Mind Your Business

“Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’” — John 21:22 (NIV)

I love how blunt Jesus can be in scripture. A perfect example is in John 21.

Peter has just had quite the morning. After denying Jesus three times before the crucifixion, he has now been personally restored by the risen Christ. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. Three times Peter answers. Jesus recommissions him: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17, NIV). Then Jesus tells Peter that following Him will eventually cost Peter his life.

That is a lot of information to process in just a few minutes.

And Peter’s response is essentially: Okay cool, but what about John?

Honestly, incredible - Peter turns around, sees John, and asks Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” (John 21:21, NIV).

Jesus responds: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me” (John 21:22, NIV).

In other words: Peter, that is none of your business. YOU follow Me.

I kind of love it!

Peter has just been told something incredibly difficult about his own future, and almost immediately, he wants to know how his future compares to someone else’s. If I have to suffer, what about him? If this is what faithfulness will cost me, what will it cost John? If this is the race You have given me, what race are You giving him?

Two thousand years later, we seem to have developed more efficient ways of doing the exact same thing.

We can compare careers, relationships, families, finances, houses, bodies, ministries, callings, opportunities, timelines, suffering, spiritual maturity and approximately seventeen other things before we have even finished our morning coffee. And thanks to our phones, we can now compare ourselves to people we have never met, which seems like a wonderful technological advancement for the human soul.

Comparison even manages to sound spiritual sometimes. Why did God give her that opportunity? Why does his ministry seem to be growing? Why did their prayer get answered that way? Why does following Jesus seem easier for them? Why am I still waiting when they aren’t?

Or, if we are feeling particularly holy: Well, at least I would never…

We want the scorecard...

But Jesus refuses to give Peter one. He doesn’t explain John’s future so Peter can determine whether his own is fair. He doesn’t let Peter measure his faithfulness against John’s. He doesn’t even satisfy Peter’s curiosity.

He redirects Peter’s attention: You follow Me.

That correction gets me because Peter is quite literally walking with Jesus when he turns around to concern himself with John. The physical picture is almost embarrassingly accurate. Jesus is right there, and Peter is looking over his shoulder.

I do that. If you’re honest, you probably do to.

Scripture tells us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1–2, NIV).

Not fixing our eyes on the person in the lane beside us to determine whether she is running faster. Not looking backward to see who has fallen behind. Not wandering into somebody else’s lane because theirs looks more interesting.

There is a race marked out for YOU.

Paul makes a similar point when he writes, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else” (Galatians 6:4, NIV).

That is annoyingly clear.

Because comparison can produce sin no matter which direction the comparison goes. If someone seems to have more than I do, envy and discontentment have plenty of room to grow. If I decide I am doing better than someone else, pride is more than happy to take over. Either way, I have stopped looking at Christ and started looking sideways.

And looking sideways will never tell me whether I am faithfully following Jesus.

The person I envy is not the standard. The person I secretly feel superior to is not the standard. My friend isn’t. My coworker isn’t. The preacher isn’t. The missionary isn’t. The woman on Instagram isn’t. The random Target employee whose life I have somehow constructed an entire narrative about after seeing her for forty-five seconds isn’t.

Jesus is.

And His question is not whether my life looks more impressive, successful, difficult, spiritual, or significant than someone else’s. The question is whether I am following Him.

That doesn’t mean we become indifferent to other people. Scripture repeatedly commands us to love, encourage, serve, correct, mourn with, rejoice with, and carry one another’s burdens.

Paul tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15, NIV).

Christian community requires us to care deeply about one another. But caring about someone is different from using their life as a measuring stick for mine.

Peter did not need to know John’s assignment in order to obey his own.

Neither do I.

And maybe that is why Jesus’ response feels so freeing despite being so blunt. I do not have to understand why God gives someone else a different timeline, opportunity, burden, gift, season, or story. I don’t have to determine whether it is fair. I don’t have to keep score.

I am responsible for the life in front of me and obeying the One who has called me to follow Him.

So when I find myself looking sideways—whether with envy, judgment, curiosity, resentment, insecurity, or pride—I probably don’t need more information about the person beside me.

I need the same redirect Peter got.

“What is that to you? You must follow me.”

So friend, with all the love in the world: mind your business and tend to your own obedience. Jesus is perfectly capable of handling everybody else.

bytaylormcgee