When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to Peter, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!”
How human it is for us to compare ourselves to others and to want to tell their stories as if we knew their minds…..
In our Gospel today, Jesus had just told Peter’s his destiny, and now Peter, seeing the beloved disciple, wants to know from Jesus what this other disciple’s destiny is.
How easily we humans get drawn into unhelpful speculation about the life or dealings of another…. often fed by our own insecurities and low self-esteem.
To Peter’s question – Jesus gives us a mysterious response. He says, “If I want him to stay behind until I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow Me.” It is as if Jesus is saying “I tell no one any story but their own!”
Just as each one of us has his/her own history, in the same way each one of us has his or her own way of following Jesus. His or her own relationship with Jesus. Nobody is an exact copy of another person. And no ones relationship with God is an exact copy of another person’s relationship with God.
Maybe, when we are drawn to gossip about others, or want to “get the inside scoop” on someone else’s life, we can remember today’s lesson. Maybe like Jesus, we will resist the urges to gossip . Maybe we can not assume we know what is going on between others and God…Maybe we can stop telling other person’s stories and tell no one any story but our own!
It is more than enough that I work on my own story, my own relationship with Jesus and, within the reality of my current existence, to respond to Jesus’s personal invitation, his unique call – just for me, to Follow Him.
communion service – May 30