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?
Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die - into which they the more easily fell, from the prevalent belief that Christ's Second Coming was there near at hand.
Yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry until I come, what is that to thee? The Evangelist is jealous for His Master's honour, which his death might be thought to compromise if such a misunderstanding should not be corrected.