What Is That To You?
TCF Sermon
October 3, 2010
Consider these two scenarios:
First, we have two men who are in the service. Both are capable, loyal, devoted men, committed to doing their jobs. Both were part of the same training regiment, and were close friends, having been together for quite a while. Their commanding officer sends both of them out into the field of service, but tells them in advance that, though both will serve for a period of time, one will be called upon to give his life in his service for his country, and the other will not.
In our second scenario, we see a couple of guys at the Day Labor office, looking for work. At the start of the workday, they’re hired for a fair wage for a full day’s work. But as the day goes on, they notice others are hired to help with the job too. A couple more guys come on the job just before lunch, a couple of others a while after lunch, and a few more just an hour before quitting time.
When the pay is handed out at the end of the day, the first two hired were at the end of the line. They saw that those hired later, even those hired just an hour before quitting time, got paid a full days wage, raising their expectations that they’d get more.
When they get to the front of the line, they get the same amount as those who worked as many as seven hours less than they did.
In both scenarios, our first, gut reaction is generally, that’s not fair. There’s something about our human nature that’s innately concerned about fairness. It comes naturally to us.
Now, the ideas of fairness that come naturally to us are not always sanctified – in other words, our natural ideas of fairness are not necessarily tempered by the Holy Spirit. But, our ideas of fairness are not all bad, either, and we realize that some things seem fair and some things don’t. Not a one of us hasn’t said, at some time in our lives, and some more than others, “that’s not fair.” We hear that all the time from our young children.
And because it seems to be such a significant part of our sensibilities, I believe there’s an important place for this rudimentary, fundamental understanding of what’s not fair and what isn’t. If it weren’t for this sense we have about fairness, it’s possible we might not care for the poor or needy, we might not care as much for the sick, or we wouldn’t feel compelled to fix things that were clearly inequitable that impacted other people.
So, while our innate understanding of fairness may be important to our daily functioning in the world, and can be a component of our compassion for others,
the Word of God sometimes turns this idea on its head, in ways that confront not so much our general understanding of fairness for others, but more our understanding of fairness as it applies to ME.
Reminds me of a scene in one of our favorite 70s TV Shows, WKRP in Cincinnati. It’s a line that Barb and I quote to each other in certain situations, and more than 30 years later, still brings a laugh. One of the characters was the sales guy at the radio station, Herb Tarlek. He was kind of an obnoxious sales type, wore loud polyester suits, and was generally fairly narcissistic.
One day, the staff was informed that the station might be bought by a new owner, and there was a distinct possibility the staff would all lose their jobs. They were all lamenting that possibility, when Herb steps to the center of the room, and says, “Wait a minute, wait a minute. How does this affect me?”
Most of you probably recognized both scenarios I outlined at the beginning as being stories from the Bible. One is a narrative with Jesus, Peter and John, soon after Jesus’ resurrection, and the other is a parable Jesus told his disciples.
Let’s first look at the story from John 21. The background here is Jesus reinstating Peter to ministry, as He asked Peter three times, “do you love me,” and three times, telling him, “then feed my sheep.”
Then, Jesus gives what we could classify as a troubling prophecy. On the one hand, we see that Peter will glorify God. On the other hand, we see he’s going to be martyred to do this. Speaking to Peter, Jesus says beginning with verse 18:
John 21:18-23 (NIV) 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." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"
Now, if Tom Buck asked me where I was going to lunch today, and I responded like Jesus did here, we’d think it was rude and rather harsh. What’s that to you, Tom?
So, while I don’t think Jesus was ever what we would call rude, I think this is one of the many clear examples in the New Testament, that puts the lie to the idea of Jesus being meek and mild. I don’t know how else to see this but as a rather harsh rebuke to Peter. Almost so harsh that, if we didn’t consider the entire context and what Jesus was communicating here, we might subtitle today’s message, “Jesus’ snotty comeback.”
So, while it was a sharp response to Peter’s question, it was sharp with a purpose. It was sharp to make an important point to Peter, and to us. What is that to you? – Jesus said.
Why did it concern Peter? We could speculate and say that Peter was just curious. We could say that Peter and John were close, so Peter just wondered what would happen to his good friend John. But considering the context, I don’t think Peter’s question can be considered just a curiosity.
First of all, Peter had just been told that he would die a martyr’s death. John said that this death would glorify God, but it still had to be somewhat of a shock to Peter. While in the abstract we may say that it glorifies God to earn a martyr’s crown, in practical terms, no one could possibly be excited when first hearing they were destined to die on a cross.
Secondly, Peter had just made a true statement about Jesus. When Jesus asked him before this part of the passage, “Peter, do you love me,” one of the three times he was asked that, Peter responded, “Lord you know all things, you know I love you.”
