Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”
- BSB Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
- NKJV Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
- NASB Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
- NLT Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus tells Peter that John's future is His concern, and Peter must simply follow Him. It matters because it calls each disciple to undistracted obedience to Christ.
Overview
Rather than answering Peter's curiosity, Jesus reasserts His sovereign right over each disciple's path and repeats the command, 'You follow me.' The believer's duty is faithfulness to Christ, not comparison with how He leads others. The mention of His coming again points to Christ's return. The verse focuses every disciple on personal allegiance to the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Rev 2:25But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
- Rev 3:11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
- Mark 9:1And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
- Matt 16:27–28For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
- 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
- Matt 24:3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
- Matt 24:44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
- John 21:19This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
- Jas 5:7Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
- 1 Cor 11:26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
- Rev 1:7Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
- Rev 22:20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
- Matt 24:27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
- Rev 22:7Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
- Matt 25:31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 21:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.