John 21:20-23 Commentary: Jesus Redirects Our Curiosity

This scene closes John’s Gospel, set after the resurrection at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus has just reinstated Peter following his denial (John 21:15-19) and predicted the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. As Jesus and Peter walk, John, identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, rises without a call and follows. The detail that John “leaned back on Jesus’ breast at the supper” (alluding to John 13:23-25) is not a boast but an eyewitness signature: this is the same disciple who asked about the betrayer, and his testimony is thus firsthand (John 21:24).

In the first-century Mediterranean, a disciple literally followed his master, sharing his path and fate. Peter’s question, “Lord, what about this man?” (Greek: houtos de ti, “this one, what?”), reflects the common human tendency to compare one’s lot with another’s. Jesus’ reply uses a vivid conditional: “If I will that he remain until I come.” The word “remain” (menein) is John’s favourite term for abiding in Christ (used twelve times in chapter 15). The phrase “until I come” would later fuel speculation about the second coming, especially as John outlived the other apostles. The correction in verse 23 shows the early church already wrestling with misinterpretation and the need to align expectations with Jesus’ actual words. The term “brothers” for believers (here only in John’s Gospel) points to the emerging family of faith.

The Greek text of verses 20-23 is stable across the major manuscripts. Calvin notes a possible variant in the Latin Vulgate where si eum volo (‘if I will him’) may have been misread as sic eum volo (‘so I will him’), altering the conditional to an affirmation. However, this is a translation issue, not a Greek textual variant. None of the supplied sources report any significant Greek manuscript variants for this passage.

Early Christian writers cited this passage in debates about the fate of the apostle John. Irenaeus (late second century) repeats the tradition that John lived into the reign of Trajan, surviving the destruction of Jerusalem. Some, like Tertullian, saw in John a prototype of the church that would endure until Christ’s return. Augustine and Bede understood Jesus’ words as a hypothetical about natural death. The medieval church celebrated John as the virgin apostle and the only one of the Twelve who died a natural death, a view reflected in his feast day. The Reformation, led by Calvin, emphasised the passage as a check on curiosity: the Greek conditional ean was highlighted to show that no promise was made. In modern scholarship, the self-identification of John as the beloved disciple is seen as key to understanding the Johannine community’s self-understanding.

Three-point outline

1. The distraction of comparison. Peter has just heard how he will die. In that vulnerable moment, he sees John and asks, “What about him?” We do the same, looking at others’ callings, trials, or rewards to gauge our own. Calvin calls this “looking around in every direction” instead of attending to what God has given us.
2. The conditional of God’s will. Jesus answers with “If I will …” The if is not hesitation; it is the language of divine prerogative. The Cambridge Bible notes this “asserts sovereignty” while keeping the future secret. God’s will for others is not our business; his will for us is.
3. The call to personal obedience. The passage ends where it began: “You follow me.” The imperative (akolouthei) is present tense, keep following, make it your habit. The focus returns to Peter’s path, not John’s.

Five-point outline

1. Peter sees John following, a moment of shared devotion that quickly turns to comparison.
2. Peter’s question: “Lord, what about this man?”, a natural but misguided curiosity about God’s plan for someone else.
3. Jesus’ reply: “If I will that he remain until I come”, a flexible, conditional phrase that refuses a direct answer.
4. The rebuke: “What is that to you?”, not harsh, but a loving reorientation.
5. The corrected misunderstanding: John records the rumor and sets the record straight, an act of integrity that protects Jesus’ words from misinterpretation.

Illustration hooks

• Parents comparing their children’s milestones: one walks early, the other talks late. The pediatrician says, “Each child has their own timeline.” Jesus says something similar for disciples.
• Two colleagues in the same job; one gets a promotion, the other stays put. The one who stays starts asking, “Why him and not me?” Jesus’ question “what is that to you?” reframes envy as misplaced focus.
• A Christian who outlives all their friends and wonders why they are still here. This passage assures them that God has a purpose for every season.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Is it wrong to wonder about the fate of others, especially when we are suffering?
• How do we know when someone’s interpretation of Scripture is a rumor like the one about John not dying?
• What should I do when I can’t stop comparing my life to other Christians’ lives?

Peter has just been told he will die for his faith. It is a heavy moment, made heavier when he looks around and sees John walking behind them. In an instant, his attention shifts from his own calling to someone else’s. The same thing happens to us. This passage helps us recognise that tendency and hand it back to Jesus.

Discussion questions

1. What do you notice about how John describes himself? Why do you think he chooses “the disciple whom Jesus loved” rather than his name?
2. What might Peter have been feeling when he asked, “Lord, what about this man?” (Read John 21:15-19 for context.)
3. Jesus responds with “If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” What does the “if” tell you about Jesus’ authority?
4. Why do you think the rumor that John would not die spread so quickly? What made it seem believable?
5. How does verse 23 correct the rumor? What does it reveal about the importance of careful interpretation?
6. Share a time when you found yourself comparing your walk with God to someone else’s. How did that affect your focus?
7. If Jesus were to say to you right now, “You follow me,” what would that ask of you that might differ from what he asks of someone else?