John 21:1-19
This is the last chapter of John’s Gospel, and it describes the third time Jesus appeared to the group of apostles. The first appearance of Jesus Christ in His resurrection body before His disciples was on the very day of the resurrection, but Thomas was not there then (John 20:19-24). The second was after eight days, especially for Thomas (John 20:26-29) — the appearance we celebrate on Thomas Sunday. And the one this chapter is about was the third appearance of Jesus (John 21:14). Unlike the first two, it did not take place in Judea but in Galilee. Remember that in Matthew’s Gospel too, when Jesus rose, He said to the women: “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (Matthew 28:10). And here we see this being fulfilled: Jesus appears to the apostles not only in Judea but also in Galilee — by the Sea of Tiberias (vv.1-3).
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (John 21:1-3)
The crucifixion had passed, the resurrection had passed, and the disciples seemed rather worn out and a little under stress, because everything had happened at an incredible pace. Within about ten days so many events had taken place: Jesus had raised Lazarus, the next day He had entered Jerusalem as a king, then He had taught in the temple, then came the Last Supper, followed by the prayer on the Mount of Olives, the betrayal and the arrest, the trial, the crucifixion, and then the resurrection on the third day. All of this was very emotional, very intense for the apostles, I imagine. So perhaps the apostle Peter thought: “If we go and do something with our hands, we will calm down and everything we have been through will settle, and we will be able to make sense of it.” And he said: “Let’s go fishing.” But did such words befit the apostle who was to be used for the founding and building of the New Testament church? Remember what Jesus said to him when He called him: “From now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10). Yet Peter, instead of telling the apostles, “I am going to fish for people — I am going to preach the gospel,” what did he say? “I am going fishing, I am going to catch fish.” There is nothing wrong with fishing, of course, but there seems to be something dangerous here. It is as if Peter’s words carry a certain mood: “There, Easter has passed, Jesus has risen. But, as people say, ‘every wonder lasts but three days’… Let’s get things back to the way they used to be. Let everyone go his own way… Jesus to heaven, and we — along our earthly road — to fishing.” And it seems it is the same with us. As Easter draws near, we get ourselves ready as though something extraordinary is about to happen. Easter is coming, and we want to be prepared for this brightest of Christian feasts. At Easter we are so joyful and happy. We make plans and everything is so festive and merry — we rejoice. But once Easter has passed, within a week or two we all go back to our old jobs and commitments. We even forget to greet one another with the Easter greeting “Christ is risen!” — though by tradition we ought to keep it up at least until the Ascension.
But today I want to tell you that God has a plan for us. He does not want us “to fish for fish.” He wants us to “fish for people” for the kingdom (Matthew 4:18-19). As Christians we are different from the people of this world. For the people of this world, their work or the various things they do can be the goal of their life. But for us, our profession and our business are only means to an end, and the end itself is the expansion of God’s kingdom, the salvation of human souls, the advance of God’s work here on earth, and the service and worship of God. Therefore, whatever we do, we must always ask ourselves: “Is what I am about to do the will of God?” But in our text we see that the decision to go fishing was Peter’s decision. It was his spontaneous decision. The apostles had gathered, but there is no mention that they had prayed or sought God’s will. It simply occurred to Peter, and he said: “I am going fishing. I feel like it… I’m off.” But we as Christians must not be like that. We must not do what we want, go where we want, look at what we want, listen to what we want, say what we want, and do what we want. No. We must do what God wants. He has redeemed us from death with the precious blood of His Son, and we have given ourselves to Him as willing bondservants, slaves, and stewards, to do His will. In James 4:13-16 the Lord’s brother says:
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:13-17)
Did the apostles know what good they ought to do? They did. They were to gather, to pray, and to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For Jesus had told them: “Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Of course, Jesus repeated these words on the day of His ascension, but from Luke 24 we understand that He had already told them this on the very day of His resurrection. And they were to pray, to seek God’s face, to worship God, to confess their sins, to cleanse their hearts, and to wait. But instead of seeking God’s will, the apostles went off fishing on their own initiative. Should they have gone fishing? It was a return to the old things. Look, there is nothing wrong with going fishing or with our daily work. But the way we do things, and what we take up, reveals our disposition.
