John 21:20–24

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”

Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.

John is fact-checking a rumor! At the time John wrote his gospel, a rumor was circulating about his own lifespan. People though John would outlive the wait for the second coming.

John would, of course, love that, but he knew that this isn’t what Jesus meant when He said to Peter, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

So now he has to correct the record. John, who folks think will last until Jesus returns, walks it back.

No guarantees.

This is one of those “current events” Bible passages that is so unlike what we read in other religions. While Christianity has plenty of wisdom literature, it also has a lot of “reporting.” Some parts read like a newspaper. This gives Christianity a unique feel that we often ignore, or at least underappreciate.

Generally, one subscribes to a religion because they like it. It sounds good, or wise, or something like that. Not so with Christianity. While it’s likable enough, it stands or falls on whether it’s true or false. Whether you like it or not shouldn’t be why you believe. Either Jesus rose from the dead or He didn’t.

People don’t believe in things like gravity or the Pythagorean Theorem because they like them; they’re either true or they aren’t. Liking them isn’t relevant. I hate that COVID kills, but I still believe it.

Unfortunately, we often sell Christianity based on its likability. We say, “Heaven is a free gift.” That’s true, but if we evangelize based on Christianity’s benefits, we get believers who believe based on its benefits. Much of what’s wrong with the church today is that it’s full of such self-centered believers.

We need to get back to the gospel as John wrote it.

He rose.

And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; … we are of all men the most pitiable. — 1 Corinthians 15:17a, 19b

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Saturday DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.