John 21:22–23, What is that to you…follow me. What Yeshua is telling the inquisitive, dare I say, nosey Peter is that it was none of his business what Elohim was doing in the life of John. Rather, Peter’s chief duty was to care for his own spiritual responsibilities of which the chief aim was to follow Yeshua.
Too many times, we get caught up in the affairs of others—in what YHVH is doing in the lives and ministries of other saints, which takes our eyes off of what we are supposed to be doing ourselves, and, more importantly, we take our eyes off of following and emulating Yeshua our Master, which should be our chief aim and purpose in life at all times. We must continually keep our eyes on Yeshua and be looking neither to the left nor to the right nor in the rear view mirror.
To emphasize this point, in the next verse Yeshua repeats the phrase, “What is that to you?” He is again reiterating to Peter that the purposes he was working out in John’s life was of no concern to Peter.
“We must continually keep our eyes on Yeshua and be looking neither to the left nor to the right NOR IN THE REAR VIEW MIROR.” Well, that hit home to me! I have been looking in the rear view mirror as it were, reminiscing about better times as opposed to where we are now but then when I get down I think “why did He put me in this era if I wasn’t going to make it?” People today are looking around and judging others for not wearing masks or whatever and calling people “covidiots!” I once told my oncologist/hematologist that he is a good doctor but “You’re not the Great Physician” and he said he is remined of that everyday. We are to keep looking to the author and finisher of our faith and it’s an uphill battle but oh the view from the hilltop!l
“He who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)