None of Our Business

So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” (John 21:21-22).

Though we ought to be deeply concerned about others as we follow Jesus, because discipleship is inherently communal, in certain areas we should be entirely uninterested in our fellow believers. We usually get it wrong, focusing on what is none of our business and neglectful where we ought to give our careful attention.

In this passage, Jesus is talking to Peter about how he needs to die to himself, both figuratively and literally, but Peter interrupts and asks “what about John?” Jesus sharply rebukes Peter because whatever Jesus is doing with John is irrelevant! Peter needs to attend to his own obedience in following Jesus. The ego, however, will always turn the attention to someone else when confronted with dying to itself.

Once we inquire into the spiritual lives of others, as Peter was doing with John, we are not following Jesus. We are being led by the ego. The best interests of others, that is, what benefits them, serves them, will help and is needed, these matters should be our concern (Phil. 2:4). On the other hand, I should not be curious at all about the spiritual walk of my brothers and sisters. Gossip is turning that curiosity into conversation. The initial sin is the illicit curiosity itself.

Are we not typically consumed with our own interests rather than those of others? Yet we pry eagerly into their spiritual standing! This must be reversed. Paul addresses our tendency when he says, “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Rom. 14:4) To use the original metaphor, we are our brother’s keeper (Gen. 4:9) with regard to his welfare, but not in judging how his spiritual journey is progressing.

We must not scrutinize anyone else’s spirituality! Following Jesus means examining oneself alone. Even in helping someone who seeks our counsel we are not to judge but only suggest direction that seems consistent with a life in God. When another is looking for advice and wisdom we must remember he or she is a servant of the Lord, who is the only Master. We may help in discerning the will of the True Master, but it is Christ alone who directs them. Our focus should be how to help and serve others, but we must abstain from attempting to measure their spiritual lives.

Curiosity and spWheneculation into the spiritual condition of one’s neighbor is always a distraction from our own needed spiritual work. We follow Jesus communally in serving one another, but individually in examining only ourselves before God.