The disciples had just come back from going fishing. In the passage just before ours, we see Simon Peter, James and John, Thomas, Nathanael and two others, out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, fishing. But then comes the twist in the story. We've already seen how Jesus appeared on the shore and told them where to cast their net, how he greeted and fed them the fish they they themse;ves had caught - under his direction.
And then we come to Jesus' commissioning Peter to feed his sheep. “Simon, son of John," asks Jesus, "do you love me more than these?” Remember, Peter had always been one for boasting. “Lord, I will never betray you.” “Lord, I will lay down my life for you.” He was the one who had drawn his sword to defend Jesus in the Garden. And now Jesus is asking him, not just “Do you love me?” But “Do you love me more than the others do?”
But Simon Peter doesn’t rise to the bait, not this time. He doesn’t boast of loving Jesus more than anyone else. He doesn’t make extravagant promises of heroic proofs of devotion. By this time, of course, he knows better. Instead, he simply appeals to his certainly that Jesus knows his heart. “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” And Jesus responds, “Feed my lambs.” Three times Jesus asks the question, three times Peter answers him, and three times Jesus gives him his commission.
Some commentators make a big out of the fact that Jesus changes the wording of the questions each time, but I really don’t think it’s all that significant. I think that what we have here is almost a ritual erasing of Peter’s threefold denial at the time of Jesus’ capture. Jesus is publicly reinstating Peter in a position of responsibility and trust.
And then Jesus concludes Peter’s commissioning - but not with promises of fame, or a crown, or personal glory, or anything that might spell success. When Peter was young, Jesus reminds him, he did what he pleased, he was his own boss. But now things have changed. Now Peter is doing the work which Jesus used to do, and he must remain faithful to the task even though it will mean his own death. “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.”
Well, I wish I could tell you that Peter accepted this without a murmur, but I can’t. He wants to know what Jesus has in store for John. But Jesus told him it was none of his business and stick to his own task.
The obvious lesson in this is that Jesus has a different call for each one of us. For Peter, it was feeding his sheep. Peter was called to be a pastor. Peter was called to build the church by teaching and leading the people of God, and finally to follow Jesus to death. John, on the other hand, was called to live a long life, to reflect on and record Jesus life and teachings and their implications to all the ones who would follow. Jesus makes it clear that neither calling is superior to the other, and that we aren’t to measure our mission by looking over our neighbor’s shoulder.
But, you see, Peter didn’t wasn't sure his call was as good as John's. And if his call wasn't as good, that meant that he himself wasn't as good, that he had a lower ranking in the playoffs. Why wasn't he as good? Where had he blown it? And that shows us something very important about human nature: our tendency to compare ourselves to other people is really a form of self-centeredness.
Do you ever compare yourself to others?
People compare themselves to others for three reasons.
The first reason is to make ourselves look or feel better than other people, like the Pharisee Luke tells us about who boasted of not being a tax collector. Or the rich man who is like the camel that can't make it through the eye of a needle. It's the ones who are sure of their preferred status as children of Abraham but do not have the faith of Abraham. It's the very opposite of being poor in spirit, as Jesus tells us we must be in order to inhabit the kingdom of heaven.
The second reason we compare ourselves to other people is to make sure nobody’s getting away with anything. Like the prodigal brother’s son who resented the fact that his brother didn’t have to pay for all the bad things he had done, like the men who worked all day in the vineyard for the same wage as the ones who had come later, we cry “Unfair!” The interesting thing is that each of those people were happy with what they had until they discovered that someone else had more. Anybody think of the 10th commandment, against coveting?
The third reason we compare ourselves to others is somewhat like the first one, only more specific. It's to justify our own behavior. We can always find someone who is worse than we are... Okay, so I fudge on my income taxes, but I don’t gamble. Or maybe I yell at my kids after a few too many drinks, but at least I take them to church on Sundays. Or we can tell ourselves that our behavior is someone else’s fault. We see that on the news all the time... Yeah, we blow up civilians, but that’s because they oppress us. Yeah, I hit my wife, but that's because she burned my dinner. Yeah, I cheated on my husband, but that's because he ignores me.
Do you ever compare yourself to others? Or blame others for your behavior? When? Is it to justify yourself? To bolster your self-esteem? To make sure you’re not being taken advantage of?
Whatever reason you have, there are more reasons not to. First of all, everyone has different gifts, each one designed to fill a particular function. “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member...” [1 Cor 12:21-24]
Secondly, comparing ourselves to others is simply useless. It’s pointless. It’s a waste of time and energy, because whatever conclusions we come to will probably be wrong anyway. None of us can’t get a good enough perspective even on ourselves to be able to tell how we’re doing, let alone have a clear enough view of our neighbor as well. Even Paul said, “I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” [1 Cor 4:3-4]
Remember what Jesus said, “How can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye." [Luke 6:42] Is any of us really sure that we’ve gotten all the specks out of our own eyes?
That doesn’t mean we can’t identify certain behaviors as wrong, or harmful. That doesn’t mean that other people don’t make mistakes or have faults. But whenever we do, we better remember that they can see our faults just as clearly.
And last, it’s unproductive to compare yourself to others. You can always find someone who’s doing - whatever - better than you do, and you can always find someone who’s not so good. The only measure that makes sense is for each of us to do the best that we can, and to encourage others to do the best that they can. Does the marathoner get upset because the sprinter has a faster time? Of course not! Each task has a different measure of success. So you're not going to be a famous preacher, or save souls in darkest Africa. Why is that better than being a good mother or lawyer or teacher or accountant?
Until we switch our attention from our neighbor to ourselves, we simply won’t get anything worthwhile of our own done. “For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride.” [Gal 6:3] As long as Peter was looking at John, he wouldn’t be focusing on his own work. As long as we’re looking at other people, we’re not getting on with what God has called us to do.
Maybe you haven’t made it to Pentecost yet. Maybe you’re not ready to follow your initial “Yes, Lord,” response with “What next?” But if that is so, be honest about it. If you’re not ready, if you need to spend some more time fishing, say so. If you aren’t sure what God is calling you to, ask for clarification. But don’t use your neighbor as an excuse. It’s between you and God.
