John 21

John 21:3

And Simon returning to his trade again, called the rest to go to fishing, and they agreed to do so. And they went forth—

John 21:4

But either he was so disguised, or their eyes so held by God’s power and pleasure, that though they saw a man, they knew not who it was.

John 21:5

Then Jesus calling to them in a familiar manner, asked them, saying, Have ye any meat?—

John 21:7

Hereupon John told Peter, Assuredly it is Jesus. Now when Peter heard it was Jesus, he would not stay, but only put on his upper garment, (having nothing before but his inner garment upon him,) and went into the lake to go to him.

[a] fisher’s coat] What ἐπενδύτης signifies may thus be collected. 1 Sam. xviii. 4, Jonathan is said to put it off, and give it to David; where, as the Hebrew hath את המעיל, pallium, (see note [r] Matt. v.) the upper garment, so by Jonathan’s giving it to David, it appears it was of some value, and that agrees also to the upper garment, which was such. Now though Suidas in one place interprets it τὸ ἐσώτατον ἱμάτιον, ὁ καὶ ὑποκάμισον λέγεται, the inner garment, or shirt, yet it is clear by him elsewhere, that this was his notion not of ἐπενδύτης, but ὑποδύτης, for so he sets down the difference between these two, making ὑποδύτης to signify τὸ ἐσώτερον ἱμάτιον, the inner garment, and ἐπενδύτης, τὸ ἐπάνω, the outer. So the old Greek and Latin Lexicon, ἐπενδύτης, instita superaria, “garments that are put over.” Nonnus expresses this here to be cast over them to cover their thighs,

— κεχαλασμένον εἰς πτύχα μηρῶν ἰχθυβόλοι φορίουσιν ἀθήητου σκίπας αἰδοῦς,

“a covering to their nakedness.” Theophylact gives a larger description of it; Ἐστὶ λινοῦν τι ὀθόνιον, ὁ ὅιτε Φοίνικες καὶ οἱ Σύριοι ἁλιεῖς περιελίττονσιν ἑαυτοῖς—“It is a linen garment that the Phoenician and Syrian fishermen gird about them,” either when they are naked, or when they have other garments on, such as the painters put on the apostles over their other clothes; and this was the reason why Peter, being naked, toiling about, catching of fish, to cover his nakedness girt this garment about him. This description of his inclines me to believe that it was simply an apron, which is worn over clothes sometimes to keep them clean, sometimes is cast over the naked body to hide the shame, as we read in the story of Adam.

John 21:8

And the rest of them did not so, but being not ¹ the twin, Διδωσ. ² upper garment, or, apron about him, τ’δ’ ἀνενδύσεν.

John 21:11

Simon went into the ship, or boat, and drew the net to land— took bread and fish, and eat himself, and gave them to eat, to signify to them the reality of his resurrection: see note [f] Matt. xxvi.

John 21:14

This was the third day of Christ’s appearing to his disciples after his resurrection, though the sixth time of his appearance, and the fourth that he appeared to the disciples, yet the third time also that he appeared to all, or more of them together. Peter, is thy love to me so great as thou didst seem to affirm it, when (Matt. xxvi. 23.) thou saidst, though all men should forsake me, thou wouldst not? Is thy love surpassing the love of all other my disciples? Or is thy love agreeable to this thy expression of it, in casting thyself into the sea to come to me? ver. 7. And he answered, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee sincerely, though now, being taught by my former fall, I shall not make comparison with all others. He saith unto him, Let thy love be expressed to me in thy care of that flock committed to thee. and Latin copy reads, ‘Iodrov, others, ‘Iwarra, and Nonnus, ‘Iwarra.

John 21:15

[b] lovest thou me?] To love Christ is so to love as to hold out in confessing of him in the time of the greatest danger; see note on

John 21:17

Jesus, to exemplify to him how he was to use the power of the keys promised to him, Matt. xvi., calls him here three times (proportionably to his threefold denial) to confess Christ, and his love to him, and so to clear himself, 2 Cor. i. 11. In the former part of thine age, thou hast been free to do what even now thou didst, ver. 7, to live at thine own pleasure; but age shall bring pressures and afflictions on thee: within forty years thou shalt be taken, and do as captives do when they yield to the greater force, and be bound (see note [b] Luke xii.), and carried to the cross, the place of execution.

John 21:19

This speech of Christ’s was a figurative expression that crucifixion was the kind of death by which he should confess Christ. And to this he added these words, Follow me; that is, Thou shalt follow me in sufferings, as before thou didst in discipleship. John, Christ’s beloved disciple, who at his last supper was next unto him, ch. xiii. 13, and asked him that question, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? but what shall this man’s fate be? 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 but what shall this man? obros bi vi;

John 21:22

[c] till I come] What is oft meant in the Gospels by the coming of Christ (viz. that famous execution upon the Jews) hath been oft mentioned, (see note [o] Matt xvi. and note [h] Matt. xxiv.) This John did survive; Peter, of whom Christ prophesies here, ver. 18, being put to death in Nero’s time, but John continuing not only till Titus’s time, but through Domitian’s and Cocceius Nerva’s to Trajan’s reign, above an hundred years after Christ’s birth, and so thirty years after this coming of Christ was past. So saith Iren. lib. 2. p. 192 A; and by what he adds of the seniores qui non solum Joannem viderint, sed et alios apostolos, “the elders which saw not John only, but the other apostles also,” it is probable that some others of the apostles lived to that time of Trajan also.

John 21:25

[c] I suppose that —] That St. John wrote this Gospel at the entreaty of the bishops of Asia, constituted by him, is affirmed by Eusebius; to which it is agreeable that they should set their signal, or testimony to it, to recommend it to other churches’ reception. And accordingly the attestation is given in the plural number, ver. 24, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀληθῆς, we know that his testimony is true. And then this last verse, though it may be a conclusion of St. John’s, (the former attestation being included as in a parenthesis,) yet may it also well be a part of that attestation, caused by the consideration of the fabric of this Gospel, on purpose designed, not to set down all the passages of Christ’s story, but some eminent ones, passed by the other evangelists: the reason of which is here rendered, because it would be too long to set down all. One only objection there is against the bishops of Asia being authors of this last verse, because the word οἶμαι, I suppose, is here in the singular number; but that is answered by observing, that that word is a form usual in hyperboles, which as it keeps this and the like speeches from being false, as they would be were they by way of positive affirmation, so is it used indifferently, whether it be one or more that speak it.

John 21:26

[e] after eight days] The phrase μεθ’ ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ signifies after another week, that is, as it seems, on the first day of the week, as before, ver. 19: for so the Jews express a week by eight days. So Josephus, Ant. lib. 7. cap. 9, having said, ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ, presently he explains it by ἀπὸ σαββάτου ἐπὶ σάββατον, “from week to week.” Thus when St. Luke saith, ch. ix. 28, ὡσεὶ ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ, about eight days, St. Matthew, ch. xvii. 1, hath μεθ’ ἡμέρας ἐξ, after six days, the truth being that it was that day sevennight, which, including the first and the last day, is called eight days, and excluding them, and referring only to the interval betwixt, is called six days. Thus do we in the distinction of agues which we call the quartan and the tertian, in each including the two days which are the extremes, and not only the interval between the fits.