2. When Jesus had said " Follow me," Peter turned about and
saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following. At once he put
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the question, " Lord, and what shall this man do ? " Christ's answer is our text.
Now it is not easy to determine with any certainty the spirit in which that question was asked, or the meaning of the answer it received. Some have imagined that Peter, fancying from Christ's silence regarding the beloved disciple, that his course would be free from those fiery troubles which had just been foretold for himself, inquired, with a kind of envious dissatisfac- tion, respecting the destiny of John. This explanation, however, seems incredible. We must remember that the thrice-repeated question, " Lovest thou me ? " had only just thrilled on his ear, awakening solemn memories of his thrice-repeated denial. We must remember that Christ had suddenly revealed the future, and indicated a martyr's death as his lot in the day of his old age. We must bear in mind that Peter possessed that generous im- pulsive nature which would prompt a man under excitement to forget his own sorrows in unselfish devotion to his friends. And then, remembering that from the recent conversation with Christ, his heart must have been quivering with the emotions of love and sorrow, it is hard to conceive that one feeling of jealous discontent could have suggested this inquiry.
Most probably the question sprang from earnest anxiety regarding John's destiny. It may even be that Peter, having at length learned the glory of sharing the Saviour's cross, was con- cerned lest his brother disciple should not have the honour of following so closely in his Master's sufferings as himself. Mingled with that would be the anxious feeling which men of Peter's ardent and unselfish nature ever cherish regarding the future of a friend. It is easier for such impetuous souls to trust their own lot in God's hands than that of their brother ; they can accept sorrow more calmly for themselves than view its advent for another. And in this spirit of unselfish devotion — rising even to restless curiosity regarding the Divine plan — it probably was that, gazing on the beloved disciple Peter forgot the picture of his own martyrdom in his solicitude for John.
3. Christ's answer contains three statements — I. The duty of following Him lies on every one of us — " Follow thou me."
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II. The manner of the following rests upon His wiU and our individuality — " If I will that he tarry till I come."
III. We are warned against needless curiosity or anxiety — " What is that to thee ? "
Following is foe All.
♦* Follow thou me."
This is the Lord's command to each of His disciples. We have heard His voice saying " Come unto me," and now He says, " Follow thou me."
1. Notice how comprehensive is this command. It includes every other requirement and precept of the Gospel, and it calls into action every power and faculty of our renewed being.
(1) It means follow with the heart. — This is no mere external compliance, no mere outward conformity to our blessed Master's will. It is the service of the heart. The force that is brought to bear on the disciple is not that of compulsion, but of attraction. "Draw me, we will run after thee" (Cant. i. 4). No man can follow Christ whose heart has not been won by Him. " Whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient /rom the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered " (Eom. vi. 17, E.V.). It is neither the terrors of the law nor the fear of a judgment to come that enables us to respond to this command. It is the attraction of Divine love that is the power. The Lord Himself must be the loadstone of our hearts.
^ Every question was among some of his friends an open question. Strauss and Comte, Mill and Bentham, Coleridge, Carlyle, and Maurice appear as factors again and again in the discussions of that time. But nothing seems to have disturbed his balance ; " his heart stood fast." His habit of obedience to his mother, and his intense affection for her, had insensibly passed into strict obedience to conscience. Perhaps one of the chief lessons of his early life is that this affectionate obedience is the soil in which faith flourishes.^
(2) It means follow in faith. — Following is often like stepping out on the unseen. It is often like walking on the water. We
^ Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, i. 54.
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could never venture out without a Divine warrant. But He who granted it to Peter when He said " Come ! " gives us the same warrant when through the darkness and the trial He says, "Follow thou me." This needs the courage of faith. Without faith we could not take a single step, for it is an impossible walk except to him that believeth. The stepping-stones of faith are the promises of God. " But supposing I have no faith," says one ; " what am I to do ? " Don't think of believing at all. Think of Him who bids you follow Him. Hearken to His voice. In other words, listen to His written "Word: "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God " (Eom. x. 17).