There is much speculation on the scriptures, especially where Jesus Christ is concerned. Different interpretations of the Gospel can often lead to confusion for those who are not grounded in their faith and have been granted discernment from the Holy Spirit.
In this John 21:22 commentary, we will briefly explore a common misconception that can either make or break us in terms of faith. In a paraphrase of the English Standard Version translation of this verse is as follows:
Jesus looked at Peter and said “If I want him to live until I return, what does it matter to you? Don’t you follow me?”
A common misinterpretation of this scripture is that Jesus was stating that he would come again during the disciples’ lifetime. That they would not die until he came again. This misinterpretation happens when we take the scripture out of context. It is important to evaluate the surrounding message of the scripture and that is what we will attempt to do here.
Another paraphrase from the Message Bible lumps this verse together with its surrounding text as follows:
Looking around, Peter noticed another disciple (the one Jesus indicated would betray him walking behind them. He asked Jesus, “What about him? What will happen to him?” Jesus responded by saying “If I want him to live until I return, what does it matter to you? You’re my follower. That’s how the rumor started among believers that the disciples wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus was saying.
You see, misinterpretation of the scriptures has been happening among believers even since the time that the story was being played out. The believers of that time took one phrase from Jesus’ mouth out of context and developed an entire false doctrine around it. It is vitally important to us as believers that we do not take any element of scripture out of context. One verse on its own can be twisted to say virtually anything we want the Bible to say on our behalf. As mature and responsible believers, it is up to us to consider the surrounding text. Because, you see, when scriptures are considered in context, the only interpretation we can possibly draw is that of the truth that God intended to portray when he inspired the writing of these holy texts.
Our look at Biblical misinterpretation in this John 21:22 commentary is just one example of misuse of many scriptures today.
