No — Jesus never said the Apostle John would not die; the misunderstanding arose when the brethren treated His conditional words as a prophecy.
Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John, and Jesus replied, 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me' (John 21:22). That conditional 'if' was misread as a guarantee that John would not die, and the saying spread among the brethren (John 21:23). Les Feldick teaches that Peter was 'brought up short' by this kind of statement in John's Gospel, and that God reveals truth only in His own time.
John 21:23 — This verse directly states the misunderstanding — the brethren took Jesus' words to mean John would not die, though Jesus had not said that.
John 21:22 — The conditional statement Jesus made to Peter that was misread as a prediction about John.
John 21:18 — Jesus' prophecy of Peter's own death — the immediate context for Peter's question about John.
John 21 records the conversation in which the misunderstanding arose. After His resurrection, Jesus told Peter, 'Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.' The text explains, 'This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God' (John 21:18-19). Peter then turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, and asked, 'Lord, and what shall this man do?' Jesus answered, 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me' (John 21:20-22). The very next verse records the misunderstanding: 'Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?' (John 21:23). Scripture is explicit — Jesus did not say John would not die; the conditional 'if' was not a prediction of John's lifespan.
Les Feldick's treatment of this passage appears in his exposition of John 21. He emphasizes that Jesus' words to Peter were a personal prophecy — when Peter was old, he would stretch forth his hands and be carried where he would not go, signifying by what death he would glorify God. Les notes that Peter was somewhere in between young and old, estimating him to be in his 40s (Clip 0). Les also places the incident in a broader pattern. He repeatedly teaches that the disciples knew not the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead (John 20:9), that God had purposely hidden these things from them, and that 'a sovereign God does not reveal a truth until He's ready to reveal it' (Clips 4, 5, 6, 7). Les then points to this very kind of moment in John's Gospel: 'Peter has to be brought up short with almost the same kind of a statement again' (Clip 1). In other words, the question about John's future was another instance in which a truth was not yet revealed, and Peter was stopped short instead of being given an explanation about John.
Jesus said, 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me' (John 21:22). The words were conditional — the 'if' expresses the Lord's sovereign choice, not a timetable for John's life. Les Feldick notes that in John's Gospel Peter 'has to be brought up short with almost the same kind of a statement again' (Clip 1), meaning the exchange was a check on Peter's curiosity rather than a revelation about John.
John 21:23 records its origin: 'Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?' The brethren repeated the conditional statement as though it were a certainty. The text itself corrects the error — Jesus never said John would not die.
Les teaches that the disciples could not grasp truths God had not yet revealed. He points to John 20:9 — 'for as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead' — and to Luke 18:34, 'this saying was hid from them' (Clips 4, 5, 6, 7). The misunderstanding about John's future fits that same pattern: Peter was 'brought up short' (Clip 1) because some things belong to the Lord alone and are revealed only in His time.
Jesus' Prophecy of Peter's Death
In John 21, Jesus told Peter that in his old age he would stretch forth his hands and be carried — a prophecy of Peter's death. Les notes Peter was approximately 40, between young and old.
Peter Brought Up Short in John's Gospel
Les says God had purposely hidden the meaning of Jesus' death from the disciples, and that in John's Gospel Peter was brought up short with almost the same kind of statement again — the exchange about John's future.
God Hid the Resurrection From Them
God hid the fact of the crucifixion and resurrection from the disciples, so they had no idea Jesus would rise; that is why they went home instead of waiting at the tomb.
Did the Disciples Understand the Cross? Luke 18 Explained
And so Paul can rightly say now that all this was according to the Old Testament Scriptures. And then verse 4, and that he was buried. He was really dead. He just didn't go into a swoon like some would like to say. He didn't just go into an unconscious state. He died. And that was the reason for the three days and three nights in the grave, to prove that his death was complete.
They Knew Not the Scripture
Peter and John knew not the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead — evidence that the disciples could not have preached a gospel they did not understand.
No Understanding of the Resurrection
Even Peter and John did not know the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead, making it impossible for them to preach our Gospel during His earthly ministry.
A Sovereign God Reveals in His Own Time
The saying about Jesus' death and resurrection 'was hid from them' because God had not yet seen fit to reveal it — a sovereign God reveals truth when He is ready.
The Saying Was Hid From Them
The disciples understood none of these things at the time; it was not time for God to reveal it, so the saying was hid from them.
John 21:18: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
Jesus' prophecy of Peter's death — the immediate context for Peter's question about John.
John 21:22: Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Jesus' conditional answer to Peter's question about John — the words that were misread.
John 21:23: Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
The verse that records and corrects the misunderstanding about John's death.
John 20:9: For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Les's frequent example of the disciples' lack of understanding — they did not know the Scripture about the resurrection.
Luke 18:34: And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Key passage in Les's teaching on why the disciples misunderstood — the saying was hid from them.
No. Jesus said, 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me' (John 21:22). The word 'if' renders the statement conditional, and John 21:23 immediately clarifies that Jesus did not say John would not die.
Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John. The brethren heard Jesus' reply — 'If I will that he tarry till I come' — and repeated it abroad as though it meant John would never die. John 21:23 records that the saying went abroad among the brethren, but Jesus had spoken conditionally.
Les teaches that the disciples, including Peter and John, did not understand truths God had not yet revealed — they 'knew not the Scripture' that Christ must rise again. In John's Gospel, Peter was 'brought up short with almost the same kind of a statement again' (Clip 1), showing that God reveals truth in His own time and Peter was not to probe what belonged to the Lord.
Watch the Teaching: Why Jesus Told Peter "Feed My Sheep" — John 21 Explained