Living by being led

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” (John 21:18)

A disciple of Christ Jesus follows the leading of the Holy Spirit. He walks in the path the Master chooses. He lives by being led into wherever the Lord leads. Peter as a disciple of Christ serves as an illustration of this truth!

Truly, truly, I say to you

1. Jesus is speaking to Peter
2. Jesus is affirming the truth of what He says to Peter

When you were young…

1. Young people do things by themselves
2. Being young in this context may also be taken as a reference to
   1. Being immature in faith
   2. Being childish in faith (1 Cor.13:11)
3. In a similar way, Peter, when he was young, did many things in his own ways
   1. He chose what to say to Jesus as a response (Matt. 16:22)
   2. He chose what to do as a manner of defense for Jesus (Matt. 26:51)
   3. He chose to go fishing after the crucifixion of Jesus (John 21:3)
4. Most of what he did stemmed from his own self
5. Peter obviously walked where he wanted

But when you are old…

1. Obviously there is a contrast between the young and the old
2. This old age of a person may refer also to a mature state of the person in terms of faith and life
3. The mature ones in the discipleship of Christ Jesus will live dependently of the other – the Holy Spirit
   1. The Spirit will take control of him (Eph.5:18)
   2. The Spirit will lead him into wherever the former decides (Cf. Mk.1:12)
4. This was exactly what Peter later became
   1. He was led by the Spirit (2 Peter 1:21)
   2. He was revealed about who Jesus was (Matt. 16:17)
   3. He was enabled to accept how he would also die (Cf. 2 Peter 1:14-15)
   4. He was made obedient to the call (according to the witness of history)

May we grow mature in faith and life, as we imitate the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ! Let us seek to be led by the Spirit of God in every sense of the word!