DRIFTING AWAY FROM THE CALLING
In the case of Peter and the rest of the apostles, going fishing was a sign that at that moment they wanted to live for themselves and not for God, do you understand? And that is exactly why Jesus appeared to them when they had gone fishing — to bring them back to their calling. They had drifted away from their calling. And what was that calling? At the very beginning, when Jesus told Peter to cast the net after a whole night of unsuccessful fishing and it was filled to overflowing, what happened — do you remember (Luke 5:1-11)? Their nets were tearing, and they called for helpers and filled two boats with fish so full that they began to sink. Notice, Peter said then: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). This means: “I submit to You, to do Your will.” And what did Jesus tell him — what is God’s will? “Don’t be afraid, Peter; from now on you will fish for people!” (Luke 5:10). But Peter slipped back a little. And that is why the Lord appeared to the apostles this third time — to confirm their calling to serve God: a calling to ministry, a calling to discipleship, a calling to follow Christ, a calling to apostleship.
So going fishing was a “slight” step backward. And did they catch anything? Were they successful? “So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” If they had gone fishing according to God’s will, would that have been the result? The fact that they had caught nothing showed that something was not right. This reminds me of Christ’s words from John 15:5, when Jesus said:
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
When they set out in a direction God had not called them to, the apostles were unsuccessful. Apart from Him, without Christ in our lives, we are nothing, and we can do nothing. So we must always review our priorities. Are we right with God, or have we allowed something else to take first place in our lives? Because if that has happened, then we begin to do what we want and not what God wants. When this happens, we sense it, don’t we? And that is why Jesus appeared to them — to bring them back from their drift away from their calling, to set their attitude right, to align them wholly for God’s work alone, and to attune their hearts to be “fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
IT IS THE LORD!
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. (John 21:4)
Perhaps from a distance they could not see Him. Or perhaps, like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “they were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). Perhaps they thought this man was some potential customer, one of those who wanted to buy fish.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” (John 21:5-6)
Perhaps, when they heard these words, something began to stir within them. Perhaps they remembered another occasion, a few years earlier, when a miracle had taken place.
When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:6-7)
“The disciple whom Jesus loved” is John. He always speaks of himself in this way. He felt especially loved by Jesus. Notice, it does not say “the disciple who loved Jesus,” but “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” In this phrase the direction of the love is not from the disciple to Jesus, but from Jesus to the disciple. So John, this beloved disciple and closest disciple of Christ, said to Peter: “It is the Lord!” When he saw the incredible quantity of fish, he understood that only the Lord could do this. From time to time certain things seemed to flash upon John. As when he went to the tomb and saw the linen in the empty grave, it says: “He saw and believed” (John 20:8) — he understood that Jesus had risen and that what He had foretold about Himself was true. So now too, when he saw the lack of any catch through the whole night, the words “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some,” the unusual quantity of fish… it dawned on John — only one could do this: the Lord.
CONFIRMATION OF THE ORIGINAL CALL
What was the purpose of this repetition of the miracle of the great catch? For this was the very miracle by which the Lord called Peter (Luke 5:1-11). At that time Peter realized that from that moment on his life could never be the same again. He understood that from then on he could no longer be a fisherman, but that he would be a “fisher of people.” Later Peter was the one who made the holy confession: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). What did Jesus answer him (Matthew 16:16-19)?
17 Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:17-18)
In the Acts of the Apostles we see that it was the apostle Peter who first preached the gospel to the Jews at Pentecost, and later, in the house of Cornelius, the Gentiles heard the gospel for the first time from his lips. And we see that, although Jesus is the cornerstone and the foundation of the church, Peter too is one of the foundational stones of the church.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)
You see, with these words Jesus gave Peter the authority, through the gospel, to “catch” people for the kingdom, to win people for the kingdom. But instead of continuing in this heavenly calling, Peter went back to his earthly calling by going fishing. And I believe the Lord appeared to him at precisely such a moment in order to reaffirm the calling with which He had called him.
