You Follow Me
After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me, because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty. But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation. This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear these chains.” Acts 28:18-20
Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” John 20:22
Piety
“Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains only a grain. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:23-26).
Study
John’s Gospel skips over two critical events. There is no Nativity narrative. No Immaculate conception. No Annunciation. No trip to Bethlehem in its opening chapters. And no Pentecost or Ascension or Assumption story at the end. However, the message at the end if critical. Maybe that is one reason why the Gospel writer sets it up the scene, so Jesus has to repeat it.
My father had a way to emphasize something important that he was going to say. “Don’t make me tell you this twice!” Not so for Jesus. After all, he just told Peter the “last commandment one breath ago. But he has to come back and flag it for an emphatic delivery.
"YOU follow me." Perhaps the simplest commandment. Maybe that is why Jesus saved it for last and repeated it.
Jesus shows his infinite compassionate patience with Peter…and us.
After all, Jesus has already reminded Peter just two short breaths ago to “Follow me.” Peter, acting like a teenager, says, what about him?
Action
My mother used to have an expression: “If Ron Horan or Tom Karaman or George Lock jumped off the Atlantic Highlands Bridge, would you jump, too?” I think she knew that my dare-devil friends would get their thrills with a little bridge jumping. But such thrills were not for me.
Jesus wants us to be our own individuals. He doesn’t want us worrying about what our friends do or how they respond to his commands. He only cares about us individually. Exactly my mother's point.
We are called to respond to this Last Commandment in our own fashion. It does not matter what Jesus has in mind for our other friends, we just have to follow Him.
"YOU follow me." Jesus was addressing Peter (and us) and countering Peter’s status check – comparing himself to John. Jesus stopped him in mid-thought and brushed off Peter’s questions.
"You follow me." What concern is it of ours no matter what happens to someone else? Our only concern is to follow Jesus. No matter what the consequences. No matter what the price.
Peter showed us that he had to set his ego aside to let Christ rise up in him. After all, in his own poetic way, this is the Ascension story in the fourth Gospel.
How will Christ arise in you?
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