The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 489

alleg-ory of tl1e enooc-ss with which the final prepare,l nnd used by the seveu dliiciplc!r imralhering nf son le •hR.ll be effected. than the solitary lol\f and d,j,dp,ov which ''er. 12.-Jesns a&i.th to them, Come and were first seen upon the fire. The Loni breRk your f&1t. A word is neoo wbfoh gave them symbolically the entire girt of doee not denote the principal meal of the hie love by thl\t which he ol\me forward at day (not 3.,,..vi.o, but dpur.,-do,, from &pur.,-,w), this moment to supply. but a slight refreshment that wee taken in Ver. H.-Thill ii now-or, aa Meyer pnta- early morning, or at least before noon, and it, thi8 time t1lrendy ,,-the third time the.t anewere to our bree.kfll.Bf at the dawning of .Teau wu me.nife1ted (passive, not active, as the day. 1 He coils them to the repast. He in vcr. 1) to the I dilloiplea, after that he waa becomes once more their Ho8t and their risen from the dead; or,-when he had been Minister. Even still, metaphorically, ho raised from the dead. The implication is WllBhet! their feet. He attends to their re- that there had up to this time been no other quirements. He foede them from this manifestation to groups of hie disciples tho.n· 8tmngely bestowed supply. He joins them those which John hnd related. Therefore- in their hunger for souls. He inspires their those other occurrences mentioned by Luke, methods. He shares in their vict.ory, atler Matthew, and Paul must be supposed to lie- painful fruiU<'se toil. Now• not one--i.e. still in the future. That there were other not even Thomas-of the diaoiplea d'lll'lt in- manifestntions is not obscurely hinted by quire of him-put to him the interrogatory- the word li611. The appearances to the Who art thou 1 knowing, each one of them, "'omen, to Cephas o.nd James, are not of" that it wu the Lord. The use of ,i,.,.Jcr,., the class EO oo.refully described by John. instead of iparrftcra,, John's own word, ie The ,1.,-a. .,-ois ~c{,6,1<a. of 1 Cor. xv. 5, eto.., not to be wondel'C'd at, es he doea not think might be regarded as this third manifes- of a simple inquiry, but of such an exami- tation to the disciples (Lnthardt). Godet nation ns would fnrnieh them with facts. agrees that the two appearances in Luke· These they possessed. A feeling of owe (Emmans and Peter) ore not reckoned by and reverence possessed them. They were John, nny more than that made to Mary· of one mind about the marvellous revelation llfagdalene. The statement, "to the dis- of himself to them. Some strange emotion cip!es," is clearly the explanation. Panl- see.led their lips. He had not mfl.Ilifested mentions the appearance (l)to Simon Peter; himself to the world, but to bis disciples, (2) then to the twelve (eh. xx. 10, 26); (3)- and to them by "the interpretations they to the five hundred, at the head of whom were pnttin, upon their own experience" may have been the eleven of Matt. xxviii, (Westcott). They knew it was the Lord. 16--20; (4) James; (5) the twelve (the as- They looked into that other world. They cension not described by John). Since Luke- were lost in silent amo.ze, and recei,ed the and Pnul (Godet) omitted t!Je narrative be- revelation once more of their risen Master fore us, John is here repairing the omissionlt' and Lord. of tradition. It seems quite as reo.sonahle Ver. 18.-Jesu oometh, 1 mul taketh the u, place this third revelation to o. group or bread, and giveth them, and the dill likewise. apostles as the third of Po.ul's enumera- It would seem the.t the specific bread and tions. John is explicit in recording appear- fish already referred t.o (ver. 9) was the ances to the special, combined, and chosen· me.terie.l of at least the :first part of this witnesses, while he not only implies, but sacramental mee.L No benediction or prayer mentions, other mo.nifeste.tions. Paul recites- is mentioned. If this may not be presup- the special manifestations of various kinds, posed, his presence made the feast, and was and gives most important details dropped by tue blessing. Meyer says, however, that other traditions. The apocryphal • Gospel· t.p,rov and o,j,&p,av, as in earlier Terses, a.re according to the Hebrews,' as related by simply generic. On either supposition, it Jerome (' Cat. Script. Eccl. "Jacobus"'), is clear from ver. 15 twi.t more fish were quotes the passage which refers !'° the in- terview between Jamee e.nd the r1Sen Lord. 1 See 'Diet. Bible,' art. "Meals." The Gregory of Toure(' Hist. Francorum,' i. 21) substantial (lliirvov) meal took place in the refers to the tradition as though he had evening (Josephus,• T'ite.,' § 44; 'Bell. Jud.,' taken it from some analogons but not iden- i. 17. 4), called by onr translators "dinner" tical source (see a full discussion of the or "supper." passage in Nicholson's' Gospel according to • Authorities for the Iii after ob5E,~ a.re the Hebrews,' pp. 62-68). If the previouit mneh divided. Tischendorf (8th edit.) and manifestations of the risen Lord were mo.de- R.T. relo.in it; bot Alford and Westcott and Hort reject it. 1 Tischendorf (8th edit.), Tregelles, fl• • llt, B, C, D, L, X, Tischendorf (8th edit.), ford, B.'f., and Westcott and Hort 1·eJecl Tregellee, Alford, Weet.cott e.nd Hort, and the a.fn-oii, with !It, B, 0, L, anti nurncrou ll..'l'. omit the oi• of A, r, 1;., and T.R. cursives. on, xx1. 1-26.] 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCOHDING TO ST. JOHN.