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The Scriptorium

Follow Me!

Here's what Jesus expects of us.

The Gospel of John: John 21.1-25

Read and meditate on John 21.18-22.
What Jesus said to Peter, He says to each of us.

                                18“I tell you, Peter, when
you were much younger, you would dress and go
wherever you desired. When you are old,
however, you will stretch your hands out, and
another will take hold and make you stand
where you would not.” 19And this, to signify
the way that he in death would glorify
the Lord, He spoke, and then said, “Follow Me.”
20Then Peter turned around, and chanced to see
him following whom Jesus loved, the man
who leaned upon His breast at supper, and
inquired, “Who, Lord, betrays You?” 21Peter, when
he saw him, asked, “And what about this man,
Lord?” 22Jesus said to him, “If I intend
him to remain until I come again,
well, what is that to you? I say again,
you follow Me.”


- John 21.18-22

Reflect
1.  Jesus explained to Peter that what he feared on the night he betrayed Him, would ultimately come to pass: Following Jesus would cost him his life. In what sense is this true for us as well? Complete this prayer: Take my life, Lord, and let it be…

2.  Early Church tradition tells us that, after a long and fruitful ministry of feeding and tending Jesus’ sheep, Peter was crucified upside-down because of his faith in Jesus. Do you suppose he often thought about what Jesus told him there by the Sea of Tiberius? How do you suppose he prepared himself for this? How should we prepare ourselves for the tribulations Jesus promised (Jn. 16.33)? Help me to keep focused on You, Lord, and on Your promises, so that when trials come, I…

3.  Despite the cost, Jesus commanded Peter to follow Him. What does it mean to follow Jesus? How can we know where Jesus is leading? What does it mean to follow Him as we go out each day into our Personal Mission Field? Show me the way to follow You, Lord, and I will…

4.  Peter saw John following them as they talked, and he asked Jesus about John’s fate. What would become of him? Why did Jesus respond the way He did? What was He saying to Peter? What is He saying to us? Lord, help me to be content with knowing Your will for my life, and…

5. While Jesus’ will for all His disciples is the same – “Follow Me!” – the shape that takes will be different for each person. We cannot presume to know how Jesus is leading someone else, or what that person’s calling might be. But does this mean we can’t encourage one another in following Jesus, or hold one another accountable for following Him? Explain. Bring together into one your prayers from questions 1-4.

Summary
There are two states of life, therefore, preached and commended as revealed to the church from heaven: the one being in faith, the other in sight; one remaining in time in a foreign land, the other residing in the eternal heavenly dwelling.… The first was signified by the apostle Peter, the other by John.… And so, it is said to Peter, ‘Follow me’ by imitating me in the endurance of temporal evils. [But of John it is said], ‘Let him remain’ till I come to restore everlasting bliss. And this may be expressed more clearly in this way: Let action that is perfected, informed by the example of my passion, follow me; but let contemplation that has only just begun remain until I come, to be perfected when I come. For the godly fullness of patience, reaching forward even unto death, follows Christ; but the fullness of knowledge remains until Christ comes, to be manifested then. For here the evils of this world are endured in the land of the dying, while the good things of the Lord shall be seen in the land of the living. For in saying, ‘I want him to remain till I come,’ we are not to understand that John was supposed to remain on earth, or to abide permanently, but he was, rather, to wait. Therefore, what is signified by John shall certainly not be fulfilled now, but when Christ comes.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

Peter was to follow Jesus and John was to follow Jesus, and we are to follow Jesus. How can believers help one another keep that focus and pursue it diligently?  

Closing Prayer
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.

Psalm 33.13-21

Psalm 33.18-22 (Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God watches those who fear His Name, who hope upon His grace and love;
He keeps their souls from death and shame who trust in Him Who reigns above.

God is our Helper and our Shield; upon us let Your grace descend!
We hope in You; to You we yield; we trust in Jesus to the end.

T. M. Moore

What does it mean to know Jesus? Order a copy of our book, To Know Him, and share it with a friend who does not know the Lord (click here). Need help learning to pray the psalms? Order the book, God’s Prayer Program, and discover why and how to realize the power of the psalms to transform your prayer life (click here).

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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