You Follow Me

The last recorded event of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry in the Gospel of John is a conversation between Jesus and Peter. After Peter has just been restored from his three-fold denial of Jesus he immediately turns the conversation toward another disciple (presumably John). John 21:20-22 records what happens next:

“Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? YOU FOLLOW ME!’” (emphasis added)

This exchange is a great picture of how the sin of envy works. Envy keeps our eyes on others, focused on what they have that we do not. What Jesus desires for us to do when faced with the temptation to be envious is to shift our eyes from others to him. Peter’s faithfulness in following Jesus can only come as he stops comparing himself to John; in the same way our faithfulness in following Jesus can only come as we stop comparing ourselves to others. When our hearts stop envying others and instead become enthralled with Jesus as our greatest treasure, it is then that we will see the temptation of envy begin to fade.