John 21:18-22…Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” ²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

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We begin  in John chapter 21:18-22. The last time we studied this chapter, we saw Jesus lovingly restore Peter after his failure and denial. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?”—not to shame him, but to restore him, strengthen him, and recommission him for the work ahead.

In the same way, Jesus asks each of us today: “Do you love Me?” And if we answer yes, does our life reflect that love? Do our words, actions,  and obedience point back to Him?

The truth is, sometimes we all fall short. We stumble. At times, we allow shame, guilt, or fear to create distance between ourselves and God. Like Peter, we fail in ways we never thought we would. Yet there is a beautiful lesson that we learn, our failures are never greater than God's grace. Rather than abandoning us, He calls us back to Him. He is faithful to forgive, restore, and heal according to His will.

John reminds us of this comforting truth in 1 John 2:1–2:

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

Though these words were written by John, we can hear the love of God speaking through them to His beloved children. God has given us His Word to fill us with truth, wisdom, and assurance. His desire is that we walk in holiness and turn away from sin. He also shares with  us that He does not excuse our sin, but neither does He abandon us when we fail. Just as Jesus sought out Peter after his denial, He seeks us out in our moments of weakness. When we repent and turn back to Him, we find that He is not waiting to condemn us but to restore us. The cross has already paid the penalty for our sin, and even now Jesus intercedes on behalf of His people before the Father.

So as we return to John 21 and hear Jesus ask, “Do you love Me?”, may our hearts respond as Peter's did:

“Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

And may that love move us to follow Him faithfully wherever He leads, trusting His grace, resting in His mercy, and walking in obedience to His Word.

Let us continue in His Word together….

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Vs18…

Jesus says to Peter, “When you were younger, you dressed yourself and walked wherever you wanted.” In other words, Peter once lived with the freedom to direct his own life. He chose his own path, made his own decisions, and went wherever he desired.

But then Jesus tells him, “When you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not wish to go.”

Jesus was revealing that a day was coming when Peter would no longer be in control of his own circumstances. Because of his faithfulness to Jesus, he would eventually be arrested, bound, and led to his death.

There is a profound lesson here about freedom and surrender. 

Before we knew about Jesus, we naturally wanted to lead our own lives. We made our own plans, pursued our own desires, and followed whatever path seemed right in our own eyes. We valued control and independence. Yet when we come to Jesus, we learn that true discipleship is not about getting our way—it is about surrendering to His way. The more we follow Him, the more we learn that His wisdom is greater than our understanding, His plans are better than our own, and His purposes are always good—even when the road is difficult. 

That surrender is not always easy. Sometimes God leads us into places we would never choose for ourselves—seasons of waiting, hardship, uncertainty, or sacrifice. In those moments, His plans may be difficult to understand, and we may be tempted to hold tightly to our own desires and expectations. Yet, His path, walking in this life, He is teaching us to trust Him. 

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Vs 19…(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

We covered how Jesus tells Peter that he will one day die as a faithful follower of Jesus. The phrase about stretching out his hands was pointing to the manner of Peter’s death. Peter would glorify God through the way he remained faithful until the end. 

After revealing this, Jesus simply says to Peter, “Follow Me.” 

Jesus does not give Peter every detail about his future. He does not explain all the trials, difficulties, or circumstances that lie ahead. Instead, He tells Peter what is most important: Keep following Me. The same is true for us today. We do not know every detail of our future, nor do we understand every trial, hardship, disappointment, or season that God allows in our lives. There are times when we want answers, explanations, and certainty about what lies ahead. Yet Jesus continually calls us back to the same simple command: “Follow Me.”

Our responsibility is not to know everything God is doing; our responsibility is to trust Him and walk faithfully where He leads. When the path is clear, follow Him. When the path is difficult, follow Him. When the future is uncertain, follow Him. We can trust that the One who calls us is faithful, and His plans for us are always good.

The call of discipleship has never changed. Whatever lies ahead, Jesus says to each of us as He said to Peter:

“Follow Me.”

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Vs 20, 21, and 22… Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”  When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

Something very human happens here. After hearing about his own future, Peter turns around and notices John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Having just learned about the difficult path that lay ahead of him, Peter immediately asks, “Lord, what about him?”

If we are honest, we understand Peter's question because it is one we often ask ourselves.

We compare our struggles to someone else's blessings. We compare our seasons of waiting to someone else's breakthrough. We compare our calling to someone else's ministry. We compare our suffering to someone else's comfort. We compare our timeline to someone else's progress.

As we look at our own path, we wonder why God seems to be leading others differently. Why do some prayers appear to be answered quickly while ours remain unanswered? Why do some people seem to have an easier road while ours feels filled with obstacles? Like Peter, we find ourselves looking over our shoulder and asking, "What about them?"

But Jesus gently reminds Peter that John's path is not Peter's concern. Peter's responsibility is not to know John's future or understand God's plan for someone else. His responsibility is simply to follow Jesus.

That is a lesson many of us need to hear today.

God writes a different story for each of His children. Some are called to endure great suffering. Others face different challenges. Some walk through long seasons of waiting while others receive answers quickly. Some serve in visible ways, while others faithfully serve in places where few people ever notice. Yet each path is designed by the same loving Father who knows exactly what His children need.

The danger comes when we become so focused on someone else's journey that we neglect our own walk with Jesus. Comparison steals our joy, creates envy, creates discontentment, and distracts us from obedience. The moment Peter took his eyes off Jesus and placed them on John, he lost sight of what was important. We often tend to do the same. If it's not a person, it can be certain events in our lives. Instead of fixing our eyes on Jesus, we become consumed with things He never intended us to carry.

Jesus' response calls us back to where our attention belongs.

Lift your eyes back to Jesus.

Do not compare. Do not compete. Do not become consumed with why someone else's road looks different from yours. Trust the One who called you. Trust the One who sees the beginning and the end. Trust the One who is leading your life according to His perfect wisdom and purpose.

We may not always understand why God leads us down certain roads. We may not understand why our path looks different from someone else's. We may never receive all the answers we seek.

But Jesus gives us the same answer He gave Peter:

“Follow Me.”

And ultimately, that should be enough.