"Lord, what about him?"

In the final stage of Jesus' walk on earth, after his resurrection but before his ascension, he appeared three times to his disciples.  On the last of those occasions, recorded in the last chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus appears to Peter, John (the author), and some others as they were fishing early in the morning.  Jesus stood on the shore near where they were fishing and called out to them, "Friend's, haven't you any fish?" "No," they said.  "Throw your net on the right side of the boat," Jesus suggests, "and you will find some."  Now, any fisherman worth his salt would have rolled his eyes and thought, "Is this a joke?  Great help - thanks!"  But, apparently, they were either very tired or very desperate -- possibly at that "we'll try anything" stage.  Upon hauling up a net-load of fish, they realized who that man on the shore was, and Peter jumps into the water and heads for the shore.  When the rest of the disciples showed up with the boat, Peter and Jesus had a fire going and invited them to breakfast.

After they finished eating, Jesus and Peter took a walk and had a "heart to heart" talk.  You remember the story.  Jesus asks Peter if he loves him; Peter says, "You know that I love you."  Jesus says, "Feed my sheep."  This happens three times.  The third time, Jesus spoke of Peter's martyrdom.  He said, "When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not wish to go."  Peter's path was to follow Jesus in crucifixion.  It must have been a sinking moment for Peter.  Perhaps his joy faltered. He looked back briefly and saw that John was following them, and Peter said to Jesus, "What about him?"

What about him?  What about her?  Why do things happen to me and not them?  God, why me?  How often are we guilty of asking these questions when we feel our life is hard and others have it much better?  I'm currently reading a book entitled, A Martyr's Grace.  It is a compilation of short accounts of missionaries from the Moody Bible Institute that have been martyred in the field over the years.  Reading these stories brings to mind how sheltered Christians in this country are.  Most of us will never have to worry about being so much as insulted for our faith, while others around the world continue to be tortured and killed for sharing the message of Jesus Christ.

Jesus' answer to Peter was profound:  "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?  You must follow me."

What the Lord was trying to impress upon Peter was a simple message that is relevant to all people for all time:  God's plan for other Christians is none of our business.  We are, each and every one of us, unique.  The path that each life takes will be different.  Our job is to find out what God's plan is for us and not worry about the other guy.  (Read Ephesians 4:1-16.)  Peter took this to heart and rose to the occasion with courage and tenacity, spreading the gospel of Christ with zeal until his death.

May we never ask, "What about him?" ... but, instead, accept with grace the life God has given us, put on our blinders and follow Him.