John 13:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”

NIV: Simon Peter asked him, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.'

NASB: Simon Peter *said to Him, 'Lord, where are You going?' Jesus answered, 'Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.'

CSB: "Lord," Simon Peter said to him, "where are you going? "Jesus answered, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later."

NLT: Simon Peter asked, 'Lord, where are you going?' And Jesus replied, 'You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.'

KJV: Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

NKJV: Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

In the prior passage, Jesus repeated part of a statement He'd made twice to non-believers in Jerusalem (John 7:34; 8:21). In those comments, Jesus indicated He'd be going where others would seek Him, but be unable to follow, and they'd be unable to find Him. Speaking recently to the disciples, Jesus repeated that He was going where He could not be followed, yet did not indicate these men would fail to find Him (John 13:33).

Peter is following up on that statement with his own question. In this context, Jesus' remark implies something much more immediate. And it does—Jesus is about to be arrested and executed (John 19:30), then resurrected (John 20:17) and ascended into heaven (Acts 1:6–9). Those are steps in which His disciples cannot follow, at least not yet.

As Jesus will explain, His path includes preparing a place for those who trust in Him by faith (John 14:3). The disciples, and all who are born again (John 3:3; 3:14–17), will find Christ and be with Him in eternity (John 14:6). The men He has taught for three years cannot do what He is about to do, but they can be reunited with Him eventually.

Another layer of meaning comes when we look at the fates of the men hearing these words. Most of them will suffer martyrdom: killed for their faith in Christ. In that sense, they will "follow afterward" in the path Jesus is about to walk. This includes Peter, who tradition indicates was crucified upside-down, by his own request, as he felt unworthy to die in the same way as Jesus. Peter's eventual fate is even more amazing consider the prediction Jesus is about to give.

John 13:36–38 describes Peter's arrogant claim to loyalty, as a reaction to Jesus' prediction of a secret betrayer. Peter boldly tells Christ he will follow Him anywhere, even to the point of death. Jesus responds with a devastating prediction: Peter will deny his relationship to Jesus three times that very night. Worse, this comment may have made the other disciples suspicious of Peter—they don't yet know that Judas is the betrayer, so this comment might lead them to think Peter is the traitor. Jesus will continue in the following passages with an extended statement of comfort and grace.

Jesus meets with a smaller group, possibly only the twelve disciples, in a private setting. Before eating a meal, Jesus performs the work of a lowly servant, washing the feet of the disciples. He explains that this is an object lesson. Their Lord is willing to serve in humility, so they are obligated to do the same. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal, subtly telling Judas to leave and complete His conspiracy. The disciples don't realize what's happened, however. Peter foolishly brags about his loyalty. Jesus responds with a cutting prediction: Peter will deny his relationship to Christ three times in the next few hours.

The first twelve chapters of the gospel of John describe the public ministry of Jesus. Starting in chapter 13, most of what John describes are the last private moments Jesus enjoys prior to His crucifixion. This begins with Jesus washing the disciples' feet, establishing both an example and a command for humble service. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal and Peter's cowardly denials. Following chapters contain Jesus' last instructions to the disciples, including a rich collection of truths which are central to the Christian faith.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.