Well when we finished last time, we had considered not only the extent Peter's faith, but of our own as well. He had been charged with caring for the flock of the soon-to-be church of Jesus Christ, and you can be certain that he had no idea of the extent of the mission he was being ordained-to. None of us, in fact, ever are really sure as we step out in service to the Lord, what He has in store until the penny drops (so to speak!). However, if you have truly been called by our Lord to salvation, and have been given to your church for some aspect of service there, the command of Jesus to Peter may sound very familiar to you indeed. In fact, back in chapt. 14.12, He had revealed to His disciples that they would find themselves performing even "...greater works than these (His own)!"
If you look back to John 20.19, 21 and 26, we find that Jesus had appeared in the midst of the ten, gathered in mutual consolation, He had thrice pronounced that blessed benediction upon them, "Peace be unto you!" Then in vs. 22 He had breathed Holy Spirit upon them, followed in chapt. 21.16-17 with the charge to Peter to "Feed My lambs", and to "Feed My sheep". Now with that little bit of background, you may find it a bit harsh that Jesus would then in vs. 18, immediately begin to reveal to Peter an end-of-life prophecy.
However, what is taking place here, is that the Lord is giving Peter notice that, although he had dishonoured Jesus in the past, the time would come when, because of his faithful service, he would glorify God by his own sacrificail death. A true Believer's love for the Lord is apt to be far greater than his love for his own life, and we believe that, when that final time of testing came for Peter, he was fully prepared to die for his Lord! The well-loved Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, said to be a disciple of the Apostle John, was burned at the stake in Rome for his faith in Christ, where Peter just may have ministered until the end of his own life.
Do you realize what the western church has rarely ever experienced? Persecution and death on behalf of our Lord! In fact, history tells us that some of the early settlers of the Americas, came here because of persecution in their mother lands; and they founded their new homelands in the name of the Lord God. But the persecution of the western church today, is not far off...we can see it just on the horizon, in the name of racism and multiculuralism and modernism and agnosticism and conservatism and deism and hedonsim and humanism and a whole bunch of other "isms"; even humanitarianism and materialism and perfectionism and rationalism...and maybe even, Americanism!
The fact of the matter is, as any and all of these different "isms" creep into the church, employment, and into our social circles, Western Believers will begin to experience real live, close up and personal persecution ourselves, as well as on a truly international scale. But it was to be in times of persecution that Peter's true faith was revealed, as it had been as well, with Paul, of whom the Lord had said at the beginning of his ministry, in Acts 9.16, "I will show him how great things he shall suffer."
Suffering is a great teacher, as the Lord reminded the faltering Hebrews in He. 10.32. "...remember the former days in which, after you saw the light, you were able to endure the many afflictions of life." Notice that they weren't told to remember the good times in life, but the bad; and how the Lord had seen them through! We certainly are awaiting His return, and return He shall! But we know today that many who do now, and have lived before us have died as a result of persecution, and we may too, before the Lord returns! In the meantime, remember that Jesus has, and will have His hand on your life, what'ere befall.
Who is to say that your own death couldn't glorify the Lord as well? It's a fact that many Believers have come to trust in the Lord at the passing of a loved one, because of that one's patient endurance, testimony of the love of Christ, and by the reassurance of their loved ones that they have no fear of the grave, because of the comforting presence of the Life-Giver, and the Preserver of their very souls! We may never know, but the truly faithful Believer may succeed in doing more for their Lord in death, than they ever could, in life.
Well look at vs. 19, "...and when He had said this...". This was to be Jesus' final word of grace to that fallen and restored disciple. But I believe that he didn't really need to tell Peter where his weakness lay; I'm sure his face had burned with shame, and his conscience had been pricked on many occasions. Peter, like a lot of disciples today who don't follow very closely, tend to forget that the Lord's idea of following, is to take up the very cross that has been constructed...yes, for you, and in conformity to His very death, in the bearing of it; that's not most Believers' idea of living The Life.
In our minds, the worst of our suffering involves rushing through supper in order to get to prayer meeting on time! And many Believers don't even suffer that. Remember what Jesus had told Peter in the upper room (chapt. 13.36), that "...you can't go where I'm going now, but you will, afterwards." and that saying would follow him through life and death, and right to the Father's house.
"Then Peter..." (vss. 20-21). Poor Peter, just going from one scrape to another; just when he had begun to fix his eyes upon Jesus, he laid eyes on John. Fully restored to favour, standing in the literal shadow of His Lord, and commanded to follow; but instead of following, he faltered...again! There can only be one explaination, and it would apply to us all...the lust and the pride of our spirits, at odds with the Spirit of God. In Peter's case, perhaps resulting in the jealous inclination that John may have been given greater love, or be granted an easier death. But rather than evoke jealousy, Peter should have taken a lesson from that "beloved disciple", and leaned more heavily on the Saviour's breast, especially in light of the coming hardships and loss which had been prophesied of him.
Of course, John also died during imprisonment by Rome, on the Isle of Patmos. There really is...for the true Believer...no escaping at least some degree of persecution when we are cross-bearers, along with our Lord. Our only recourse, if we are numbered with the Faithful, is to realize once and for all, that there is no recourse. To follow Christ as a faithful witness and loyal servant, is to boldly go, where you would never have dreamed of going, before you were called by Him to make faith, your profession!
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