Follow thou me

 

19-24)  “Verily, verily I say unto thee, when thou wast young thou girdest thyself and walkedst whether thou wouldest.  But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.  The spake he signifying by what death he should glorify God.  When he had spoken He saith unto him, follow me. Then Peter turning about seeth the disciple, whom Jesus loved, following, which also leaned on his breast at supper and said, which is he that betrayeth thee?  Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord and what shall this man do?  Jesus saith to him, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me.  Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die.  Yet Jesus said not unto him, he shall not die, but if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?  This is the disciple which testifieth of these things and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.”

Jesus now reveals to Peter how his life would end, and this perhaps explains His severe questioning of His love for Him.  He tells Peter he would be crucified when he was old and in his death he would glorify God.  Peter responded by exposing an old rivalry which existed between him and John-even amongst the disciples of Christ there was rivalry.  He recites all that John was, and had become known as the one whom Jesus loved.  What shall he do, Peter asks; if I am to give my life, what will happen to the favoured one.  It may be that this rivalry was partly in the mind of the Lord when He asked Peter “Lovest thou me more than these?”-that is do you love me more than the other disciples?  Peter’s fixation on John suggests this and he had claimed to be more loyal than the rest.  The Lord does not rise to this and says it is all in His will.  He repeats, “Follow thou me”; no matter what is in store for anyone else, you follow me.  This gave rise to the rumour that John would not die, which He never said.  The reality is that what the Lord has for others is not in our gift.  John uses all this to identify himself as the writer, as the one who lived longer, and who was given the task of delivering the truth of God, even after his contemporaries were long gone.  This is his record, and his record is true, it is credible, and worthy of their faith. 

25) “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written Amen.”

He is too big for the world, He is big enough for me!!

How fitting that he closes the book with a tribute to Jesus Christ his Saviour, with whom he had lived for over three years and whom he had served for over 60 years.  He brings it to a climax with a reference to the INSCRUTABLE and INEXHAUSTIBLE Jesus.  Of the little that we know of Him, it is enough for us to believe, and to enjoy the eternal life that comes as a result.  

His whole message summed up in 20v31:

“These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name.”