedience. His focus is to be on the Lord in front of him, not the disciple behind him.
And then Jesus repeats the original command, but this time with a sharp, personal emphasis. "You follow Me!" The "you" is emphatic in the Greek. "Stop looking at him. You. Follow. Me." This is the great corrective. The cure for the wandering eye of envy is to fix your gaze back on Christ. The cure for comparing your lot with others is to remember the one who appoints your lot. Your race is your race. Your cross is your cross. Your calling is your calling. Run your race. Carry your cross. Fulfill your calling. Keep your eyes on your own paper.
The Rumor Mill Corrected (v. 23)
John, the author of this gospel, includes a final clarification, showing how easily these kinds of sideways conversations can get twisted.
"Therefore this saying went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, 'If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?'" (John 21:23 LSB)
This is a fascinating little insight into the life of the early church. They were just like us. A comment from Jesus gets overheard, passed along, and before you know it, a rumor is born. "Did you hear? John is never going to die!" People love this kind of inside information, this secret knowledge.
But John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, sets the record straight. He is a careful historian. He says, "That's not what Jesus said." Jesus did not make a promise; He stated a sovereign hypothetical in order to rebuke Peter. The point was not about John's lifespan; the point was about Peter's focus. John's inclusion of this detail serves two purposes. First, it demonstrates his commitment to accuracy. But second, and more importantly, it reinforces the main point of the story. The whole "John will not die" rumor was a product of the very distraction Jesus was correcting. The church got sidetracked by the hypothetical instead of grabbing hold of the central command: "You follow Me!"
We do the same thing. We get tangled up in eschatological speculation, in arguments about secondary matters, in debates over how God is dealing with this ministry or that Christian celebrity, and all the while, we are neglecting the simple, direct, personal command that is ringing in our own ears: "You follow Me."
Conclusion: The Liberating Command
So what is the application for us? It is direct and deeply personal. God has given you a life. He has given you a family, a church, a job, a set of gifts, and a set of trials. That is your assignment. It has been custom-designed for you by a sovereign and good God for your sanctification and for His glory.
Your neighbor's assignment is different. And it is none of your business. To envy his blessings is to insult the God who gave them to him. To question his trials is to question the wisdom of the God who is refining him. Both are forms of pride. Both assume that you know better than God how the world ought to be run.
The command, "You follow Me!" is therefore a great liberation. It frees you from the exhausting, soul-crushing burden of comparison. You do not have to keep up with anyone. You do not have to measure up to anyone. You are not in competition with any other believer. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ, and your one and only task is to fix your eyes on Him and follow where He leads you, one step at a time.
When you are tempted to look at another Christian's life and ask, "Lord, what about him?" you must hear the Lord's gentle but firm rebuke. "What is that to you? That is My affair. I am his Lord, and I will care for him. I am your Lord, and I have a path for you. Look at Me. Listen to Me. You follow Me." In this is peace. In this is freedom. In this is fruitful and faithful discipleship.