The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 484

Ver. 1.-After theae thing, .Jesua man!• 25 for Olnist'e we.lking "upon tho sea;" featerl himself again to the disoipleo at the but tho /,rl is itsolf explained here by the Ha of Tlberina. The opening formula is ml")l1a11.6v of ver. i, just ae the prepo8i tioo one ofton ndopted by John (seo pe.rticulnrly receives elsewhere more literally another oh. ii. 12; v. 1, H:; vi. l); considerable meaning from the context. And il.e mani- periods or time and cycles of minislry ore fested lrimllelf thus; "on this wise," i.~. frequently oovored by it. Another chapter nfter the manner to be described Thie i1 is. opened, another series of events to be the commencement of our Lord's cliecourees recorded which had left undying impression on the kingdom, of God (Acts i. :l). Thi ■ on the apostle's mind, and, in full view of was the beginning of the gres1; fulfilment numerous other traditions, wo.s chosen by of hie own predictions (Ma.( t. xxvi. 32; himself as espeoiall;y worthy of record. xxviii. 10), and of the angel's words to the ••Jesus mnnifeetcd himself." In eh. ii. 11 women. The narrative gives the deep heart- we hear that "he mnnlfested his glory ; " tones and genuine tee.ohing of the risen now he manifested his Person, as an act of Lord. his own will. He was "manifested in the Ver. 2.-Thare were together. Not the flesh" (1 Tim. iii. 16), but now tho.t flash wo.s whole company of the eleven apostles; five itself more directly under tho control of his a.re especially mentioned, e.nd two are left pereona!Hy, and the mere sensuous eye and unnamed. The five, of whom the Gospel carnal understanding could not without his knows much, are Simon Peter, whose two- special permission realize that wondro11S fold name denotes that, notwithstanding hie presence. The passive form of the verb is grievous failure, he had not lost his faith, used in Mark xvi. 12, 14. The touch of e.nd still stood at the head of the company, feeling involved in the a.ctive voice must the man of :rock and the man of impetuous not be overlooked. The "age.in" clearly energy. Thomas called Didymus, whose points back to the previous mnnifestatione incrednlity had vanished,and whose devoted described in eh. xx. 14, •19, 26. On each love hr.d emerged from the depths of occa&on his ooming, though in a recognizable despondency to the loftiest faith, who had human body, wae a body (a µ.opr/>11, not 111 come to foel and say that the risen Cllrist o-x11µ.,,.) whioh bad the qualities of spirit. was both Lord and God. Thomas, who "The disciples" are afterwards mentioned had shrunk from the society of his fellow- by name. It was to disciples only that he apostles, wns nO'IV closely united with them~ "appeared." Believers in him were those more than he had ever previo11Sly seemed to alone who could see this spiritual body. have been. Thomas is the apostle last men- The effect produced upon them was that of tioned by the evangelist. Elsewhere he is objective r0ll,lity, but this was made to pre- associated with Philip of Bethee.ida., and this pared ephits. Such a proceeding ia akin town may have been his home. Nathanael to all ·the grander operations of nature, and of Cana. in Ga.lilee is mentioned by wny of the most august manifestations of God. recalling the two miracles recorded by " At the sea. of Tiberiae.'' This is the only John as having ta.ken pl:i.ce in this " Can:. place where the· "sea of Galilee," or of of Galilee" (eh. ii. 1-12; iv. 16). The "Genneee.reth,"· is • ce.lled the " soe. of former of the miracles followed immediately Tiberias.u That it wo.s identical with the on the mention of the calling of Nathanael familiar lo.ke is evident from the known (eh. i 45). The reference to the little site of Tiberias (now represented by the plf1ce in Galilee where the glory of Christ modern town Tubarieh), a city which is had been first of all seen nnd had led to mentioned by_ Josephus (' Ant,' xviii. 2. 3; the faith of the disciples, calls attention to • Bell. Jud.,' ii. 9. 1; • Vit.,' §§ 12, 13, 64), the place and province of this ml\Difestation, and which, from its schools of learned' men, and to what wus conte.ineu in the memory he.d a great pla.ce in la.ter Jewish history. of one of the witnesses. And the (sons') of Moreover, in eh. vi. 1, 23, if the Greek be Zebedee-a phmse used for James and John accurately rendered, the writer spoke of in Matt. xx. 20; xxvi. 37 ; xxvii. 56. This '' the sea of Galileo, or Tiberia~,'' interpret- is the only time that Zebedee ie mentioned ing the name well known by the Jews, in this Gospel; but the rea.son for his sons through another name by which it would being thus designntod points unmistakably be better· recognized by Gentiles (see note to the first eall of these two men to disciple- on eh. vi. 1). Dr. Farrill', • Message of the ship by the side of this very lake, after the:r Books,' sees in the nomenclature a hint of had witne,m,d the dra.ugh t offishes, becoming the later origin of the Fourth ~spel t~e.n the de.te nesignod to the aynoptio narrative. l N, D, E, read o[ u'io, instead of oi onir- 'E,r! is used because the shore where they 'l'he latter ree.ding is prefe1Ted by Alferu, ee.w him was a. 1'11ised beaoh or cliff" above" 'l'regelles, 'rischenuorf (Sth edit.), Westcott the sea. It must·be observed that !ho same and Hort, anu B. T. Trogelles places uiol. phrase is ueGd in eh. vi. 19 11nd l\lntt. ::.:iv. in tho margin. 500 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BT. JOHN. [Cll. u:.1. 1-2/i.