What Is That to You?

Posted in , , By Patty Kennedy 0 comments

 
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” (John 21:20-21, NIV)

In the verses preceding these, Jesus told Peter, “I tell you the truth, when you were younger, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will tie you and take you where you don't want to go” (NCV). He was alluding to how Peter would be martyred.
Immediately Peter turned around, saw John, and inquired as to whether John would have to endure the same fate.

Wow. If I had just been informed that I was going to die a horrible death for the sake of the gospel, I don’t know that my first thought would be, “Well what about him?” Yet this seems to be precisely what Peter does. Jesus’ response is one we should all take to heart: “What is that to you? You must follow Me” (emphasis added).

In our everyday lives as followers of Christ, things happen that we don’t always understand. Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that we will have tribulation in this life, and James admonishes us to consider it all joy when we suffer trials. A servant cannot be above his Master. It stands to reason that, since our Savior suffered, we will not be exempt – nor should we want to be. 

When trials come our way, we mustn’t play the comparison game and wonder why someone else is not experiencing what we are. Just as a master blacksmith knows precisely how much heat to apply to forge precious metals, our Father knows exactly how much pressure it will take to mold us into His image. He intends to purge us of all that is unholy, and we must let Him have His way.

A few years ago, I was laid off from my job in a Christian organization, supposedly because my job had been "eliminated." Budget cuts were to blame, but in the course of a not-too-pleasant conversation, the director of our department revealed her prejudice that too many of our small staff of six women were "old." Six months later, she hired a girl half my age to fill my "eliminated" position.

Though I was aware of the duplicitous nature of this director, the extent of it -- and of her shallowness -- was disconcerting. In some instances God may tell us to confront such behavior. But confronting such a hardened heart is not always the best thing -- and in fact may be the proverbial "pearls before swine." As I prayed for wisdom, I heard my Father's voice say "What is that to you? I have better things for you to do." I knew instantly that I was free to move on, and let God deal with the director however He sees fit.

If you are going through a refining fire just now, don’t question God about others. Matthew Henry says it well in his commentary:
It is the will of Christ that his disciples should mind their own duty, and not be curious about future events, either as to themselves or others. Many things we are apt to be anxious about, which are nothing to us. Other people's affairs are nothing to us, to intermeddle in; we must quietly work, and mind our own business. Many curious questions are put about the counsels of God, and the state of the unseen world, as to which we may say, What is this to us? And if we attend to the duty of following Christ, we shall find neither heart nor time to meddle with that which does not belong to us.