How does John 21:18 illustrate the cost of discipleship in your life? Setting the Scene • The resurrected Jesus meets His disciples by the Sea of Galilee. • After reinstating Peter with three “Do you love Me?” questions, Jesus looks Peter squarely in the eye and tells him the future. Hearing Jesus’ Prophetic Word to Peter “Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (John 21:18) Cost of Discipleship: Bound Hands, Surrendered Will • “You dressed yourself … walked where you wanted” – freedom, self-direction, comfort. • “You will stretch out your hands” – a picture of crucifixion, total vulnerability. • “Someone else will dress you and lead you” – loss of control, submission to a path chosen by God, not by you. • Jesus promises Peter a life that ends in martyrdom. Not the promotion most would seek, yet it is framed as the ultimate privilege: glorifying God (v. 19). Personal Application: What It Looks Like Today My own discipleship mirrors Peter’s journey: 1. Relinquishing control • Daily choices—career, finances, future plans—handed over to Christ’s direction. • Luke 9:23 calls me to “deny myself, take up [my] cross daily, and follow.” 2. Accepting unwanted assignments • Sometimes He leads where I “do not want to go”: hard conversations, sacrificial giving, unexpected ministry roles. • Acts 20:24 reminds me my life is worth nothing to me unless I finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given. 3. Enduring discomfort for His glory • Reputation, ease, and safety may be surrendered. • Philippians 1:20-21: “Christ will be exalted in my body … For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” 4. Trusting the outcome • Jesus never hides the cost, yet He guarantees His presence (Matthew 28:20). • Romans 12:1 urges me to present my body a living sacrifice—this is worship, not waste. Encouraging Scriptures that Echo the Message • Matthew 16:24-25 – losing life to find it. • 2 Timothy 4:6-8 – Paul’s “drink offering” poured out in faithful finish. • Hebrews 11:35-40 – saints choosing affliction over compromise. Counting the Cost and Embracing the Call John 21:18 turns the spotlight on the real price tag of following Jesus: open-handed surrender that may lead to places I never planned—and would never trade. Peter’s path ended in literal crucifixion; mine may involve quieter, daily deaths to self. Either way, the cost is outweighed by the surpassing worth of knowing and glorifying Christ. |
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