John 21:21-22, “Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.”

This morning, our culture and world is gripped with the “comparison game.” People are always measuring themselves by others and their general mood stems from how they “stack up” to those in their purview. Paul makes it very clear that this behavior is not wise (II Corinthians 10:12), and most games of comparison are either rooted in covetousness or pride. When people see those that are “better” than they are in their circumstances, they get jealous of what others have and they do not. When people see those that are “worse,” they get boastful that they are “not so bad.” Whatever the outcome (pride or jealousy), the focus on others really puts the light on self. The focus should be upon the real standard of the person, life, example, and love of Jesus Christ. Anything else is not just inferior but not worthy of consideration.

In our study verses, Christ has showed Himself to His disciples for the third time after His resurrection. If someone thought that we – as frail creatures of dust – could ever get to a point where all of our wrinkles are ironed out this side of glory, surely that point would be here with the disciples. They had spent 3.5 years walking with Him and hearing the gracious words that He spoke. Witnesses of countless miracles, they then fully experienced the witness of the resurrected Lord – several times. What greater standing could one have in this world than such an intimate fellowship with the physical presence of the Lord? What greater power could they witness than seeing Him on multiple occasions after His conquering victory over death and the grave? Yet, they still had wrinkles that needed ironing.

In the preceding verses of this account, the Lord performs another miracle reminiscent of one that He performed earlier in His ministry by giving a draught of fishes. As the disciples dine with Him on the shore, He has an exchange with Peter about love. Regardless of how nuanced someone wants to make this lesson, we should never forget the main point. Do we love the Lord and how much do we love Him? How far are we willing to go to prove it? I have heard a lot of discussions about what was meant when the Lord asked Peter if he loved Him “more than these.” More discussions have ensued about what kind of love is referenced when. Most of these discussions – while lively – draw us away from the main object of the lesson. If the “these” is the fish, the other disciples, or anything else that we could consider, does it change the main point? The main point is that we should love the Lord above all else with all that we are – regardless of what is under consideration. If we can prove that the references of love have nuanced meanings to them, does it change the fact that with all that we are and with everything we can do, we should show and manifest our love to Him, for certainly He has done so for us.

If we can solidify in our minds that Christ’s message to Peter was about love in totality and showing it through actions to one another, then we can apply the message to our lives as well, for the lesson is rich and generation-spanning. After Peter unequivocally states his love for the Lord 3 times (not coincidence that the Lord did it the same number of times that Peter verbally denied Him), the Lord then gives him the simple statement to “Follow me.” Do we – like Peter – say that we love the Lord? Yes? Then the command is simple. “Follow me” the Saviour declares. If love is spoken and declared, then the proof comes in the action that follows. Love is not some gushy-squishy emotion that we let ebb and flow based on how the circumstances vary our mood. Love is a fruit of the Spirit that is borne of service, sacrifice, and selfless action, regardless of the circumstances.

However, though the Lord ironed out some of Peter’s wrinkles with this exchange, our study verses show another wrinkle in Peter’s thinking that needed straightening. So it is with us today. We tell the Lord we love Him, and He commands us to follow Him. But, but, but what about So-and-so? Peter looks at John and wonders what John will do. How often does that thinking grip and paralyze our own minds? The Saviour simply and very succinctly tells Peter, “what is that to thee…” Should anyone else garner our focus and study for comparison purposes? The answer is obvious, and the reasons for it have already been alluded to.

Peter was just given a blessing from God to know some things about his future that you and I do not have today. Peter knew how he would die and that it would be years from that point. (Verse 18) Today, I cannot answer with any certainty how I will die or how soon or far it is from me. While we all might suspect certain things about our future, Peter knew what would happen to Him for the Omniscient One plainly declared it to him. Yet, even with this special blessing to know things that most do not, Peter still looked upon others. What about them? Though we might not know about our personal futures here in this world like Peter did, consider what we do know.

