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John 21:20-23

John 21:20 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray you?”

John 21:21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

John 21:22 “If I want him to stay until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

John 21:23 So this rumor got out to the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you?”

What about him?

The question Peter asked on the shore—“what about him?”—is one that echoes through the hearts of many who have walked long with Christ. After hearing that his own path would end in chains and crucifixion, Peter instinctively looked at John and wondered how their stories would compare. It was not malice, envy, or resentment. It was the deeply human desire to understand why one life unfolds in one direction and another in a different one. That same impulse rises in the hearts of those who have labored, struggled, stumbled, and wondered why certain burdens seem unevenly distributed.

The instinct to compare is not foreign to the life of faith. It surfaces in moments of exhaustion, disappointment, or confusion. When ministry feels like a series of false starts, when prayers seem unanswered, when doors close unexpectedly, the mind drifts toward others whose paths appear smoother or more fruitful. The question forms almost unbidden: why them and not me? Why this road and not another? It may feel selfish, but it is simply honest. Peter asked it openly in the presence of the risen Christ, and the Lord did not rebuke the question itself—only the direction of Peter’s gaze.

Jesus redirected him with a gentle firmness: the story of another disciple is not the measure of faithfulness. The call is to follow, not to compare. The plan for one life cannot be used to interpret the plan for another. The Lord writes distinct stories, assigns distinct burdens, and shapes distinct ministries. Some paths shine with visible success; others are marked by hidden endurance. Some end in triumph; others end in sacrifice. Yet each is held within the same wisdom and the same love.

Looking back on a lifetime of service, gratitude often rises alongside the lingering questions. The hardships, disappointments, and detours become part of a story that could not have been written any other way. And even with gratitude, the question still surfaces from time to time, just as it did for Peter. That is not failure. It is part of walking with a God whose purposes are larger than what can be seen.

Lord, help us to trust your plan for our lives, to release the comparisons that weigh the heart down, and to follow the path you have written for us with quiet confidence.