“What Is That to You? You Follow Me”

Seeking Jesus First - August 31, 2026

“What Is That to You? You Follow Me”

Please Read John 21:20–25 (NKJV)

Reflection

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following… 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.”

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Jesus had just restored Peter and told him to follow. Almost immediately Peter turned and looked at another disciple. “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus did not place John in Peter’s charge. He did not give Peter the right to measure John’s future. He turned Peter back to his own walk: “What is that to you? You follow Me.”

Each of us answers to Jesus for ourselves. Paul wrote, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls” (Romans 14:4). He also warned us not to compare ourselves with others or measure them by our own standard (2 Corinthians 10:12). Different paths do not mean different Lords. The same Jesus assigns the course. Our part is not to manage another man’s calling. Our part is to follow.

John closes the book with a quiet testimony: these things are true — and they are not the whole of what Jesus did. The last word of John’s Gospel is not curiosity about someone else. It is the same word spoken to Peter, and now spoken to us: “You follow Me.”

Application

Today, notice where your eyes have turned toward someone else’s calling, timing, or fruit.

Renew your mind with this truth: The Holy Spirit still takes the words of Jesus and speaks them to the heart. What He is doing in another life is not yours to carry or to judge. That person stands before the same Master. Your assignment is to follow Jesus. Leave the other disciple with the Lord. Answer the call that is yours.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus restored Peter and then kept his eyes on the path set before him. Forgive us for comparing ourselves with others and for trying to measure their walk by our own. By Your Spirit, turn our hearts back to Jesus. We receive His word today: “You follow Me.” In His name, giving thanks for the living Word of the Lord. Amen.