For Bible readers that are blessed to be part of the household of faith, what grand truths have been revealed to us! We know about God’s riches and grace more than some of God’s children in this world do. While sitting under the sound of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are blessed to glean in the light wondrous truths that not everyone knows. We have information about where we are going (heaven and immortal glory), that I would posit the majority of the elect family of God does not know while they live on this earth. When the gospel sounds forth in God’s house, we have His righteousness revealed to us in ways that it is not revealed otherwise.

Friends, this knowledge is wondrous and not to be taken for granted. I find myself greatly slacking in thanking God for such rich knowledge and hearty blessings here in this world. Too many times, I find myself looking on others like Peter did and saying/wondering, “What about them?” The Lord’s point rings true and fresh today just as it did then. What is that to me? Nothing. Following Him should be everything. No one else has done what He has done for my soul. No one else has been near the perfection that His mark established for my example. The only comparison that I should make is how well I measure up to His mark. Answer: lacking every time. So, what is there for me to do? Follow Him harder and straighter than before.

When I was a youngster, I was taught to hunt and fish by my father and some of the “moss-back” deacons of the church. One of those deacons was a true outdoorsman, and he quite honestly helped raise me. When I first started following him in the woods, we would oftentimes hunt by walking through a briar patch/cutover to “scare up” the deer that were bedded down there. At first, I would try to find “better paths” than the one he took. Over time I learned that it was always best to follow in his path. The two reasons were: 1. he was more experienced than I was at picking the least thorny path and 2. his trailblazing made his wake less thorny for me than it was for him. What a forerunner we have in Jesus! Not only has His path marked the way that is less thorny, but by following in His steps, He has removed so many of the problems for us. We get tangled up and bloody when we want to “blaze our own trail.” May He bless us to look less at others and more at Him. In so doing, may our steps align tighter into His path so that we might experience those blessed seasons with Him while walking in agreement with Him and His ways.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

John 9:41, “Jesus Said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”

This morning, proper discernment is as important as it has ever been. Sadly, discerning minds and spirits are hard to come by. Today, two of the prominent mindsets are: 1. turn a blind eye in denial or 2. accept whatever is presented without proving it. Both mentalities fail the test of discernment, and both should not be named among the saints and household of faith. One of the most troubling things when it comes to lack of discernment is when statements “about the Bible” are repeated often enough that most people accept them as fact without thinking about the logical conclusion. For example, people are quick to quote Matthew 7:1 and use that as a springboard to decry judging people at all. Matthew 7:1 has been quoted so much to this effect, that people do not question it whenever the idea is posited. However, should that position be true, we would be absolutely helpless as disciples in many things. How would we know whether those that we interacted with were honest if we did not judge (discern) certain things? How could we deny the company of a known murderer with a lack of judgment? Judgment is necessary, but the type of judgment must be the right kind (which is the point of Matthew 7).

One of the often spoken statements “from” the Bible is, “We are all sinners. Not a one of us is perfect.” These often spoken statements are verifiably true from Scripture as the Book teaches that all of us by nature are depraved – wholly so – without hope in ourselves to get out of that position. However, the statement is generally made to show some absurd concept. Sometimes the person saying that uses it to decry the idea of church discipline. Sometimes the statement is made to excuse personal sin. While it is true that we are all sinners, there are two different types of sinners that Christ talks about in our study verse.

The foreground for our study verse is that Christ has healed a man that was blind from his birth. The fact that He did this on the sabbath day incited the ire of the religious authorities. They accosted the man’s parents, the man himself, and eventually thrust him out from their presence when the man defended Jesus. Some of what they said to the man serves as a good contrast to Christ’s teaching in our verse. In Verse 34, they assert that the blind man was born in sins. That is a true statement, but the inference from their words was that they did not feel themselves to be likewise. They follow their true assertion by asking, “Dost thou teach us?” In other words, you are a sinner born in sins. We are above you; how dare you attempt to teach your superiors!

