The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 486

true rc1vllng, it would imply that he stood voice which had often poured such mnsin forth, ns having come from some unperoeived into their ea.re. Children ; not T<1C11ia, the region. If the l1r! remnin, the idea is that phrase used in oh. xiii. 33, but 1ra16la, the morning light, as it WAS breaking over •• young people," '' le.de "~a term of less them through the curtnin of dense mist intimate familiarity, though the apostle whioh hung before sunrise on the eastern himself user! it in 1 John ii. 13, 18 (in ver11. hills, dlecovered Jesus stu.ndiag upon the 1 and 12 -r<Kl'ia is used, apparently in in- beach, There is obvious reference, in the terchange with it). The µ.-1, .,., suggests a manneF of his approach, to that "stand- negative a.newer. npocrcp&-y,011 is that which ing" in the midst of them, with which they is co.ten with bread, and is commonly 6,j,011 hacl become fnmilinr (see eh. xx. 14, 19, 26). or J,j,cl,>1011, something roasted for the purpose Howbeit (µ.,v-ro, suggests something unusual, of ee.ting with bread. Since fish was very ob. iv. 27; xii. 42) the disoiplea knew I not frequently used for the purpose, the word that it was 1eaus, He is not walking on was often used for "fish" itself (LXX., the waters as of old, but standing on the Numb. xi. 22; eh. vi. 9, 11. Other equivalent solid ground. Just as Mary of Magdala, words a.re found in Attic Greek, wpocrcpcl'l"lµ.a, and as the disciples on the wo.y to Emme.us, -..pocr&l/nJµo;). Children (lads, young men and as even the disciples themselves on the yonder), you have nothing, I suppose, to eat 1 Easter night, were in doubt, at first, who They answered him, No. In all this scene n.nd what this manifestation might mean, the risen Lord showed himself interested HO now the chosen seven fail to understand and co-operating with them in their daily that which was before their very eyes. The toil, as engaged in the ea.me work with morning mist and shadows adding to the them. Their listless manner showed that obscurity produced by some hundred yards they had toiled in vain, and, perhaps with of distance, together with wearied and toil- tone or gesture of unwillingness to confess some effort and 11, sleepless night, may sug- their failure, they replied in the negative. gest some explanation of the marvel ; but Then he ea.id 1 to them, Cast the net on the the mystery is baffling. Two or three right side of the ship; the side opposite to remarks may be made. (1) These various that on which they were dragging it a.long. appearances seem at first to confuse their Moreover, the "right hand," the "right perceptions by ree.son of the ordine.ry human eye," the "right ear," the "right side," a.re che.racteristics that e.ccompanied them. proverbially the more useful, fruitful, or Mary for a moment mistook him for the honourable. The imagery is preserved owner or worker in the garden; the "two throughout Scripture. And ye shall filld. disciples" imagined that he was "a stranger Therefore they cast it. And in order to do in Jerusalem; " and these disciples think this they would probably have had to haul him, for the moment, to have been a stray a considerable portion of it into the boat wanderer by the lake.side. Their pre- for the nece~so.ry transference from left to supposition concerning the reappenra.noe of right. They at once obeyed the summons, their risen Lord would probably have remembering what they had previously involved some strange and a.we-striking found to have been their experience (Lnke fulgura.tion of his power; but the true v.), and no longer were they able, or had "spiritual body" does, when it pleases, take they strength, to draw it into the boat. on forms far more familiar. (2) The slow- 'EN<ocra, is here quite a different process ness of the process by which the apostles from the aopo11-ru of ver. 8, which describes became finally convinced, ago.inst their the hauling, tugging, of the net to shore, prejudices and sense-bound views, that he The difficulty arose from (or, because of) had risen into a new form of living, and the multitude of the fishes. The miracle into new conditions of existence. here is a simple indica.tion of the higher Vera. 5, 6.--J esus therefore sa.ith unto knowledge which the Lord possessed. Thi& them, They failed to recognize his first huge shoo.I may, humanly speaking, have appee.ranoe, so he permits them to hear the been perceived in its approach; so that the evont is more impressive in its a.no.logical R.T., Westcott and Hort, and Tischendorf force than in its supernatural machinery. (8th edit.) for "1•110µ.e1111s of T.R., Laohma.nn, It suggests the surprising results that would and Alford, on the authority of A, B, C, E, accompany their labour when they should L though the latter has N on its side. N, under the Lord's own injunction and inspi- A D L eto., read l1rl instead of ,is [-rb11 ration, become veritable fishers of men. The a1;,dc111J; R.T. and T.R. ree.d ,ls;_ Westcott parabolic, teaching of this miracle is un- and Hort place l1rl in the mari;in,. Lach- usually obvious. me.nn and Tischendorf (8th edit.) m the Ver. 7.-Therefore, a.a a distinct conse- text. 1 Tisohendorf (8th edit.) • Tregelles (margin) re11d1 r"'l""'cra11 in ree.ds ,...,.,., place of p5<1cra11, instead of ef1rf11.  602 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, JOHN. [oil. xxr. l-21i,