"What Is That To Thee?"

Of all the words spoken by the Lord Jesus as recorded by John, the last in his Gospel are associated with this question which was addressed to Peter; chapter 21. 21-23. It came in the course of a conversation at the sea of Tiberias, when the Lord manifested Himself to seven of the disciples. They had been out at night fishing, and for this they had no authority from the Lord; therefore, it is not surprising that no fish were caught until He graciously told them where to cast the net. Hungry and foodless as they were, He prepared a meal of bread and fish, and after they had partaken of it He tested Peter's love for Himself; bade him feed and tend His lambs and sheep; indicated how he should die and said to him, "Follow Me" (verse 19).

As in John 1. (verse 19), when the Lord commenced to get disciples together, so now in the last chapter at the end of His sojourn on earth, so to speak, it is still "Follow Me." It is as if the Master, in the important matter of discipleship, is giving a final injunction to His disciples before He returns to His Father.

"Lord, and what shall this man do?" asks Peter as he thought of John. "If I will that he tarry till I come," replies the Lord, "what is that to thee? follow thou Me." But this enquiry caused the Lord to introduce the word "thou," making the injunction intensely personal-" Follow thou Me." Whatever Peter understood by "Follow Me" would be surpassed as he laid hold of the further saying" Follow thou Me "-an utterance which only came because in asking what another disciple should do, the Lord put the forceful question, "What is that to thee ? " How instructive

Considered separately, "Follow" tells of a forward movement from behind; "thou "-the disciple himself as distinct from every one else; "Me "--the Person to be followed, the Lord Jesus Christ. To become a faithful disciple one must first think of himself and his own attitude towards the Lord, and not be concerned about others, else he cannot do what is expected, yea-even required, by Him who of disciples is the only Lord and Master. He says: "If a man love Me, he will keep My word" (John 14. 23), and "If ye abide in My word, then are ye truly My disciples" (John 8. 31).

unknown | Apr 1933
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