John 21:15

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. SO WHEN THEY HAD DINED, JESUS SAITH TO SIMON PETER. Silence appears to have reigned during the meal; unbroken on His part, that by their mute observation of Him they might have their assurance of His identity the more confirmed; and on theirs, from reverential shrinking to speak until He did. SIMON, SON OF JONAS, LOVEST THOU ME MORE THAN THESE? - referring lovingly to those sad words of Peter, shortly before denying his Lord, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended" (), and intending by this allusion to bring the whole scene vividly before his mind...

15._When, therefore, they had dined. _The Evangelist now relates in what manner Peter was restored to that rank of honor from which he had fallen. That treacherous denial, which has been formerly described, had, undoubtedly, rendered him unworthy of the apostleship; for how could he be capable of instructing others in the faith, who had basely revolted from it? He had been made an Apostle, but it was along with Judas, and from the time when he had abandoned his post, (230) he had likewise been deprived of the honor of apostle-ship. Now, therefore, the liberty, as well as the authority, of teaching is restored to him, both of which he had lost through his own fault. And that the disgrace of his apostacy might not stand in his way, Christ blots out and destroys the remembrance of it. Such a restoration was necessary, both for Peter and for his hearers; for Peter, that he might the more bol...

15-19 Our Lord addressed Peter by his original name, as if he had forfeited that of Peter through his denying him. He now answered, Thou knowest that I love thee; but without professing to love Jesus more than others. We must not be surprised to have our sincerity called into question, when we ourselves have done that which makes it doubtful. Every remembrance of past sins, even pardoned sins, renews the sorrow of a true penitent. Conscious of integrity, Peter solemnly appealed to Christ, as knowing all things, even the secrets of his heart. It is well when our falls and mistakes make us more humble and watchful. The sincerity of our love to God must be brought to the test; and it behoves us to inquire with earnest, preserving prayer to the heart-searching God, to examine and prove us, whether we are able to stand this test. No one can be qualified to feed the sheep and lambs of Christ,...

Verse John 21:15. _SIMON LOVEST THOU ME_] Peter had _thrice_ denied his Lord, and now Christ gives him an opportunity in some measure to repair his fault by a _triple_ confession. _MORE THAN THESE?_] This was a kind of reproach to Peter: he had professed a more affectionate attachment to Christ than the rest; he had been more forward in making professions of friendship and love than any of the others; and no one (Judas excepted) had treated his Lord so basely. As he had before intimated that his attachment to his Master was _more_ than that of the _rest_, our Lord now puts the question to him, _Dost thou love me more than these_? To which Peter made the most modest reply - _Thou knowest I love_ _thee_, but no longer dwells on the _strength_ of his love, nor _compares_ himself with even the meanest of his brethren. He

LOVEST THOU ME MORE THAN THESE? - There is a slight ambiguity here in the original, as there is in our translation. The word these may be in the neuter gender, and refer to these things his boat, his fishing utensils, and his employments; or it may be in the masculine, and refer to the apostles. In the former sense it would mean, “Lovest thou me more than thou lovest these objects? Art thou now willing, from love to me, to forsake all these, and go and preach my gospel to the nations of the earth?” In the other sense, which is probably the true sense, it would mean, “Lovest thou me more than these other apostles love me?” In this question Jesus refers to the profession of superior attachment to him which Peter had made before his death Matthew 26:33; “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” Compare...

EXPOSITION JOHN 21:1 3. The epilogue, answering to the prologue. The post-resurrection life corresponds with the pre-incarnate energy of the Logos. 1. Long and sustained controversy has prevailed on the question of the authenticity and apostolic authorship of this chapter even among those who admit the Johannine authorship of the rest of the Gospel. 2. Among those who accept to the full the authenticity, there are many critics who urge that it is not an integral portion of the Gospel, but a later appendix, that the document terminated, on its first composition, with John 20:30, John 20:31, and that the chapter before us is dictated f

SO WHEN THEY HAD DINED,.... The Persic version adds, JESUS TURNED HIS FACE TO SIMON PETER; he did not interrupt them whilst they were eating; but when they had comfortably refreshed themselves, he looked at Peter, and singled him out from the rest, and directed his discourse to him; and saith unto Simon Peter, SIMON, SON OF JONAS; not John, as the Vulgate Latin, and Nonnus, and some copies read; for this answers not to the Hebrew word Jochanan, but Jonah, the same name with the prophet. Some have observed, that Christ spoke to him particularly by his original name, and not by that which he himself had given him, with a view to his strong faith, as Cephas, or Peter; but it should be known that Christ calls him by this name of Simon bar Jonah, when he made the most ample profession of his faith in him, and was pronounced blessed by him, Matthe

John 21:1. _After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise showed he himself._ Jesus loved to show himself to his people. Of old, his delights were with the sons of men; so, now that he had risen from the dead, he was not ashamed to visit his brethren, and he did not disdain to make himself known to them, and he will still show himself to us after a spiritual fashion, if we sincerely desire to see him. John 21:2. _There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples._ As John was the writer of this record, he did not put his own name there, but merely mentioned «the sons of Zebedee.»...

DINED Literally, breakfasted. LOVEST (Greek, "agapaō", "deeply love"; used of "divine love") (John 14:21); and of that love which the law demands (Luke 10:27). LOVE (Greek, "phileō", "am fond of"). It is a lesser degree of love than agapas. FEED See (1 Peter 5:2)....

JOHN 21:15, JOHN 21:16, JOHN 21:17 VIwa,nnou {B} In place of VIwa,nnou, the Textus Receptus, following A C2 D Q Y ¦1 ¦13 _al,_ reads VIwna/, an assimilation to Matthew 16:17. See also the comment on Jn 1.42....