HEALING OF THE WOUNDED SOUL
And perhaps, on top of everything else, Peter was still a little crushed. It is quite likely that he had become deeply disappointed in himself. For he had said: “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Mark 14:31). And what happened after that? He denied the Lord three times — he lied, saying he did not even know Him. Afterward he was sorry for what he had done, but he had to live through it, and it showed him how weak and fragile and insufficient his human nature was. Peter was disappointed in himself. He had thought he was very strong, yet he was crushed. And in this brokenness perhaps he began to feel sorry for himself and said: “I am good for nothing… I give up… Let me just go back to the fish…” Sometimes this happens to us too, doesn’t it? I have spoken with people over whom I see a great calling from the Lord for their life and ministry, but they say: “I don’t want to serve God anymore, I’m not fit for this work…” And they go about their own affairs. Perhaps the apostle Peter was in exactly such a mood. He said: “I am going fishing… I am going back to my old work.”
But Jesus appeared to him! And He confirmed not only this calling of his “to fish for people,” but appointed him a shepherd and elder (1 Peter 5:1) and entrusted His church to him: “Feed my sheep, feed my lambs.”
DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE!
I believe the purpose of this repetition of the miracle of the great catch of fish was to remind Peter of his calling. Remembering the beginning is a good thing. And God wants us to remember the beginning of our Christian life — the moment when God called us. What zeal we had! What devotion we had! Should we abandon the devotion we had at the beginning when, later on, something happens in our life and we grow cold toward the Lord? Or should we follow this calling to the end of our life, because “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29)? In Hebrews 10:32-35 it says:
32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. (Hebrews 10:32-35)
Remember! We must remember the “earlier days” not only to recall the confidence we had, but also to remember how far we have “fallen,” to repent, and to return to our original state. What did the glorified Jesus say to the angel of the church in Ephesus in Revelation (Revelation 2:4-5)?
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Revelation 2:4-5)
PRESSING TOWARD THE LORD
I believe this is exactly why Jesus appeared again to Peter and the rest of the apostles — to remind them of the beginning. And then Peter repented in his own style — in his own way he surrendered himself to the Lord once again (v.7).
As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. (John 21:7)
Peter could not wait for the boat to reach the shore with the overflowing nets. He threw himself into the water and began to swim toward Jesus. Why? To draw near to the Lord more quickly. This plunge shows his zeal for the Lord. And this eagerness of his toward the Lord reminds me of the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:7-14, where he says:
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (Philippians 3:7)
Even fishing for Peter, even religious learning and the righteousness of the Pharisees for Paul — whatever it may be — everything that was important to us before Christ came into our lives is loss compared with justification, with salvation, and with our life with God.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8)
If today the devil has raised up for us something else that we have begun to consider more precious than Christ, let us cast it off! But above all let us lift up “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”!
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Philippians 3:8-12)
Look, here again it is a matter of catching, but not of catching people for God — rather, of how we ourselves have been caught by Christ, of how we are to be Christ’s, and of how we are striving to “take hold of” the resurrection of the dead.
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
The apostle Paul strained forward to pursue his calling. And God wants us too to strain forward to pursue our calling, because it is bound up with the resurrection from the dead. Not to go back. Not to return to “fishing.” “Fishing” was Peter’s daily work, his secular profession, the thing that gave him pleasure, his business. But for us who have come to know Christ, our business cannot be in first place. For us business may be a means, but not the goal. The goal must be the Lord!
We see that when Peter came to himself, he “threw himself” into the water so that by swimming he could reach the Lord more quickly. And may God help us, if we have drifted off to the side or gone back to something old, today to throw ourselves forward once again — toward “the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Clearly, this appearance was special for Peter, because it reminded him in a particular way of his own calling. So God wants us to remember the calling with which He has called us, and to follow it.
