Trust and Follow the Lord {John 20-21}
12:30 AM
Tuesday, October
23, 2018
A
friend and I used to always compare how our personalities were “planners”. We were good at knowing what was going to
happen when and where. After a couple of
years, I had to admit to her that I was actually a “wanna be planner”. I told her that it seems that everything I
plan seems to backfire. It seems that
the older I get the more I realize that my husband’s favorite phrase, ‘make a
plan, and see God laugh’, is so true.
These
final two chapters in John help us to remember that we can trust and follow the
Lord for how and where we serve Him, without being concerned about how He uses
others.
It
seems like Peter wanted to know what was going to happen to John after Jesus
had told Peter to “take care of My sheep”. Aren’t we all a little curious about what is
going to happen in our lives? This is
the second time this fall that I’ve had a conversation with one of my adult
children about not worrying so much about their lives. They seem to want to know everything that is
going to happen to them. Or why their
personalities are like they are. Actually, it’s the third time I’ve had a
similar conversation. Even my dad, now
that he’s a single man, has confessed to me that he’s waking up every night
worrying about his life now that my mom is gone.
We
don’t know whether Peter asked out of curiosity or concern for John or the need
to compare himself with John. But
whatever his reason, Jesus in effect replies, “It’s none of your business what
I do with John. Your business is to
follow ME!”
Jesus
is the Lord of every person and He has authority to determine how each one
serves Him. Jesus bluntly tells Peter, “If I want him to
remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You follow me.” Jesus determined how Peter would serve Him and
when and how Peter would die. He did the
same for John. He does the same for all
who follow Him. Paul tells us in Romans
12:1 to take our everyday, ordinary life – sleeping, eating, going to work or
school, and place it before God as an offering.
We cannot know God’s will until we have first yielded totally to Him,
being willing to do whatever He wants us to do with our lives.
The
Lord uses the different personalities of each person for His purpose and
glory. Peter and John had very different
personalities, but God used them both.
Peter was a natural leader. He
often spoke when he should have held his tongue and thought more carefully
before he opened his mouth. At the
Transfiguration, he felt the need to say something, so he suggested building
three tabernacles, only to have God say in Luke 9:35, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him” When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, Peter
was the one to protest. He was a man of
action, again, often without thinking carefully first, he whacked off Malchus’ ear without
considering that the Roman soldiers could have easily have taken off his head.
John
on the other hand, was more reflective and introverted. Granted, at first Jesus called him and his
brother James the sons of thunder (Mark 3:17), but he often referred to
himself, as he does in our reading today, as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He was close to Jesus in a quieter manner
than Peter. We see these two men’s
personalities when they went to the empty tomb.
John stood outside, but Peter brushed by him and went inside. John saw the grave cloths laying there and
believed, but Peter went away wondering what he had seen. Then, when the risen Jesus provided the
miraculous catch of fish, John was the first to recognize Him, but Peter suddenly
jumped in the water to get to the shore first.
So they were very different men, but God was pleased to use both men in
His service.
God
sanctifies our personalities, knocking off the rough edges as we mature in
Christ. He doesn’t change our basic
bent. Introverts grow into godly
introverts, extroverts grow into godly extroverts, and both are okay! Before Paul met Christ, he was a zealous man
of purpose, persecuting the church.
After he met Christ, he was a zealous man of purpose, boldly preaching
the gospel, even after he had been stoned and imprisoned. Paul’s dedicated zeal caused him to reject
Barnabas’ desire of giving Mark a second chance. But later Paul mellowed and said that Mark
was of use to him for service (2 Timothy 4:11).
So you see, you don’t have to deny your personality to serve the Lord,
but you do have to allow Him to build the fruit of the Spirit into your personality
as you grow in Him.
We
definitely can learn from those who are different than we are, but it is not worthy
to compare our lives to theirs. After
the Lord told Peter that he would die a martyr’s death, Peter asked about John,
“What about this man?” It seems the Lord
just says to Peter, “It’s none of your business. Just follow ME!”
As
I was preparing for this post, I looked back at my notes and I’d like to share
them with you all.
Peter
was big and bold, always eager to get out there and do things. Yet, he was quick to forget and deny all he
actually knew.
At
this point in our reading, the disciples have seen the risen Lord 3 times!
Peter
is asked 3 times to feed, take care of, feed.
And yet Peter would die a horrible death. Being led to “Follow Me” we have to die over
and over to ourselves.
I
have wanted to see changes in people’s lives, but it hasn’t happened. We are commanded to go and do as Jesus
did. Take off our outer garments and
wash the feet of others. Think of just
one person whom you’ve struggled with; (old boss, former neighbor, a child,
brother or sister). Now, take off your
pants and shirt and put on your bathrobe.
Get a tub of water and wash cloth and towel. Get your favorite soap, you know, the one
that makes you feel soft and good. Now wash
their feet. Don’t’ get up because your
next door neighbor is setting next to her.
And now your husband. Your
children. And that woman who sized you
up at the store. You are here on this
earth to follow Jesus and you don’t get to get up until you have washed the
feet of everyone He has given you.
That’s
what I’ve come to realize. God wants me
to serve a lot of people and it’s not always going to be the way I had planned.
Just
like Peter, we may be “natural born” leaders, but we are called to feed and
take care and feed Jesus’ sheep.
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