John 21:23

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? THEN WENT THIS SAYING ABROAD AMONG THE BRETHREN, THAT THAT DISCIPLE SHOULD NOT DIE - into which they the more easily fell, from the prevalent belief that Christ's Second Coming was there near at hand. YET JESUS SAID NOT UNTO HIM, HE SHALL NOT DIE; BUT, IF I WILL THAT HE TARRY UNTIL I COME, WHAT IS THAT TO THEE? The Evangelist is jealous for His Master's honour, which his death might be thought to compromise if such a misunderstanding should not be corrected....

23._Then this saying went forth. _The Evangelist relates that, from misunderstanding Christ’s words, an error arose among the disciples, that John _would never die. _He means those who were present at that conversation, that is, the Apostles; not that the name _brethren _belongs to them alone, but that they were the first-fruits, as it were, of that holy union. It is also possible, that, besides the eleven, he refers to others who were at that time in company with them; and by the expression, _went forth, _he means that this error was spread in all directions; yet probably it was not of long duration, but subsisted among them, until, being enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they formed purer and more correct views of the kingdom of Christ, having laid aside carnal and foolish imaginations. (238) What John relates about the Apostles happens every day, and we ought not to wonder at it; for if

20-24 Sufferings, pains, and death, will appear formidable even to the experienced Christian; but in the hope to glorify God, to leave a sinful world, and to be present with his Lord, he becomes ready to obey the Redeemer's call, and to follow Him through death to glory. It is the will of Christ that his disciples should mind their own duty, and not be curious about future events, either as to themselves or others. Many things we are apt to be anxious about, which are nothing to us. Other people's affairs are nothing to us, to intermeddle in; we must quietly work, and mind our own business. Many curious questions are put about the counsels of God, and the state of the unseen world, as to which we may say, What is this to us? And if we attend to the duty of following Christ, we shall find neither heart nor time to meddle with that which does not belong to us. How little are any unwritten...

THEN WENT THIS SAYING ... - This mistake arose very naturally: * From the words of Jesus, which might be easily misunderstood to mean that he should not die; and, * It was probably confirmed when it was seen that John survived all the other apostles, had escaped all the dangers of persecution, and was leading a peaceful life at Ephesus. This mistake John deemed it proper to correct before he died, and has thus left on record what Jesus said and what he meant....

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

THEN WENT THIS SAYING ABROAD AMONG THE BRETHREN,.... It not being rightly understood by some one or more of the disciples present: it was divulged with a wrong sense annexed to it among other persons; who, though not of the eleven, yet were followers of Christ, children of God, that belonged to the same family, and were, in a spiritual relation, brethren to each other, and to the apostles: THAT THAT DISCIPLE SHOULD NOT DIE; but should remain till the second coming of Christ, and be found among them that shall be then alive, and be changed. And such a notion not only was among the ancients; but Beza, in his notes on this text, tells us of a strolling wicked fellow, that gave out that he was the Apostle John; and was encouraged by some, particularly Postellus, a Sorbonic doctor, but was afterwards burnt at Tholouse. YET JESUS SAID NOT UNTO HIM HE SHALL NOT DIE, BUT IF I WILL THAT HE TARR...

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.»...

JOHN 21:23 e;rcomai( @ti, pro.j se,*# {C} Several witnesses, including a* C2 ¦1 565 ita, e syrs arm, lack the words ti, pro.j se,. 25 Although Tischendorf (8th ed.) and von Soden regarded the shorter text as original (the evangelist often varies the wording in a repeated phrase), it is also possible that copyists omitted the clause in order to draw attention to what was taken as the primary element in Jesus’ reply (codex Bezae accomplishes the same effect by omitting ti,). In view of the close balance of probabilities, a majority of the Committee preferred to retain the clause, but to enclose it within square b...

CHAPTER 21 _ 1. At the Sea of Tiberias. The Third Manifestation. (John 21:1 .)_ 2. Peter's Restoration and Ministry; the manner of His Death Predicted. (John 21:15 .) 3. Tarry Till I Come. (John 21:20 .) 4. Conclusion. (John 21:24 .) This chapter has often been looked upon as an appendix to the Gospel of John. It is not. Quite true, John states in the last two verses of the preceding chapter the purpose of this Gospel, but that does not mean that the twenty-first chapter has no connection with the Gospel itself. John 21:14 shows t

FOLLOWING AND TARRYING. According to the earliest Christian tradition, Marcan and Pauline, an appearance to Peter was one of the earliest if not the earliest event after the Resurrection. If this section is historical it must be interpreted as teaching the leaders, and especially Peter, in terms which clearly recalled his former failure, their duty to the whole body of faithful disciples, scattered by the Crucifixion. They cannot return to their former occupations and wait for the Parousia. The work of the Good Shepherd must be carried on. Lambs must be fed, sheep must be shepherded, and fed also. In early life young men can choose their calling. Later on they must follow it, wherever it leads them, even as the old man, who is getting to need assistance, lifts his hands and has his girdle arranged for him. So Peter must follow. Later Christian thought found in the words a prediction of h...