But What About THEM!

We seem to talk a lot about “they” and “them”.  You know you’ve heard, “Well, THEY think...” or “THEY said….”  Who are THEY anyway?  And all of us remember being asked to do something, like wash the dishes, or clean our rooms, or take out the trash, only to respond, “But what about THEM!”  Those “T” words remind us that there’s someone else out there, and it’s not us!  But what does it really matter what THEY think, or what THEY say?  And why do we focus on THEM when we are asked to perform some task or service which will benefit someone we care about or serve our collective good?  It’s a common problem, but is there a solution?

It’s always good to get Jesus’ opinion on anything, but He does speak directly to this kind of issue in dealing with the apostle, Peter, in the book of John in the New Testament:

So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. (This is his friend and fellow disciple, John – my note)… ²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord—what about him?”  ²² “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.”  John 21:20-22

If you go back and read John 21:15-19, you’ll discover that Jesus had just challenged Peter to commit to carrying on the work that Jesus had begun with the disciples.  It was a huge commitment, and honestly, Peter was sort of hesitant to make it.  He had already denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion, and now, Jesus challenged him three times to “fish or cut bait”, as Peter might have understood the colloquialism.  (Jesus didn’t use those words, but Peter understood the challenge.)  It was time for Peter to act.  So what was his response?  “Hey Jesus, what about HIM?”

WHY DO WE DO THAT?  Do we imagine that by shifting the focus to someone else, we are relieved of the expectation?  Do we actually suppose that the one making the request will respond by reassigning it to the person to whom we’ve shifted attention?  Do we expect that by pointing to THEM we can get lost in the crowd?

Jesus’ answer to Peter should pierce our hearts when we try to waffle under a request to perform.  Our conscience should speak His words, “…What is that to you?”  You see, each of us is INDIVIDUALLY responsible to live out the challenges life places in front of us. Oh sure, we are placed in families, and we have classmates, co-workers, and fellow parishioners to rely on.  But when it gets down to it, what do THEY or THEM have to do with what God is doing in and through you?  Nothing.  And that was Jesus’ point to Peter. 

Peter wasn’t responsible for EVERYTHING, but he was responsible for HIS thing.  And so are you.  What, but the way, is YOUR THING?  What is it that your family really needs from you now?  What do folks rely on you to do at work that you should be doing, but aren’t?  What does GOD expect from you?  It’s important to know that, in life, you can’t just point your finger at someone else and shift away your responsibility.  Jesus saw to that.

Working hard at doing “my thing”,

Jacob