Here our Lord walked on tlie waters, and came to the disciples toiling in rowing. Here He stilled tlie wind and waves with a word. Here He granted to four of His Apostles a miraculous draught of fishes. Here He provided payment of the tribate- money, out of the mouth of a fish which He commanded Peter to catch. On the banks of this lake He fed a multitude with a few loaves and fishes. On a high ground overhanging this lake He cast out the legion of devils, and allowed them to drive 2,000 swine into the sea. In the towns upon this lake, Choraziu, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, He did some of His mightiest works. Sitting in a boat on this lake. He delivered the parable of the Sower. In short, of all the districts in which our Lord preached and wrought miracles, there was none which saw and heard so much as the district round " the Sea of Tiberias."
Can we doubt, when we remember all this, that our Lord had a deep purpose and meaning, in appearing to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias ? Can we doubt that He meant to remind them of all they had seen in former days of his wisdom, love, and power, by the side of these well-known waters ? He knew well the influence which scenery and places exercise over the mind of man. He wouJd recall to the memory of His disciples all that they had witnessed in the early days of His ministry. Above all He would stir the hearts of Peter and James and John, by saying some of His last things to them, at the very place where He had first called them to leave their boats and nets, to follow Him, and to become fishers of men. Where He had begun with them, there He would have one of His last in- terviews with them, before leaving the world.
The exact spot where our Lord appeared at the Sea of Tibe- rias, is of course unknown. But when we remember that Bethsaida, at the north end of the lake, was " the city of An- drew and Peter," (John i. 44), we may safely conjecture that the scene of this chapter was somewhere near Bethsaida. The boat In which Peter went fishing would most probably either be his own boat, or the property of some relative or friend in his native city.
{And on this wise shewed He Himself. '\ This is a somewhat curious sentence. It does not, I think, only mean " The man- ner of His appearance was as follows." I suspect that it was inserted emphatically, in order to direct our special attention to all the little details of the occurrence, and to remind us that even the minutest parts of it have a deep spiritual meaning.
2.—{^There were together Simon Peter, etcl This verse contains the names of the seven witnesses, before whom the remarkable appearance of Christ, about to be described, took place. Seven, we may remember, is the number of perfection, and the evi- dence of seven witnesses was regarded as the most complete evidence that could be given. Two of the seven, we shall ob-
430 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTb
serve, are not named, and we are left entirely to conjecture
who these two were. Most commentators think they must have been Andrew and Philip, — Andrew because he was Pe- ter's brother, and Philip because he was an inhabitant of Beth- saida, on the lake. But we really do not know, and it is use- less to guess.
Why these seven alone, out of the eleven, were here, we are not told. But we need not doubt there was good reason. All the company of the Apostles, we may believe, went into Gali- lee when the passover feast was over, according to our Lord's command, and probably very soon after His appearance for the benefit of Thomas. But where Matthew, Simon, James the less, and Jude, were, on the present occasion, we do not know.
It is worth noting that this is the only place in St. John's Gospel, where he mentions the name of his own father, Zebe- dee.
Why these seven disciples in particular were together, is worth inquiry. The presence of Simon Peter, as he lived in Galilee, and had a special message from our Lord that He was going into Galilee, we can understand. Thomas, once convinced that Jesus had risen, would very likely take care to stick close to Peter and John. Nathanael lived at Cana in Galilee, and was probably Bartholomew. Augustine, however, doubts this. The two sons of Zebedee were Simon's partners, and are always found together with him on great occasions.
The message of our Lord about Galilee, we must remember, was, " Tell my brethren that they go into Galilee : there shall they see Me." (Matt, xxviii. 10.) These were our Lord's own words. — The angel also said to the women, " He goeth before you into Galilee : there shall ye see Him." (Matt, xxviii. 7.) We might reasonably expect to find the Apostles in Galilee after this.
On Thomas being one of the party, Henry remarks, " Thomas is named next to Peter, as if he now kept closer to the meetings of the Apostles than ever. It is well if losses by our neglect make us more careful afterwards not to let opportunities slip."
3. — \^8imoji Peter saith unto them, etc.] Some worthy commenta- tors have presumed to find fault with Peter for going a fishing. They say that he showed a disposition to return to the world, and to follow his worldly calling once more. From this view I entirely dissent. I see no harm whatever in Peter's conduct on this occasion. He and his companions were poor men, and must needs work in order to provide for their subsistence. There was nothing wrong in the act of fishing, and it was only natural to take up the business with which they were most famil- iar. The great business of going out as our Lord's messengers, to preach the Gospel, was not to begin until His ascension, and in the interval it was better to follow an honest calling than to