Jesus to Peter: Follow Thou Me

Minister:
Date: PM
Text: John 21:18-23
Psalters: 269, 262, 321, 271
  1. Jesus’ command.
    1. To “follow” Jesus is the activity of a disciple of Jesus (Matt. 16:24).
      1. The ability to follow Jesus presupposes that one has been redeemed and saved.
      2. When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” then He is renewing Peter’s call to be His disciple.
    2. To follow Jesus means three things.
      1. One, to pay heed to His Word (in order to learn Who He is, where He is going, and what He commands).
      2. Two, to walk (live) in the direction in which His Word points.
      3. Three, walk after Jesus no matter the way He has for us.
    3. Our text emphasizes that following Jesus will mean death (cross-bearing).
      1. First, Jesus had just come from the cross where He was despised, mocked, beaten and killed.
      2. Second, Jesus had just spoken of Peter’s death (19).
  2. Jesus gives us good reasons to follow Him even though it means cross-bearing and may mean martyrdom.
    1. First, the One speaking had risen from the dead.
      1. So to follow Him is to go through death and into eternal life.
      2. The end of following Jesus is the resurrection and victory in Jesus.
    2. Second, the Jesus we are to follow has power over the way we walk: “If I will...” (22).
      1. Jesus teaches that He has authority over all the world so our ways are determined by His will.
      2. Any trouble or difficulty we experience He has willed for our good (or He would have prevented it).
    3. Our way (and each step of it) is willed by Jesus for the glory of God (19).
  3. To follow Jesus is a very personal activity.
    1. This is brought out in Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question whether John would also die a martyr’s death (21).
      1. Jesus shows that what happens to others is to be much less significant than our responsibility to follow Him.
      2. When focusing on striving to follow Jesus, then it is not profitable to ask about the future of fellow-saints.
    2. Walk our way, considering only what it means to follow Jesus.