“When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’ ‘If I want him to remain until I come,’ Jesus answered, ‘what is that to you? As for you, follow me.’” (vv. 21-22)

Do you ever look at someone else’s Christian life and think, “Man, they’ve got it good!”

Their ministry is cooler. Their church is bigger. Their generosity is exemplary. Their family serves together. Invitations are answered and baptisms are happening and missions are launched.

They’ve got all that—plus they’re good looking!

What in the world should we make of our own Christian lives, in comparison?

Jesus gives us the corrective:

After hearing the stakes of his own life of faithfulness—namely, that it will end in a martyr’s death—Peter looks over his shoulder at John. He wonders, to Jesus, if John is in for the same. The undertone is this: “Maybe John will have it better.” So Peter asks if that’s so: “If I am to die…what about him?”

Jesus’ answer is simple: “Don’t worry about the other guy! You follow Me!”

What if the answer to all our comparisons (and all our dissatisfaction) is faithfulness, not fairness? What if keeping our eyes on the Lord is the key to keeping them off our brothers and sisters—or, more relevantly, what they have and what they do with it? What if following the Lord joyfully means staying in your lane?

Get your eyes off their lives, and get them on Jesus. “You follow Me!”

— Tyler