Peripatetics: The Art of Walking
Friday, September 23, 2005
Minding Your Own Business
I really don't want to give good kids bad ideas...so I won't go into the story for you here. In fact, I'm really tempted to tell it because, in retrospect, it is very funny. At the time, it was very serious business.
See, I was in the assistant principal's office my junior year in high school. The word suspension was being tossed around.
Let me back up a bit.
Me and two friends had pulled a prank. It was harmless in intent, but, like most teenage pranks, there was a newspaper photographer who thought it was funny, too, snapping pictures at our prank when he was supposed to be covering the game. This was going to paint our school in a light they evidently didn't want to be painted in. The administration acted quickly and swiftly...and yes, I was definitely involved.
Back to the office.
The vice-principal layed out his proof of my involvement. It was pretty iron clad, seeing as how I'd done it. So, I confessed. Fully and completely. I didn't turn my friends in, though. Said I acted alone.
I wasn't thinking that they were pretty much having cases laid out against them, though. They confessed, too. Told the whole story.
So, my "case" got revisited. My punishment was increased.
I was really upset about that.
"But what about them?! They were MORE involved than I was, but all of a sudden I'M the one getting the most punishment?!"
The assistant principal responded with something along the lines of, "You just be concerned about yourself and your actions, which include being involved and lying. If I were you I'd be more concerned about your own situation." Except he didn't say "situation." It was a three-letter word often used to describe your backside.
Well, that's mildly similar to John 21: 18--21 right after Jesus had forgiven Peter and established him as leader of the ministry (from The Message):
"'I'm telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go.' He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, 'Follow Me.'
Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, 'Master, what's going to happen to him?'
Jesus said, 'If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you? You--Follow me.'"
Catch the scene. Peter has just been more or less appointed the leader of the group again. The reality is that he was still the rock upon which Jesus would build his church. Jesus forgave him publicly, and, in front of the group, told him three times that he would lead the sheep or tend to them.
Like most situations like that, Peter and Jesus were alone...or so they thought...and Jesus was likely telling Peter the responsibilities and hardships this leadership would cause him. He pretty much told him that, because of his new leadership position he'd probably die a violent and painful death by crucifixion.
Peter, like most of us, would have likely had trouble dealing with such a dire prediction. Unlike most of us, he'd already made promises to Jesus about how well he'd do under pressure situations and failed miserably. Well, now that I think of it, that may be like us.
Jesus then commands Peter to follow Him...no matter what, even to death.
Anyway, Peter notices John following along behind them. Peter, like most of us, fires off a question to deflect the attention to John. The tone is more or less, "He, if that's going to happen to me, what's going to happen to THAT guy?"
Then Jesus does something that we've all heard 1,000 times before: He tells Peter to mind his own business. Peter's got enough on his plate in leading a ministry and following Jesus (not necessarily in that order) and now he's wondering about John's ministry.
Jesus reminds him that it's pretty much irrelevant to Peter if he wants John to remain alive until His return (did you catch that Jesus was in effect telling them He was going away again?)...Peter was supposed to mind his own business and follow Christ.
So, for today...what is it about us that is always comparing ourselves to others in a spiritual sense? Why does it seem so difficult to focus on our own following of Christ and allow others the grace to do the same thing?
Brent 4:02 AM
Comments:
A real creative blog. Don't stop now. Maybe you can tell me how to improve my blog about free web site design:-)
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