GOD’S PERFECT PROVISION
8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. (John 21:8-9)
Glory to God! Look at God’s abundance! The disciples had toiled all night and caught nothing. When Jesus told them, and by His word they cast the net on the right side, they caught a great many fish — but they had no time to clean it, gather wood, light a fire, and roast it… Surely they were tired and hungry. What they needed most at that moment was a good, hearty “English” breakfast. And Jesus not only told them where to catch the fish, but also made them breakfast. If we give ourselves over to God for His purposes, I believe He will take care of us! He will provide! There lay a fire of burning coals, and on it fish and bread. You know that it takes time to produce coals. First you have to kindle the fire, then the wood has to burn down to make coals. But Jesus had done everything beforehand, and everything was in its proper place at God’s proper time.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. (John 21:10-11)
When God gives something, He gives it perfectly. The fish were exactly as many as the net could hold and bear without tearing.
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. (John 21:12-13)
What we see after the resurrection is that Jesus was present and shared in the breaking of bread with the apostles in a special way. When He was with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they did not recognize Him, but when they sat down at the table and He broke the bread, their eyes were opened (Luke 24:30-31). After that, when the disciples were gathered, He appeared to them again and asked them: “Do you have anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41). And here in this case too it says that He ate with them. Jesus gave them bread and fish — He made them breakfast. What was His purpose in all of this? To show them that fellowship with Him after His resurrection could be the same as it had been before His resurrection (Acts 10:40-41). Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples in a special way precisely when He broke the bread, and I believe that today too He blesses the church in a special way when we have the Lord’s Supper. When we break the bread, Jesus Christ is among us. May God open our spiritual eyes. For though we do not see Him with our physical eyes, He is among us. I believe one of the purposes of this breakfast that Jesus prepared for His disciples was to show them that fellowship with Him after the resurrection can be the same as before the resurrection. Before the resurrection Jesus most likely ate breakfast with His disciples as well. They had a common purse and bought everything together. They ate together. And most likely they had made fish with bread on the shore of the lake before the resurrection too. And now Jesus repeats this breakfast — not only for the confirmation of Peter’s calling, but also to assure them that He desires to have the same fellowship with them that He had before the resurrection. Even though now He is the glorified Son of God — clothed in glory and in a resurrection body. For before the crucifixion Jesus had a mortal body, but after His resurrection He now has a glorified, resurrection body. And I believe that just as Jesus desired to commune with the apostles, so today He desires to commune with us as well.
RESTORATION TO MINISTRY
After they had eaten, Jesus now moved on to the more serious matter. He wanted to restore Peter to his ministry — not only to his calling, but to his ministry — to restore his authority also before the other apostles. For there are verses that say that when Jesus rose, He appeared personally to Peter (1 Corinthians 15:4-5). And in that personal meeting Jesus restored Peter, forgiving him for having denied Him three times. But now He seems to be restoring him to his ministry before everyone.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15)
In John 13:36-38 and in Mark 14:26-31 we read of Peter’s enthusiasm. He was very enthusiastic before the crucifixion:
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” (Mark 14:26-29)
With these words Peter was saying that he was something more than the others. “Who, me?! The others may deny You, but I — never! I love You so much! I am so faithful!”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” 31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. (Mark 14:30-31)
Peter claimed that he loved Jesus more than the others. He said: “Even if all the others fall away because of You — I, however, will not.” But after that, we know what happened — he denied Jesus, just as He had foretold — he not only said that he did not know Him, but swore that he did not know Him. Now, after his denial, the Lord asks him: “Was I not right back then, when I told you that your love for Me is not as strong as your love for yourself?”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:16-17)
What is interesting here is that the first two times Jesus asks Peter whether he loves Him, He uses the Greek word “agapao” — “do you love Me?” This word denotes divine, unconditional love. Peter does not answer with the same word — “I love You,” “agapao” — but uses a different Greek word for love, which is “phileo.” “Phileo” means friendly, reciprocal, mutual love. So Jesus says to Peter: “Do you love Me unconditionally?” and Peter answers: “Yes, I love You, but I do not claim to love You with unconditional love, because I betrayed You, and now I know how strong my love for You is — I love You, but not without limit, not unconditionally.” And even so, Jesus told him: “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” He entrusted a ministry to him. The third time, Jesus turned to Peter with Peter’s own word — not “do you love Me [agapao]?” but “do you love Me [phileo]?” In Greek this conversation sounds like this:
— Jesus: “Do you love Me with divine love?”
