Let’s read John 21:20-23, “Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, ‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’ Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, ‘But Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? Follow Me.’ Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?’”

If we were to read verses 15-17, we would see the Lord commissioning Peter to “Feed His lambs and sheep”; in other words, to “Minister the Word of God to young believers and older ones too.” Then in verses 18-19 Jesus foretold Peter’s death by being put to death by his enemies who hated Christ. In verses 20-21 Peter saw John (most believe the Apostle John was the one who had “leaned on Jesus’ breast during the Lord’s Supper) and with curiosity he asked Jesus, “What about this man?” Perhaps he was wondering if John would also experience a martyr’s death. The Lord gave Peter a short response, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? Follow Me.” In these few words Jesus was telling Peter not to be concerned about John (or anyone else for that matter) but to focus on My will for you! This is an important lesson for us all. We should not be comparing ourselves with others or questioning the Lord about His will for them; we should stay focused on being obedient to WHAT THE LORD TELLS US TO DO. Of course, the Lord’s next words regarding John brought confusion to the minds of the other disciples. When Jesus implied that John would still be alive when He comes again, they naturally thought it meant that JOHN WOULD NOT DIE, and they proceeded to spread that rumor to other believers. The gospel writer (John) was inspired to dismiss this rumor by writing, “Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If I will that HE REMAIN TILL I COME, what is that to you.” This begs the question, “What did Jesus mean by these words?” There are two prominent views:

1) Some believe the key words are the first three words, “IF I WILL that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” He did not say, “MY WILL is that he remain till I come.” Looking at it from that vantage point, Jesus was basically saying, “If I determine to keep John alive till I come, what is that to you? My will is that you are going to die, but My will for John may be different.”

2) Others believe that Jesus was indeed predicting that John would be alive when Jesus comes but they go on to say that it refers to “John being ALIVE ON THE ISLE OF PATMOS and receiving the revelation of His Second Coming in detail.” He did actually see, in visions, Jesus coming in Revelation 19:11-13, “Now I SAW heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God.”

I lean towards view #1, for it fits the context. But there are commentators who espouse view #2 and teach that the Lord’s comment about John was “something cryptic” and that it meant that John would REMAIN (still be alive) so the Lord could give to him the vision of His coming in power and glory to judge the world and to establish His kingdom. They go on to teach that eventually JOHN DID DIE.  (DO)  (625.1)