second time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord: thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest 1 Cor. iii. 1, 2. "It is in obedience to this command that Sunday Schools have been established, and no means of fulfilling the command of the Saviour have been found so effectual as to extend patronage to those schools."-Barnes. 16. Feed. In ver. 15, the word rendered feed is boske, (poons,) meaning to provide food, as a shepherd for his flock. Here the word poimaine, (oiMaive,) is used, which includes the idea of watching over and protecting the flock. The apostles (for this command was not designed for Peter alone) were to teach men what to believe, to place before them spiritual food, and also to give directions for the guidance of their conduct. And it is the duty of all Christians, laymen as well as clergymen, not only to use all proper exertions for mutual edification in faith, but also to watch over, advise, admonish, and uphold each other, that none may stumble and fall, or stray from the fold into the wilderness of sin. Sheep. A common term applied to all Christians, old or young, feeble or strong. See note on ver. 15. 17. The third time. The question is supposed to have been three times repeated, in reference to the fact that Peter had three times denied having any affection for Jesus, or even knowledge of him. ¶ Peter was grieved. The reiteration of the question appeared to imply a doubt of Peter's affection and constancy; and he well knew that such a doubt was fully justified by his previous conduct. He was humbled before the searching question of his Master, and grieved that any doubt should be entertained of his present sincerity. ¶ Thou knowest all things. He asserts nothing on his own veracity. But, appealing to him who could see the heart, he again replies, thou seest the true all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. state of my affections. Thou knowest I am now sincere; thou knowest, though I am frail and liable to fall, that I earnestly love thee, and desire to perform my duty faithfully. ¶ Feed. The same word which occurs in ver. 15. 18. In this verse, Peter is admonished that his faith and love would be put to a severe trial; that he would be called to seal his sincerity with his own blood. ¶ When thou wast young, &c. Thou hast hitherto been free. Thou hast girded thyself according to thine own pleasure, and travelled or not, without compulsion. When about to travel, the Jews were accustomed to fasten the outer garment with a girdle, that it might not impede them in walking. To be girded, or to have the loins girt about, was a phrase denoting eadiness to travel. Girding one's self, as here used, denotes a voluntary preparation for a journey, or, more generally, a state of freedom. Probably, the figure may have been suggested by the circumstance that Peter had so recently girded himself, before leaping from the boat into the sea, ver. 7. ¶ When thou shalt be old. Hereafter; not immediately, but at a later period of your life. It is said by Eusebius, B. II. ch. xxv., and by other ancient writers, that Peter suffered martyrdom by crucifixion, in the reign of Nero, about A. D. 64 or 65, that is, somewhat more than thirty years after he was thus forewarned of his fate. T Stretch forth thy hands, &c. A natural interpretation would be simply that he should raise his arms so that another might fasten a girdle around him. But, from ver. 19, it would seem that allusion is had to the position of the arms on the cross. We may understand the meaning thus: thou shalt stretch forth thy hands to be fastened to the cross, on which also they shall bind thy body, 19 This spake he, signifying by | said, Lord, which is he that betraywhat death he should glorify God. eth thee?) And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following; (which also leaned on his breast at supper, and and place thee in a posture of pain ending only in death, from which humanity revolts. 19. By what death. By what manner of death; that is, by crucifixion. It is supposed that Peter was crucified before this gospel was written, and that the evangelist therefore speaks more confidently concerning the import of the prediction. Glorify God. Honor God; that is, by faithfulness and a steadfast adherence to the truth, even at the sacrifice of life. This phrase was frequently used, in the early ages, to denote martyrdom. Follow me. The common meaning of this phrase, when addressed by Jesus to his hearers, is, become my followers, or disciples; believe me, and obey me. But, from what follows, it seems rather to be a requisition that Peter should follow after Jesus, as he walked along the shore, in token that he was willing to follow him-to the cross, according to the foregoing intimation. 