Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”
Parallel translations
- KJV Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou 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 2:25Nevertheless, hold that which you have firmly until I come.
- Rev 3:11I am coming quickly! Hold firmly that which you have, so that no one takes your crown.
- Mark 9:1He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see God’s Kingdom come with power.”
- Matt 16:27–28For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.
- 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.
- Matt 24:3As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”
- Matt 24:44Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.
- John 21:19Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
- Jas 5:7Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.
- 1 Cor 11:26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
- Rev 1:7Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.
- Rev 22:20He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.
- Matt 24:27For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
- Rev 22:7“Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
- Matt 25:31“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.