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What Shall This Man Do?
T
by Filip Brunner
he answer given to Peter by Jesus should not surprise
In a perfect world where everyone believed in Christ,
us, but it does more than we would want to admit.
we would submit to the calling on our lives. Being poor or
“Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and
being rich has no bearing on our eternal destination. When
what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that
it speaks of our socioeconomic reality, the Bible makes it
he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me”
clear that the worker and the owner of the business and
(John 21:21-22). Jesus’ answer is echoed by the country
the destitute and the rich have certain obligations. The
music mantra: “Mind your own business; you sure won’t be
worker is to work as if he is working directly for the Lord.
minding mine” (Hank Williams). This could end here, but NO. The main point of this discourse deals mainly with whether we have enough love for Jesus to minister to others in the way He wants us to. Verses 15-17 convey the three times Peter was asked, “Do you love me?” and told, “…feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” Verse 18 speaks to how Peter’s death will glorify God. The revelation of, “This is how you will die and glorify God by your death,” must have been a bit disturbing to Peter. “What shall this man do?” deflects the attention from Peter to someone else. When we get uncomfortable, we want to gain egress
The business owner is to treat his workers in the same way Christ would treat them. The poor and destitute need to
from the uncomfortable situation. In the case of dangerous
“glean the corners of the field.” The rich need to break the
situations, this is a God-given defense mechanism we call
roof of the house apart in order for the paralytic to be able
fight or flight. But when it comes to future events, especially
to experience the healing power of Jesus. Yes, I want to be
seeing as how we do not have the same glimpse into the
rich. The question is not, “Can I become rich?” but, “Why
future as Peter did, we become apprehensive. The reaction
do I want to be rich?” The answer needs to be, “For the
is a natural one. Where it gets into the realm of sin is when
furtherance of the Kingdom of God,” whatever shape and
money comes into play. We see this in our society today in
form that might take. In conclusion, take care of what Jesus
the attitudes of people who picture themselves as “poor”
wants YOU to do. Your ministry is yours.
shall this man do?” gives us an insight into how Jesus sees this social enigma.
8 // January 2021
About The Author
and spew hatred against people they see as “rich.” “What Filip Brunner is married to his wife, Dr. Kim Brunner and together they have six children. He is a writer, author, and artist.
