21:18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you dressed
yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch
out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not
wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And
when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
20 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?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord,
what about this man?”
22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is
that to you? You follow Me.”
Before we can really dig into
this we need to clarify some language. The terminology of 'getting dressed' in
this passage has a direct correlation to work or occupation that we don't pick
up in the translation. If you remember when Elijah trained and anointed Elisha
to take his place the last thing he did was give him his mantle or outer
garment. It was a simple gesture but carried great meaning. Today in our
culture we are more apt to "pass the torch". In both cases the one
who was in a certain position of responsibility is shifting that responsibility
to someone else.
What Jesus is saying to Peter is
that in the past and in the present he has been free to choose his mantle or
torch. However the day is coming when that freedom will be taken from him and a
mantle of death will be placed on his shoulders and he will, like Jesus, die
with outstretched arms. The Bible never tells us how Peter died but history
does. All historical sources agree he died by
crucifixion in Rome. Origen adds that Peter refused to die as Jesus did,
feeling himself unworthy, and was granted to be crucified upside down.
Now that we have that background
information I want you to join me in picturing the scene. They are on the
beach. Jesus has re-enacted key moments in their times together. A miraculous
catch of fish, the meal of fish and bread, the charcoal fire and the three
questions. Three times Jesus has invited Peter back into ministry with the call
"Feed My sheep". I try and put myself in Peter's sandals but I
struggle. The moment is intense and I get a sense of reeling and conflicting
emotions.
Peter had taken off the mantle of
ministry with Jesus and gone back to the simple life of a fisherman. Anyone who
has faced seemingly insurmountable challenges in their work has either quit or
thought long and hard about it. Quitting has its benefits. The pressure is
gone. The load is unhitched. The torch belongs to someone else. If you have
gone downhill skiing you know the liberating feeling of removing those clunky
uncomfortable boots after a long day.
However it's not always that
simple is it? Some journeys you can't quit, some tasks can't be laid down, and
some torches can't be passed. An illness is certainly a burden heavy to carry
that can't be laid down. Like many things in life some things are relatively
simple to walk away from, others are impossible and there is away whole
spectrum of grey in between.
Peter was invited to follow
Jesus. He was not forced or coerced. He chose to take up the mantle
"follower of Jesus" and then he chose to lay it down and go back
fishing. I wonder how that felt. Was it a relief? Was it expected to be a
relief but instead was an aching emptiness? Was it one followed by the other?
Remember Peter leapt off the boat
to get to the beach faster. It seems obvious whatever benefit Peter expected to
receive from going back fishing never materialized.
Can we relate? Have we ever tried
to quit or escape or go back to the familiar and comfortable only to find it
wasn't comfortable anymore?
Maybe we're wrestling with
quitting right now. Maybe we want to quit our job or flee the responsibility of
parenting or the stresses of marriage. Maybe God has asked us to do something
we think we can't face or don't want to face or feel unworthy to face.
Peter was free to quit and free
to return. When he did return Jesus opened the future before him and we'll talk
about that tomorrow...
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