December 29, 2023
No Other Way
“You follow Me!” John 21:22b (NASB)
It is a shame most of us go through life without a thought of the future. In our latter days of life, we often look back and see the things we wish we would have done differently. We used to be so concerned about what was happening in the world that we never really embraced our life until we saw it beginning to wind down. I’m not advocating for anyone to lay down and give up on life, but it does seem the older I get, I begin to reflect more of the legacy of my life. I hope it is this way for you. As we begin to wind down this year of looking through the book of John, it has left an indelible impression upon my heart of the journey of 12 disciples who never understood what Jesus meant when He first said, “Follow me” (John 1:43). I can only pray each of you have enjoyed the journey through God’s Word, and maybe learned a little more about His Word. Maybe it has brought you to some new convictions in your life. I pray for any good outcome through time in God’s Word.
“You follow Me!” When Jesus used the word, “You,” He was directing His point to one person; Peter.” The word “You” is emphatic. When Jesus used this word, He uttered it with emphasis. It solely dealt with Peter as He was speaking to him. It wasn’t addressed to anyone else. Jesus was only talking to Peter (as John walked behind). If you can imagine someone looking into your eyes and speaking directly to you. It is personal and it speaks directly in the eyes of the recipient. In the Greek language, words at the beginning of a sentence have more prominence than words at the end. Emphasis in Greek is oftentimes shown by words occurring out of their customary order in relation to the other words in the sentence. “If you want to add a slight emphasis to a word, you put it out of its ‘normal’ order, usually moving it forward, even to the front of the sentence. English rarely can convey the emphasis…”[1] When Jesus spoke to Peter, He wanted him to realize this statement to “Follow Me,” in action (or verb) was followed by a charge to a person; Peter. “Peter (emphasis added), You follow Me!” Kent Hughes says this so beautifully: “No matter what our situation in life, Christ’s call to us is, ‘Follow me.’ Below the surface of these words there was something very beautiful and meaningful for Peter. This stemmed from the fact that the very first recorded command Jesus gave to Peter was, ‘Follow me,’ as Jesus observed him fishing. Peter was younger then. He knew little of what would be involved, but he did follow. Now the command came again. How those words had been deepened by the years! Peter had been in Gethsemane. He had witnessed the sufferings of Christ at Golgotha. He had denied Christ. He had learned the necessity of following Christ. What a depth of meaning the words ‘Follow me’ now carried. That gracious command rings out to all of us: ‘Follow Me!’ If you are a new Christian, this is Christ’s abiding command, and you are asked to respond at your own level of understanding. If you have been through the wars, it is still the same—perhaps seemingly infinitely more complex, yet still just as simple. ‘Follow me!’ ‘Do you love me?’ ‘Feed My sheep.’ ‘Follow me!’ Soli Deo Gloria!”[2]
So is the call to us as well. Jesus tells each of us, “Follow me.” There is no other way. Peter came a long way in his life. How is your life going? Are you following?
[1] https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/greek-word-order-and-nuance-eph-28-9-mondays-with-mounce.
[2] Hughes, R. K. (1999). (pp. 482–483). Crossway Books.