“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

When Peter questioned Jesus’ prediction about his death on the cross, the Lord strongly rebuked him (Matthew 16:21-23). Later, on the lakeshore where Jesus restored Peter, directing him to feed his sheep (John 21:15-17), Jesus predicted Peter’s death.

Though the details are unclear, Christian tradition has taught that the apostle Peter, while serving as a church leader in Rome, died in A.D. 64. That year a catastrophic fire had destroyed the imperial city. Scheming to shirk his own responsibility for the disaster, the emperor Nero blamed the fire on Christians. As the church’s leader, Peter would have been an obvious target for revenge.

When the Roman soldiers led him away to be hanged on a cross, the tradition goes, Peter pleaded to be crucified upside down, since he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same way as his Lord, who had saved him. So the soldiers crucified him upside down.

Though we can’t be sure about the details of Peter’s death, we can be certain that when Peter was reunited with Jesus in heaven, the Lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (see Matthew 25:23). Despite any of his glaring failures, Peter’s service revealed the virtues of faith, courage, patience, and perseverance. In our own service to Jesus, may we also look forward to the Savior’s words of praise.

Help us, Lord Jesus, to live each day as your faithful servants. Amen.