“If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me.” John 21:22
In the history of the world there has only been one Apostle Peter. He was chosen, and raised up by God, to be a unique example of what God can do in and through a person who is wholly His, even though he be very rough around the edges.
Peter the fisherman, originally called Simon the son of Jona, was unique. Though some other of the disciples which Jesus called were fishermen, there was none quite like Peter. He was strong and bold, but not proud. He was responsive to Jesus’ teachings from the beginning of his contact with him, always adhering to what Jesus said, and seeking to obey Him. Perhaps one of the greatest traits of Peter, and one for which the Lord called him, was his whole-heartedness. He seems to always be at the forefront of Christ’s dealings with the disciples, responding with his whole heart. Even after the resurrection, and the terrible experience of his denial of Christ three times, he reveals something of his boldness and unhesitating pursuit of Christ. The disciples had gone fishing, and had fished all night, catching nothing. Jesus stood on the shore calling to them concerning their catch. It is then that John recognizes the Lord Jesus on the shore, and tells Peter. The reaction of Peter is exemplary of the whole-heartedness of the man to confront that which is before him, as he seeks the Lord. Scripture tells us that upon hearing, and recognizing that it was the resurrected Christ standing on the shore, he “…cast himself into the sea,” and swam to shore. There appears to be very little of passivity, or hesitation, in Peter’s response to Christ.
Beyond Peter’s wholeheartedness, there is another marvelous quality that God would use to make him to be the man he would become. It was that simple willingness to face reality and be honest with the Lord and himself. Jesus, around that campfire on the shore, and after the disciples had eaten, would address directly Peter by asking three times: “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?” The entirety of Peter’s usefulness, fruitfulness, and success in following Christ is bound up in his words, “Lord, Thou knowest all things: Thou knowest that I love Thee.” (Jn. 21:17) To such a one, though imperfect and acquainted with failure, would come Christ’s mandate to him: “Feed My sheep.” How does a fisherman, strong and bold, become a fisher of men, and a feeder, and shepherd of the Lord’s people, His sheep? The answer resides in a personal, individual, calling, one that Christ addressed again after His resurrection, and before His ascension. Jesus spoke to Peter concerning the death by which he would glorify God. Then for some reason, Peter turns his attention to John the Apostle, asking Jesus, “And what shall this man do?” (21:21) It is to this inquiry that Jesus responds: “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you? Follow thou Me.” Herein is another key to the Apostle Peter’s life, the understanding that his calling is unique, designed by heaven itself, and entirely provided for in the grace of God, and the eventual outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.
How then are we, as other disciples, to see our calling? It has been said that the Christian life is not only a multitude of new beginnings, but also the unique opportunity to commune with Christ. Thus, it was written: “…life reduced to fellowship with Christ makes the complicated, simple.” The calling of every individual in the body of Christ is unique, accompanied not only with the knowledge of what is necessary to understand the calling’s meaning, but receiving the strength to grasp what it means, and grace to receive by the Spirit all that is necessary for its accomplishment.
There has only been one Abraham, one David, and one Saul of Tarsus who became Paul the Apostle. We too are given grace to respond to our unique calling.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to follow. In Jesus’ name, Amen.