"When you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else would put a belt around you and take you where you would rather not go." Jesus' prophetic saying to Simon Peter is not meant to frighten him but to allow Peter the opportunity to show the extent of his three times declared love for Jesus. Jesus reiterates that the time will come when the disciples will all drink from the cup of suffering that He drank; they will all face persecution.

Peter is given advance notice of this. He has the freedom to still walk away as he did on the night when he denied Christ. As it turns out, Peter proves his renewed love and loyalty for Jesus by not walking where he likes but stays on to lead the rest of his brothers to be fearless witnesses of the Good News. His gratitude to Jesus' forgiveness of his act of denial is indeed undeniable.

Peter already indicated his repentance when he jumped into the water to swim towards Jesus instead of waiting for the boat to arrive at the shore. When instructed, he happily dragged the net, which would be very heavy as it was full of big fish, to shore. His contrition did not go unnoticed and Jesus confirmed his renewed dedication with the triple questions which Peter answered with humility.