20. The disciple. That is, John; as is manifest from the explanation which follows; compare John xiii. 23-25, and the notes. Following. It would seem that when Peter obeyed the command to follow Jesus, John also rose and followed, though not specially commanded to do so. After walking a short distance, Peter, looking back, perceived the beloved disciple, and questioned our Lord, as narrated in ver. 21. "There is a spirit and tenderness in this plain passage, which I can never read without the most sensible emotion. Christ orders Peter to follow him in token of his readiness to be crucified in his cause; John stays not for the call; he rises, and follows too; but he says not one word of his love and his zeal. He chose that the action only should speak that; and when he records this circumstance, he tells us not what that action meant; but with great simplicity relates the fact only. If here and there a generous heart, that, like his own, glows with 21 Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. love to Christ, sees and emulates it, be it so; but he is not solicitous men should admire it. It was addressed to his Master; and it was enough that he understood it. And can any one be himself base enough to imagine that such a man could spend his life in promoting a pernicious falsehood, and at last, in his old age, when his relish for everything but goodness and immortality was gone, would so solemnly attest it as he does in the conclusion of his gospel? May God deliver every one that reads this from a head so fatally beclouded by the corruptions of the heart."-Doddridge. 21. What shall this man do?" What shall become of this man?"— Campbell. The import of the question seems to be, what fate is reserved for him? Shall he also suffer martyrdom? or is a more quiet life and more peaceful death allotted him? Whether the question was prompted by kindness to John, or by a slightly envious suspicion that favor would be shown to the favorite disciple, does not appear. 22. That he tarry. That is, that he live. Till I come. "That is, live till I come to destroy the Jewish church and state. This John, and he alone of all the apostles, is said to have done."— Pearce. Commentators are almost entirely unanimous on this point. "I told you of some that should escape the fury of the evil times approaching, and continue to the time that I shall come in judgment against Jerusalem, and destroy it by the Romans. And what harm is it to thee? and how art thou concerned to know, if John be one of these? Thou art likely to follow me to the cross, and the cheerful doing of that becomes thee better than this curiosity." Hammond. This was actually equivalent to saying, if I will that he escape martyrdom and die in peace, what is that to thee? The early persecution against Christians was almost wholly instigated by the Jews; and when their power was broken, by the terrible ca 23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? lamity which befell them, Matt. xxiv., the disciples had rest for several years. T Follow thou me. Here this phrase seems to have its ordinary meaning. Be a faithful and obedient disciple; let this suffice; give yourself no concern beyond your own duty. 23. Then went this saying, &c. The disciples misunderstood our Lord's meaning here, as they frequently did when he mentioned his own death and resurrection. It is not improbable that the opinion here indicated became more fully established, among the brethren, when they perceived that John actually escaped martyrdom in the midst of persecutions, and, after they had ceased, enjoyed a quiet and peaceful old age with his church at Ephesus. He thought it expedient to correct that mistake, lest his death should in any degree shake their faith. Hence he declares that Jesus did not say he should not die, but only that it need not concern Peter, if John should live until the event occurred which he often denominated his coming. 24. This is that disciple, &c. If there were the slightest doubt that John referred to himself in ch. xiii. 23-25, this declaration, compared with ver. 20, would remove it. Which testifiethand wrote, &c. That is, the disciple who leaned on the breast of Jesus, ver. 20, and of whom it was at least suggested that he should live until after Jerusalem was overthrown, was the same person who wrote this gospel. He was a personal witness of what he related. We know, &c. He here pledges his veracity that his narrative is true. He is generally supposed to have been now bending under the weight of almost a hundred years; and, at the close of his long and laborious life, he gave this dying testimony to the truth of that gospel which he had preached for about seventy years. Whatever might be thought of an ambitious man, in the strength and pride of life, it is beyond all reasonable suspicion that one in extreme old age, about to fall into the grave, having no possible advantage to hope from deception, should then and 24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, under such circumstances solemnly attest a known falsehood. The plural number here used, we know, has induced some to regard this verse and the next as an addition by the elders of the church at Ephesus, as an attestation that this gospel was actually written by Jolin, and worthy of implicit belief by all. And others, for similar reasons, have supposed this whole chapter to have been added to the gospel, as originally written. To this, it has been replied, that "it is not uncommon in the Apostle John, to speak of himself either in the third person singular, as in ch. xiii. 23, &c.; xviii. 