— Peter: “I love You with the love of a friend.”
— Jesus again: “Do you love Me with divine love?”
— Peter, a second time: “I love You with the love of a friend.”
— And then the third time Jesus asks him: “Very well, since you do not love Me with divine love, then do you truly love Me at least with the love of a friend?”
Then Peter was grieved. Because both the first two times and the third time he had answered sincerely — from the heart. And he affirmed: “Lord, You know that I love You!” Jesus knew Peter’s heart, and yet He asked him three times whether he loved Him. What was the purpose of this threefold questioning? Not so much doubt about Peter on Jesus’ part, as an opportunity given by Jesus for Peter to affirm his love for Him. I think we could say that just as Peter denied Jesus three times, so now Jesus gives him three opportunities to confess and reaffirm his love for Him.
“Feed my lambs, feed my sheep” — both young and old — Jesus entrusts the whole church to Peter. He sets him as shepherd and elder over it. Our love for Jesus must not be mystical. Some people say: “I love God!” How do you love Him? “Well, I feel a kind of special warmth, a tenderness toward God, I love the Lord!…” But our love for Jesus must not be merely some inner or hidden love. No. It must find its outward expression — outward expression in care and work for Christ’s church and in actively following Christ. When Jesus understood that Peter loved Him, He told him: “Then do something for Me. Serve Me by doing something for people!”
Review your priorities now, review your calling, and see whether you have drifted away from your calling and your ministry. If you have drifted, come back! Review your priorities and see whether something has displaced God from first place in your life. And if that has happened, then remove that idol. Let God be in first place in your life! For when He is assured of your love for Him, God will place you in ministry. Because love for God is not merely a feeling. It is expressed in something, in some work for God, in some ministry. We must not forget that all ministries, however varied they may be, are equally precious to God.
BEARING THE CROSS
18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went 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. 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:18-19)
“Follow me!” — this means “Take up your cross!” This must be our attitude toward Jesus — to follow Him and even to be ready to suffer for His sake. And with His help and His strength, to endure! John’s words in verse 19 hint to us that Peter’s death had already become a fact and that his readers knew how he had died. Tradition tells us that when Peter grew old, his eyesight failed, and he had a boy who would lead him and care for him. During Nero’s persecution, in the year 64, Peter set out to flee from Rome, but on the way he met Christ in a vision, going toward Rome. Peter asked Him: “Where are you going, Lord?” (“Quo Vadis, Domine?”) Jesus answered: “I am going to Rome, to die once more.” I believe this actually happened. And when Jesus said that He was going “to die” in Rome, He did not mean Himself, but His disciples. Just as when the Lord met Paul on the road to Damascus and said to him: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul was not persecuting Christ, but His church (Acts 8:3). Yet the Lord took it personally, because the church is in fact the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:29,31). So in Peter’s case too, although it was not Jesus Himself who would die in Rome, but His disciples, it is quite likely that the Lord said to Peter: “I am going to Rome, to die once more.” Hearing this answer, Peter turned around and headed for Rome, where he would be crucified together with his brothers, accused of setting Rome on fire. In his humility, he asked to be crucified upside down, because he did not consider himself worthy to suffer in the same way as his Lord.
This is also hinted at in John 13:36.
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” (John 13:36)
“Where are you going, Lord?” This is a question from before the crucifixion, but perhaps the same question was repeated thirty-five years later, at a later meeting between Peter and the risen Lord, when Peter was leaving Rome. And then Peter no longer denies the Lord, but is now mature and prepared to follow Christ and to bear his cross.