There’s a skit I’ve seen where a man playing Jesus is talking to a woman and Jesus tells her that He’s picked out something special, just for her. The woman is overwhelmed that Jesus has something for her. When he pulls out a cute little 8-ounce soda, the woman is thrilled; it’s “perfect” for her, she says. As she’s walking away, another man walks up to Jesus and Jesus tells him he has something special, just for him. He pulls out a 16-ounce soda and to the man’s delight, he says it’s perfect for him, too. The woman, however, now looks at her soda, which is half the size, then gives Jesus a puzzled look. Then another woman walks up to Jesus and he pulls out a 1-liter soda for her, which makes the first woman irate about her “little” soda. Still another man walks up to Jesus and is overjoyed when he gets a 2-liter bottle of soda. Now fuming, the first woman walks up to Jesus to give Him a piece of her mind, when He hands someone else a 3-liter bottle. “I didn’t even know they made 3-liter bottles!” she exclaims. As Jesus sees her mounting frustration, he reminds her that He really does know what He’s doing, and she can trust him to give her exactly what she needs, just when she needs it. What was “perfect” for the woman at first soon turned into envy and jealousy in her mind before she even got to take a sip of what she was given, not because there was anything was wrong with what the Jesus character had given to her, but because she began comparing her experience with others and wondering what Jesus could possibly have been thinking. You may have had the same thing happen to you, thinking that Jesus has been grossly unfair. Believe it or not, the apostle Peter faced a similar moment when he was having a conversation with Jesus, as recorded in the Bible in John chapter 21. Jesus had recently risen from the dead and had just entrusted Peter with the monumental task of taking care of Jesus’ followers, saying three times: “Feed My lambs,” “Take care of My sheep,” and “Feed My sheep.” Then Jesus tacks on this tidbit at the end: “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). The Bible says that Jesus said this to indicate the type of death by which Peter would glorify God; then Jesus said “Follow Me!” And according to church tradition, Peter was eventually led away and killed, being crucified, upside-down, for his faith in Christ. It’s said that he asked his executioners to turn him upside-down because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. But when Peter first got this news from Jesus, the Bible says that Peter looked down the beach where they were standing and saw John following them. Peter said, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus replied: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me” (John 21:22). At this point, Peter might have been tempted to think Jesus was unfair, and not just because he was getting an 8-ounce can of soda! Why would Peter have to die and John get to live? According to church tradition, John did go on to live a long life, having been sent into exile on the island of Patmos where he received and wrote the book of Revelation. If Peter felt any twinge of jealousy, he didn’t carry it long, as he went on to follow Jesus just as Jesus asked him to, leading the early church with conviction and power, preaching about Him wherever he went and seeing miracles all along the way. John also went on to follow Jesus, eventually being sentenced to death and, it is said, being drowned in a cauldron of burning oil. When that didn’t harm John at all, he was sent to the prison island of Patmos for the remainder of his life, where I imagine there may have been days when he thought Peter’s path was easier. The truth is, even though God may have a different path for each of us in life, if we do what He says and follow Him, just as Peter and John did, we can trust that He will work things out for the best in the end, glorifying His name, too, all along the way
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 20:30:03 +0000
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