So, when Peter, looking at John, asked Jesus, “what about him?” Jesus knew what was in Peter’s heart. So if we were watching the scene, we might have thought, “why did Jesus jump Peter’s case so strongly?” But because Jesus knew Peter’s heart, He responded to Peter, “what’s that to you?”
In the vernacular, He might have said, “that’s really none of your business.” If Jesus was Darth Vader, He might have said, Play audio clip: “Perhaps you think you’re being treated unfairly.”
Matthew Henry writes:
Suppose I should design that John should never die, what does that concern thee? It is nothing to thee, when or where, or how, John must die. I have told thee how thou must die for thy part; it is enough for thee to know that, Follow thou me.’’ Note, It is the will of Christ that his disciples should mind their own present duty, and not be curious in their enquiries about future events, concerning either themselves or others. There are many things we are apt to be solicitous about that are nothing to us. Other people’s characters are nothing to us; it is out of our line to judge them, Rom. 14:4. Other people’s affairs are nothing to us to intermeddle in; we must quietly work, and mind our own business. Matthew Henry
This quote referenced Romans 14:4, which is related to what we’re looking at here this morning. Let me read that:
Romans 14:4 (NIV) Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
So, we learn from this passage some key lessons. First, we learn that we’re called to one thing. We’re called to the same thing that Jesus called Peter to in this part of the passage - as for us, we are to follow Jesus.
This is to be wholehearted and undistracted. Undistracted by how God is using other people. Undistracted by how God is blessing other people.
We also learn from this passage:
-That there are many subjects of religion on which a vain and impertinent curiosity is exercised. All such curiosity Jesus here reproves.
-That Jesus will take care of all his true disciples, and that we should not be unduly solicitous about them.
-That we should go forward to whatever he calls us-to persecution or death-not envying the lot of any other man, and anxious only to do the will of God.
Barnes Notes on the New Testament Explanatory and Practical.
We also learn that Jesus claims divine sovereignty here. Sovereignty over Peter’s life and sovereignty over John’s life. This relates clearly to what Jim spoke of last week in his excellent message on God’s sovereignty.
Note what Jesus said in verse 22 of John chapter 21:
22 Jesus said* to him, "If I want him to remain until I come”
In other words, Jesus could do with John whatever He wants, whatever He wills. He claimed absolute sovereignty over John’s life. He was Lord of death and life. Remember when this exchange took place. It was just days after Jesus died and then rose from the dead, conquering sin and conquering death and the grave. He had just proved His sovereignty over even death. So, John’s life belonged to Jesus to do with as He pleased. So did Peter’s. So do our lives.
And we know, as Jim noted last week, that as God does what He wants with us, it’s for His glory, and for our good. We see that in John’s statement that Peter’s death would glorify God.
However, the challenge for Peter, as it often is for us, is seeing how suffering can be for our good.
Another thing He’s telling Peter here, in a sense, is to be single minded. In other words, don’t worry about what you cannot fully understand. Your job is to follow me. Implicit in that is also the idea that because He’s God, because He’s sovereign, and all that entails, that we can trust Him.
You know what blinders are:
Blinders, are a piece of horse tack that restrict the horse's vision to the rear and, in some cases, to the side. They usually are made of leather or plastic cups that are placed on either side of the eyes, either attached to a bridle or to an independent hood. Many racehorse trainers believe these keep the horse focused on what is in front of him, encouraging him to pay attention to the race rather than other distractions, such as crowds. Additionally, blinders are commonly seen on driving horses, to keep them from being distracted or spooked, especially on crowded city streets. Wikipedia
Jesus essentially told Peter to put blinders on. Focus on me, Jesus said. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and His grace.
When we have blinders on, we don’t notice that God’s dealing with someone else in a different way than He’s dealing with us.
So, Jesus says, simply, follow me.
Now, Christ is no longer here in human flesh; and therefore following Him cannot have precisely that physical sense. Yet now, no less than then, it implies that you obey his revealed will, and do the things that please Him. Charles Finney
We have this tendency to seek fairness, and as we’ve noted, this tendency is not always sanctified, especially when fairness is related to how it impacts me personally, and even more so, when fairness requires something difficult of me and not someone else.
Arthur Pink wrote:
It was to correct this tendency in Peter that the Lord spoke. His business was to attend to his own duty, fulfill his own course, and leave the future of others in the hands of God —What good would it do Peter to know whether John was to live a long life or a short one, to die a violent death or a natural one? (This is a warning) to us not to be curious about the decrees of God concerning others. “Follow me” is also His word to us: we are to follow Him as Leader of His people, as Shepherd of His flock, as Exemplar for His saints, as Lord of all. Arthur Pink
We see these ideas of fundamental fairness and our response to how this impacts us personally, in other places in scripture, including a parable Jesus told in Matthew 20:
Matthew 20:1-16 (NASB95) 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 "When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went. 5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said* to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' 7 "They said* to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said* to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said* to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.' 9 "When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 "When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 "When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last."
