John 13:36 Peter asked, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later.”
In the context of John 13 &14, it is easy to see that Jesus is speaking about eternity – that He must first go and prepare a place for us, that we might later follow. However, in this exchange with Peter, there is also a deeper element: it is the cross. A few hours after these words with His disciples, Jesus began His long journey to the cross. The Creator allowed himself to be falsely accused, condemned as a criminal, then executed in the most painful, humiliating fashion – all to forgive His enemies. Peter could not imagine the sacrifice Jesus was willing to pay, nor how impossible it was for him to follow. Once he realized that the One who commanded the waves was laying down His life without a fight, Peter denied that he ever knew Him. Weeks later the risen Christ revealed to Peter that he would also be martyred in a similar fashion. Then Jesus said, “Follow Me.” Peter was on a journey of transformation that would enable him to accomplish the task that had been impossible in his own strength.
Although our strengths and talents are gifts from God, like Peter, our reliance on them prevents us from following. Paul said, “I would rather glory in my weakness, that the power of Christ may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Reliance on our strengths must be crushed on the cross. In our strengths we often build big churches that teach people to avoid the cross. In our strengths we often accomplish amazing charitable works that create more complex problems than the ones we had hoped to solve. In our strengths we often cause others to hope they can become as strong, as rich, and as self-sufficient as we are. That is a false Gospel.
Of course we should all use our gifts for His glory. If we can speak, we should speak as the servants of Christ. If we are gifted in science, maths, arts, or preaching – we should pursue these things in His name. But we bring Him the greatest glory in our weaknesses. Like Peter, we often think we are ready to accomplish His purposes. We are more than willing to glorify God through our strengths and have people speak well of us. Yet, when we suffer for doing what is right and we don’t have the strength to stand, when we are being poured out as an offering, then in our weakness we can only say, “It is all Him! I am weak, but He is able to do far above what I could ever imagine. To God be the glory!” This is the mystery of the Gospel, that in our strength we cannot follow, but later – in our weakness, by His strength alone, we can!