6th Thursday in Lent
Scripture: John 21:20-22
NRS 20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was
the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord,
who is it that is going to betray you?" 21 When Peter saw him,
he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" 22 Jesus said to
him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?
Follow me!"
Devotional: After
Peter had received assurance from Jesus that he would be up to the task of
having the Church built upon him, he turned to see the beloved disciple
following them. Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” The question
recorded was vague. Was the evangelist suggesting that Peter was asking how the
beloved disciple would die? Or was he asking if the Beloved should also follow
Jesus? Or was he asking if the Beloved was supposed to help him feed the sheep?
Jesus interpreted his question as being about the disciple’s death and responded
with, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” If
Peter was going to be up to the task of building the Church, he couldn’t be
distracted by thoughts of others. At first glance, we might think Jesus was
responding to jealousy or competition, but Jesus didn’t condemn. He simply
refocused Peter with the repeated command, “Follow me.” Sometimes we need the
same refocusing. We get distracted. We worry how our Christian walk compares
with others. We jealously think others have more prosperity and blessing than
us. We feel like we are the only ones doing things in the church. The
distractions are many, but Jesus’ words to Peter are also for us, “What is that
to you? Follow Me.” Jesus wants us to follow Him in the service of His Kingdom
without the pettiness of worrying about how we measure up with others. This is
the last we hear of Peter in John’s Gospel. The evangelist didn’t inform us of
Peter’s response, but we find the rest of the story in the Acts of the
Apostles. Saint Luke describes Peter so focused on sharing the Good News of
Jesus that the church grew by thousands every day. He also reveals Peter’s
partner in ministry. The first time the humbly bold Peter healed someone, John
was by his side. The one of whom Peter appeared jealous was now his partner in
ministry. Together they built a Church that has endured. Jesus sent the
disciples out in pairs to do ministry and they have continued the tradition of
having partners in ministry. We need to remember that today. When we gather as
the body of Christ, everyone gathered is our partner in ministry. Together we
are called and sent to share the Good News and build the Church?
Prayer: God of
Peter and God of John. The One who transforms rivals into partners in ministry through
the power of Your Holy Spirit to build an enduring church. Lord we ask that you
draw each of us together into partnerships from which we can engage in ministry
to grow Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Song of praise: Make
Us One performed by Jesus Culture
Spiritual discipline
challenge: Today in recognizing the nature of ministry together we
are challenged to spend some time with our brothers and sisters in Christ to
celebrate what God is doing in our midst.
No comments:
Post a Comment