15 When they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?”

He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.”

He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?”

He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.”

He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?”

Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you don’t want to go.”

19 Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 21:15-19 - World English Bible

In John 21, Jesus served a morning meal of fish to Peter and six other disciples after their fishing excursion. Afterwards, the Lord asked Simon three times about his affection for his Master; this obliviously mirrored the three times Peter rejected Jesus during the Passion. The passage above translated devotion ("apage" in Greek) as "love" and commitment of a friend ("phileo" in Greek) as affection. In either case, devotion and commitment to the Christ were two sides of the same coin, for faith required both. After each question, Jesus commanded Peter to take care of the community in terms of a shepherd ("feed...tend...feed"). The leader of the community would continue the type of service the Lord offered as the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:1-21).

Leadership based upon commitment and devotion had a cost. Over time, Peter would lose his autonomy and his prerogative. Instead, he would led to his martyrdom, just as the proverb in 21:18 implied. That was the cost of discipleship, a price worth paying.

How has your devotion and commitment to the Lord cost you? Has discipleship been worth the cost?