15, 16; xix. 26, 27, 35; xx. 2, &c. ; or in the first person plural, as in ch. i. 14, 16; 1 John i. 1, 2, &c. This notion deserves, therefore, to be rated as merely a modern conjecture, opposed to the testimony of all ecclesiastical antiquity, MSS., editions, versions, commentaries, which uniformly attest the last chapter, as much as any other in the book."-Campbell. 25. Many other things, &c. The reference is probably to miracles in particular. See John xx. 30. John may also have intended to include the discourses delivered by our Lord, as things done by him. Some of these are recorded by the other evangelists. Many, beyond all doubt, were never recorded. Yet we have abundant reason to rejoice that so many, both of discourses and miracles, have been placed on record, as to furnish full proof that Jesus was the Son of God, or the Messiah, and to instruct us in all we absolutely need to know, in this life, concerning the character and purposes of our heavenly Father, and our own duty and destination. TI suppose, &c. Evidently an hyperbole, such as is not unusual among writers of all nations. "This is a very strong eastern expression to represent the great number of miracles, which Jesus wrought. But, however strong and strange this expression may seem to us of the western world, we find sacred and other authors using hyperboles of the like kind and signification."-Pearce. ¶ Amen. This if they should be written every one, | could not contain the books that I suppose that even the world itself should be written. Amen. word is almost universally rejected here by critics, as spurious. TT. The evangelists uniformly assert that our Lord repeatedly "showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs," Acts i. 3; that is, he was seen and handled by his disciples; he conversed with them; and finally they witnessed his departure from the earth. As the fact asserted is of such vital importance, and represented by the apostle, 1 Cor. xv. 3-8, as lying at the very foundation of Christianity, a methodical summary, gathered from the four evangelists, may form an appropriate conclusion of the present volume. (1.) The first interview with himself, after his resurrection, was granted by our Lord to Mary Magdalene, who forsook him not while he lived, even in his hour of utmost distress, and who was the first to visit his sepulchre after the sabbath had passed. Mark xvi. 9; John xx. 11 -18. (2.) He was next seen by the other women; namely, Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna, and others. Matt. xviii. 9. Compare Matt. xxviii. 1; Mark xvi. 1; Luke xxiv. 1, 10. (3.) By two disciples, on their way to Emmaus. Mark xvi. 12; Luke xxiv. 1331. (4.) By Peter, or Cephas. Luke xxiv. 34; 1 Cor. xv. 5. (5.) By ten disciples, Thomas being absent. Mark xvi. 14; Luke xxiv. 36; John xx. 19, 24. To this appearance Paul is supposed to refer, 1 Cor. xv. 5. Five times, on the day of his resurrection, he was seen in different places by different individuals, not one of whom doubted his identity. (6.) He was next seen, about a week afterwards, by the Eleven, Thomas being present and obtaining the actual demonstration which he demanded as the condition of believing that his Master was truly alive. John xx. 26-29. (7.) By Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, " and two other of his disciples," at the sea of Tiberias. John xxi. 1-14. (8.) By the Eleven, at a mountain in Galilee. Matt. xxviii. 16-18. (9.) By "above five hundred brethren at once." 1 Cor. xv. 6. This is omitted by all the evangelists; but Paul asserts that "the greater part" of those five hundred witnesses were then living, and ready to testify the fact. (10.) By James. 1 Cor. xv. 7. (11.) By the whole number of the apostles, on the mount of Olives; and "while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight." Mark xvi. 19; Luke xxiv. 50, 51; Acts i. 1-9; 1 Cor. xv. 7. To these may not improperly be added, (12.) his appearance to Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 8. Such was the evidence, which, during "forty days," Acts i. 3, was given to the apostles, that their Master was truly alive from the dead. And when it is remembered, that they did not expect his resurrection, that they were slow to believe, that they would not believe even on the testimony of their associates, and that each of them subsequently became ready to testify the fact at the hazard and actual loss of life, there remains no room for doubt that they had ample and conclusive proof of their Lord's identity. We need not hesitate in believing the apostolic testimony. Regarded merely as history, apart from the authority of inspiration, it is entitled to the most unlimited credit. We cannot disbelieve it, without renouncing all faith in human testimony. But besides the stamp of truth impressed on the narrative, regarded as human testimony, it is sealed also with the signet of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God for the full assurance he hath given of the resurrection of our Lord, and the cheering and sustaining hope of immortality which that assurance imparts and confirms. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." And when thus brought, their deliverance from sin and death, and misery, shall be completed; "neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke xx. 36; 1 Thess. iv. 14. |