Here we see the question of justice versus generosity addressed. Of course, in this case, the landowner is God, who owns everything. Just as surely as God owns everything, He has the right to be generous with what He owns.
Let’s notice some lessons in this parable.
We learn how the last become first. We learn that fairness is not the ultimate test, or the highest value. As we’ve noticed, we have built into us this fundamental idea of fairness, which can compel us to be compassionate.
But in the Kingdom of God, there’s a sort of reversal that takes place. Those who started work at the beginning of the day, working a full day, and then got paid the same as those who only worked an hour, complained about the fairness of this.
But, the landowner pointed out that he was absolutely fair. He paid them what they agreed to – a fair wage for a day’s work.
We learn how the last become first – through free grace. Jesus illustrates by a parable…something of the reversals that often occur in the kingdom of God. Who gets paid first is crucial. It is only because the last hired receive a full day’s wage that those first hired expect to get more than they bargained for. They grumble against the owner because he has been generous to others, and merely just, to them. Zondervan NIV Commentary
So, these workers hired first agreed to what was fair at the beginning of the day, but when the landowner paid them what they agreed to, and was generous to those who worked less, they cried “unfair!.’
But the landowner wasn’t cheating anyone. Doesn’t he have a right to do what he wants? After all, it’s his money. In the parable, it’s a rhetorical question. But it shows clearly that God’s gifts are His and His alone to decide how, and when, and to whom they are given, simply because they belong to Him.
They are given not because they are earned, but because He is generous, He is gracious. It’s about His grace, which is, by definition, unearned.
So the last will be first, and the first last. A disciple of Jesus should not measure his or her worth by comparing it with the accomplishments and sacrifices of others, but should focus on serving from a heart of gratitude in response to God’s grace. ESV Study Bible
I think in both the passage in John, and in this parable, we see our human nature clearly illustrated. We see at least curiosity on the part of Peter about John’s future, and probably more than simple curiosity, because of Jesus’ sharp rebuke: “What is that to you?”
Jesus affirmed in the passage in John, that He has a right to do whatever He pleases, and that whatever He pleases will bring glory to Him. Then, in the parable of the workers in the vineyard, we see the landowner, representing God, essentially saying the same thing. I’m the Lord and you’re not.
And we see what’s basically jealousy at work,in the parable of the workers in the vineyard. It’s hard for us to say if Peter was envious of John, thinking that John would not be called to die a martyr’s death, and he would be.
But it’s not hard for us to imagine that, short of Jesus’ sharp response to Peter, Peter could have his curiosity turn to envy.
Matthew Henry wrote:
Envy is unlikeness to God, who is good, and doeth good, and delighteth in doing good; nay, it is an opposition and contradiction to God; it is a dislike of His proceedings, and a displeasure at what He does, and is pleased with. It is a direct violation of both the two great commandments at once; both that of love to God, in whose will we should acquiesce, and love to our neighbour, in whose welfare we should rejoice. Thus man’s badness takes occasion from God’s goodness to be more exceedingly sinful.
Matthew Henry
It’s not hard to imagine Peter being envious, because we’re so much like Peter. And we’re so much like those workers in the vineyard who worked all day and grumbled because we got paid the same as those who worked much less than we did.
It’s not hard to imagine because we’ve had the same feelings. We work hard at keeping the house clean and our spouse doesn’t, but we feel convicted about it if we don’t do those things, and our slacker spouse seems OK with not doing anything.
We volunteer at important church ministries or outreaches, and some other slackers don’t, but we can’t escape volunteering, because we’d feel guilty about it, but it doesn’t seem to cause any grief to the slackers.
We live an exemplary Christian life, tithe from our meager income, and serve the Lord wholeheartedly, yet struggle financially. But Joe Christian next door, or worse yet, Jane Christian across the aisle from us in church, gets away with all sorts of thing I would consider un-Christian behavior, and never seems to have any problems with money – she has more than she needs. She probably doesn’t even tithe.
We could go on and on – we can all think of things like this, where we’ve had some level of resentment, or envy, because God seems to allow others an easier path to walk than we have.
But Jesus has the same response for our resentment, our comparing of our lives to others, our envy, or even if it’s just simple curiosity about why these inequities exist, these things that challenge our sense of unfairness.
His word to us is: “What’s that to you. As for you, follow me.” His word is: I’m God and you’re not.
In closing, I want to read the insert you have in your bulletin, which reflects the Biblical ideas we’ve been exploring this morning:
OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT by G. D. Watson.
If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.
The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.
God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.
Pray
