What Shall This Man Do?
"Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me."
John 21:20-22 KJV
Say what you will about Peter, but I really like him! I like Peter because Peter would always asks the questions or make the statements that the other disciples only dared to think in their minds! Peter would often blurt out questions or utter declarations that would, at first glance, make him to appear foolish. But in reality, Peter was not the Lone Ranger; he just had the nerves or maybe the lack of common restraint to verbalize what the others would also be thinking! Call him impetuous if you will, but it is because of Peter that we have some insight into the Master’s mind that perhaps we, otherwise would not have been privileged to, had it not been for the impetuousness of Peter!
Yes! It was because of Peter’s impetuousness that he spoke out when Jesus was telling the disciples that they all would forsake him and flee. Peter said that although the others might forsake Jesus, he would stay him, even if it cost him his life! It was then that Jesus revealed that before the cock would crow, Peter would deny him three times! Well, those of us who are familiar with the details of our Lord’s passion know that it turned out exactly as Jesus said it would! Our Lord was taken, his disciples forsook him and fled, Peter vehemently denied him, not once, not twice, but three times, just as Jesus said he would!
Now, the setting of our text is after the resurrection. Jesus had appeared to his disciples before, but it seemed as if he appeared this time specifically with a word for Peter. No doubt, Peter was extremely disappointed in himself for his gross failure, and perhaps he wondered what the Lord thought of him. In this text, Jesus confronted Peter with his failure in order to restore him. And so, he asked the question; "Peter, lovest thou me more than these?" Now, I’m not going to expound upon that part of the conversation because that is not the focus of this preaching moment. But he asked that of Peter three times! Many Biblical scholars seem to think that it was to correspond with Peter’s three denials. At any rate, after Peter’s response, the Lord told him what the future would hold for him: He would die a martyr’s death! Then after Jesus had thus revealed this to Peter, it seem from the context of the text, that he got up and began to walk away, telling Peter to follow him. When he began to follow, Peter noticed that John was also following behind them and so he asked Jesus: "And Lord, what shall this man do?" In other words: "You have told me what is going to happen to me, but what I want to know is; what’s in store for this man? Will he die a martyr’s death also?’
Now, what is so interesting about this text is that it reveals that Peter was a lot like many of us! Look at his immediate response! Jesus had just told him how he was going to die, yet the first thing he wants to know is what’s going to happen to John! Now one might ask: What was Peter’s motivation in asking this question? Perhaps he couldn’t stomach the thought that he would be the only one to die a martyr’s death! You do know that misery loves company, don’t you? Somehow or another, we feel a little better when we know that we are not the only ones suffering or going through something! We take comfort in the thought of knowing that other folk are going through experiences similar to ours! And if we are not careful, we will let other folk’s experiences serve as an excuse for us not to do anything about our experiences. Let me show you what I am talking about: There are many people in the church who don’t do, simply because other folks are not doing! When they are confronted about their neglecting of duty, the first thing they say is: "Well, Sis So-in-so is not doing it either!" They fail to understand that God is not going to judge them based on what Sis So-in-so did or did not do! Their judgment will be based on what they did or did not do! Every man will have to see God for himself! My father used to say that every tub will have to sit on it’s own bottom! What others do not do is not a valid excuse for our failure to do what we should do!
Perhaps Peter wanted to know whether or not his experience would be unique or was it something that John would suffer also. There is a natural human tendency to always try to compare one’s experience with the experience of someone else! We always want to compare ourselves with someone else! Sometimes we do this to make ourselves feel better than others! You remember the self-righteous Pharisee don’t you? The Bible says that when he prayed to himself, he was thankful that he was not sinful like other people! No! He wasn’t sinful just like other folks; he had his own unique set of sins! Sometimes we make this comparison to try to make sure others are doing as much as we are doing! You remember when Jesus went to visit Mary and Martha’s house? The Bible says that Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, attentive to his words, but Martha was busy with much service. Martha complained to the Lord that Mary was shirking her responsibility and leaving all the work on her! Sometimes, if we are not careful, we can develop a bitter spirit when we make comparisons and surmise that we are the only ones doing right or that we are doing more than anyone else! We use that comparison to justify what we do or don’t do!
But notice how our Lord responded to Peter’s inquiry! He said, (in our common everyday language) "If I chose to let him stick around until I come back, what business is that of yours? You follow me!" In other words, "Peter, don’t you worry about what is going to happen to John, that’s none of your business! Your business is to just follow me!" That’s the message the Lord has for you and I today! There are some folks in the church who think that it is their God-ordained duty to make sure that others are doing right! Most deacons that I have run across think that it is their duty to watch the Pastor to make sure he does right! But while they are watching the Pastor to make sure he is doing what he is supposed to be doing, what they are supposed to be doing goes undone! Yes! Many members don’t do what they are supposed to be doing because they are obsessed with making sure others are doing! That’s why we are in the mess we are in! Everybody is trying to watch and make sure everybody else is doing and as a result, no one doing their own business!
If we are not careful, we can even fall into this trap, even in regard to ministry! Too often we try to compare with the ministries of the T. D. Jakes and the Bishop Eddie Long’s or some other mega-ministry. But preacher, the Lord may not have called you to Pastor a multitude of folks! Just be faithful with what he has given you to do! Someone asked me the other day: "Preacher, why don’t you do like Creflo (Dollar)?" My response was that each man has a unique calling! The Lord did not call me to do or be like Creflo; he called me to do what he called me to do! We err when we try to pattern our ministries and churches after the ministries of others because the Holy Spirit does not produce in a mass assembly line production fashion! The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills." (NASB) Yes! Each Christian, each church, each ministry has a unique calling! I am out of order when I try to do what the Lord has uniquely called you to do! You are out of order when you think that your experience is the "norm" and thereby measure everybody else’s experiences by your own! It’s not ours to try to enforce the diligence of others; our task is to make sure that we are doing that which the Lord has uniquely called us to do!
And then, when you compare yourself to others, you deceive yourself! The Bible says, "For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one shall bear his own load." (Gal. 6:3-5NASB) Not only are comparisons deceptive, they are also unwise! You see, man can only see what is on the outside! Paul said to the church at Corinth, "For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding." (I Cor. 10:12 NASB).
And so, my brothers and sisters, as I conclude today, I want to conclude by saying that we should be thankful for Peter! Peter was a prime example of our own vanities! In Peter, we can see ourselves! We can see ourselves boasting about what we would never do, only to end up doing what we said we would never do! In Peter we can see our restoration from the fall that follows after our pride! For just like Peter, the Lord seeks to restore us and bring us to the point of loving him more than anything else! And in Peter, we can see the error of our being overly concerned about what he has given others to do! Though your fellow Christian may seem to be prosperous while you are suffering God is not unjust! You don’t know what that brother has been and is going through! Don’t worry about him: You just make sure that you are doing what the Master has assigned for you to do! Let this be your motto: Oh! A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify, Who gave His Son my soul to save and fit it for the sky! To serve this present age, my calling to fulfill! Oh! May it all my powers engage to do my Master’s will!