When Christ hears these words and the fact that they thrust the former blind man from their presence, Jesus teaches in Verses 39-40 that He came into the world for judgment for a twofold purpose: 1. the blind might see and 2. the seeing might be made blind. This prompts the Pharisees to ask whether they were blind also, and the answer to their question is our study verse above. Men like the blind man were made to see when Christ was here, and those aching spiritually were made to see certain things while He was here too. However, the converse is that those who thought they had all the answers (like the scribes and Pharisees) and could see just fine were made blind at Christ’s coming. Though it was obvious that He is the One that fulfills Scripture and prophecy, they could not see it due to their stubborn rebellion and unwillingness to admit that they might not be perfect. Therefore, they thought they could see, but Christ manifested their blindness with His words and actions.

The point of the context and our study verse is that though we are all sinners by nature, there is a difference even today amongst sinners. There are repentant and unrepentant sinners. When people ask how a church can discipline members or that we could rightly call sin for what it is, the fact remains that churches are comprised of sinners, but thankfully, churches that I have seen and associated with are full of repentant sinners. We do not make discernments and judgments based on our own infallibility but upon the infallible word of God. That same infallible source is what we strive to live our course by as well. We are attempting to hold people accountable to the same standard that we strive to hold ourselves to.

Occasionally, I meet a “drylander” (someone who always comes to church but refuses to be baptized) who will give the following excuse for not joining, “I’m not worthy to be a member.” While this sounds very humble and pious, Biblically speaking it amounts to rebellion as the Lord speaks of things we should do. If we fail to do them, then we are failing to show our love to Him. (John 14:15) The Pharisees’ problem was that they thought they could see, and therefore, the blindness continued. The drylander thinks he sees in the sense that he has it all figured out (I’m not worthy), but instead, he becomes voluntarily blind at not being able to see the beauty of Christ on the inside of His church. The same could be said for God’s children that have been sucked into the rat race of the world. Many of them were probably pricked in times past to disengage from the world moreso than they have and live at a higher spiritual plane, but through constant denial have chosen the sorrowful path of rich, young ruler. Talking to them, they have uttered sentiments such as this, “Well, church might be good for some, but I’m doing just fine. God knows my heart, and He understands.” Friends, God does not just know our hearts. He knows everything perfectly, and He is pleased when our hearts attempt to align with His precepts. These remain blind, because they think they are doing just fine.

For the repentant sinner, life is very different. Christ says that the blind have no sin. In truth, we are all blind by nature and full of sin. So, what does Christ mean that the blind have no sin? A repentant sinner knows he is blind. He knows he needs help. Much like the blind man in the lesson, he knew that he was crippled and destitute. A repentant sinner knows that he is nothing without the Lord. A repentant sinner knows that the Lord’s help is needed in all things and at all seasons. Whenever someone comes home to the church, sentiments like the following are uttered, “I don’t deserve to be a part of this, but I would count it a blessing if you all would have me. I love my Lord and want to serve Him the best that I can.” The person desirous to serve, knowing that they are blind, is one that is ready to praise God more perfectly for His sovereign grace and salvation.

When someone confesses that they are blind, it is then that sight (spiritually speaking) gets stronger. The cross becomes more refulgent, and heaven is more than just a place. Jesus is not just a man, and the Bible is more than an ordinary book. Church is a special gathering of blessed people not a congregation of hypocrites and fools. When someone claims that they are just fine (he can see), it is then that blindness becomes more cemented. He cannot see afar off, and He forgets that he was purged from his old sins. Are we all sinners? Yes. Are we all the same kind of sinners? No. God has endowed His children (through the new birth) the ability to cast off the vain and perishable things of this world. The start of that lifestyle is to admit the truth – we are blind – and try for the rest of our days to do better than we have ever done before (repent). Not all of God’s children in this world will live such a life, but it should behoove us to be found so doing. Friends, I freely confess that I know nothing as I ought to know, but thanks be unto God that He has sent His Son to lay His hand upon such blind ones as me so that I might get a glimpse of some of the precious truth and glory that has been freely given me in Christ Jesus the Lord.

In Hope,

Bro Philip