John 21:18-19
When Peter was younger, he was his own man. Even within the parameters of God's law, he was accustomed to living on his own terms. His rebuke of Jesus regarding His death and resurrection, his determination to go to the death with Him, and his triple denial, are all examples of Peter "girding himself" and "walk[ing] where [he] wished." Until this point, he had been largely self-directed, but Jesus prophesies that, by the time he was old, Peter would be directed by somebody else, even to the point of a violent death. The language invokes an image of Peter being led by a Roman soldier to his crucifixion.
But there is something else to consider: This prophecy accepts Peter's pledge to Christ to lay down his life and endure both prison and death, but it also indicates that at his life's end, Peter would be fully submissive to God's will. God would be directing Peter's life, and he will have surrendered, even to the point of martyrdom. By allowing God to gird and carry him where he did not wish, Peter would then follow Christ in glorifying God by making a faithful witness.
Submission to God, seeking His will, and surrendering to it are encapsulated in Jesus' final two words: "Follow Me." Practicing that now is what will set the stage for Him to produce abundantly through us, both in this life and in the age to come.
David C. Grabbe
Breakfast by the Sea (Part Two)
