John 21:18-19 (ESV Strong's)
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Death is Intended to Glorify God
This passage is at the end of an exchange of words with Jesus and Peter, after the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is challenging Peter about his love for he Lord. We have to remember that Peter, just recently, has denied Jesus three times. Peter must be feeling pretty low. Jesus uses a questing technique to solicit Peter’s unconditional commitment to love. (It is interesting that Peter gets frustrated with Jesus for His line of questioning ... despite his previous denials.). After Peter makes the three-fold commitment (to balance his three-fold denial), Jesus makes the above statement about the death of Peter. The key portion in John’s record of this story is John’s editorial, parenthetical, comment:
“... (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) ...”.
Peter was going to be lead around by the hand in his later years, dressed in a way and lead in a way he does NOT want to go. Most interpret this as the martyrdom of Peter. The point to make, however, is not the emphasis on the type of death, but that John says that Peter’s death is to be his final act of “glorifying” Jesus. Most all men, rightly, fear death, or at least the experience of death. Believers are not to fear death, because we will be going to be with our Lord. But, it is doubtful that most believers look at their death as an act of glorification of Christ. In life we glorify Him, in death, as well, we are glorify Him. Whether in life or via death, our ultimate aim should be to glorify God.
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