John 21:20-23 Meaning: What About Him? Jesus Redirects Us

²⁰Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ chest at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”

²¹Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

²²Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”

²³This saying therefore went out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?”

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Meaning in one sentence

Jesus tells Peter to stop comparing his path with John's. 'What is that to you? You follow me.' A call to focus on your own discipleship.

John New Testament Greek

Context

We are in the final chapter of John's Gospel. Jesus has just restored Peter after his denial and told him plainly that Peter would die as a martyr. Then Peter turns and sees John following them. John and Peter have been close throughout the Gospel, they ran together to the empty tomb, and John was the one who leaned against Jesus at the Last Supper. Now Peter asks, essentially, what will happen to John? Will he share the same fate? Jesus' answer is surprising. He does not satisfy Peter's curiosity. Instead, he turns the question back on Peter and reissues the same call he gave just moments before: You follow me. John himself adds a note to correct a rumor that spread from Jesus' words, showing how easily we misunderstand when we focus on someone else's path.

Key Words

Three words carry the weight of this passage. The first is following (Greek akoloutheō). It means to join someone as a disciple, to accompany them on the road. Both Peter and John are doing this literally, but Jesus has just used the word twice in verse 19 as a call to discipleship that leads to death. Now Peter follows while looking over his shoulder at John.

The second key word is remain or tarry (Greek menō), the same word Jesus uses in John 15 for abiding in him, though here it has the sense of staying alive. Jesus puts it in a conditional clause: If I desire (Greek thelō, meaning to will or purpose). The verb is in the subjunctive, expressing something hypothetical, not a plan Jesus is revealing.

The third phrase, what is that to you? (Greek ti pros se), is blunt. Literally: What as concerns you? It is not a harsh dismissal but a loving redirection. Jesus draws a boundary around Peter's concern and pushes him back to his own calling.

How Christians Read This Verse

Christians across traditions have read this passage with different emphases. Some, like Augustine and Bede, understood Jesus to be saying that even if he willed John to live until his return by natural death, that was not Peter's concern. Others, including many Protestant interpreters, see the conditional as a hypothetical meant to rebuke Peter's curiosity, Jesus is not revealing anything about John's lifespan. The early rumor that John would never die arose naturally, John himself sets the record straight in verse 23.

Catholic readers often note that John is the beloved disciple who abides, representing a contemplative tradition of discipleship. Protestant readers frequently emphasize the individual call: each disciple has a unique path ordered by the Lord. All traditions agree that Jesus redirects Peter's focus from another's fate to his own obedience.

A common misunderstanding

A common misreading is that Jesus promised John would never die. The rumor spread among the early believers, and John directly corrects it in verse 23. In fact, Jesus said: If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? He used a conditional, if I desire, not a prediction. John lived a long life, but like all mortals, he died. The point of Jesus' words was never to guarantee John's immortality; it was to stop Peter from comparing.

Living This Out

This week you will have chances to compare. You might see a friend whose faith looks easier, whose suffering seems lighter, whose ministry appears more fruitful. In that moment, hear Jesus say: What is that to you? You follow me. He is not being cold. He is inviting you back to the only question that matters: am I walking where he leads, today, with my eyes on him? Write down one comparison that distracts you often. Hand it to God in prayer. Then open your hands and take up your own following.

Main takeaway: Jesus calls each disciple to follow him without comparing their path to another's, trusting his sovereign will for every life.

For Families

For ages 5, 8

Peter wanted to know what would happen to John. Jesus said, 'You follow me.' Jesus wants you to follow him too, without worrying about what other people are doing.

For ages 9, 12

In this story, Peter asks Jesus what will happen to John. Jesus tells Peter that it is not his concern, his job is to follow. It is easy to compare yourself to friends or siblings and wonder why life is different for them. But Jesus gives each person their own path. Your job is to walk with Jesus and trust him with your own story, even when you do not know all the details.

Questions People Ask

What did Jesus mean by 'If I desire that he stay until I come'?

Jesus was not making a prediction about John’s lifespan. He used a conditional statement to redirect Peter’s attention. The 'come' could refer to Christ’s return at the end of time, or to his coming in judgment at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. But the main point is that even if Jesus had willed John to live until then, it was not Peter’s concern.

Did the apostle John really not die?

No. John lived long, likely into his nineties, and tradition says he died a natural death in Ephesus. The early rumor that he would never die is corrected by John himself in verse 23. He points out that Jesus did not say 'he will not die'; he only posed a hypothetical.

Why did Peter ask about John's fate?

The Gospel does not say for certain. Peter may have been curious because John was following them, or he may have wondered why John’s path seemed different from the martyrdom Jesus had just predicted for Peter. Some commentators suggest Peter was concerned about whether John would share his difficult calling.

What does 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' mean?

It is John’s humble way of referring to himself in his own Gospel. He does not use his name. The phrase highlights not that Jesus loved him more than the others, but that John understood his identity in terms of being loved by Jesus. It is a way of emphasizing the intimate relationship each disciple can have with Christ.

Is this passage about not comparing yourself to others?

Yes, that is the primary application. Jesus tells Peter 'What is that to you? You follow me.' The passage calls each believer to focus on their own obedience to Christ rather than comparing their circumstances, calling, or suffering with those of others. It is a gentle but firm redirection toward personal discipleship.

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