The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 492

la freely ooncedctl to tho Lord. All things tho.t so; I havo nnvrr eaten nnything common r,r Peter did, thought, or felt, nil hie bewilder- unclean I" Thusc a.re fnmilinr illnstmtiona ment, all hie mieta.kee, nil his impulsiveness of the childishness o.nrl infantile sirnpl icity, and mixture of motive, nil his self-n~eertion, babyish nndncity, of lho old diaoiple. Even n.11 his wenkness nnd disloynlty, a,ro known; after the Lord has risen from tho <lend, Poler bnt so nlso all the inner springs e.nd linea of ventures to correct his ln.n::ru11ge. C I, rist, his nobler no.tnre, nnd that though ho played moreovor,nccepts his persistent altcro.li0n of the fool, he was 11, hypocrite in hie denials. the word for "love" from tho lips of lhia The Lord knew tho.t hie foith did not really wpofJa'Tiov. Thns tho Lord summons him to foil, though hie coma.go did; o.nd in virtue nndertake a duty which he would on rcilec- of this breadth or the Lord's knowing, he tion be specially able to npprecinte. must hnve come to full cognizance of the Ver. 18.-ver'.ly, verily, I say unti, entire meaning or Pater's life. Thon (eeest) thee. This form of o.ddress links tire pre- hut oome fully. to know that I love thee ! resurrection life to tbo.t which follow.~, Just because thou intuitively lmowost all proclaims the identity of the being and things. Tho piny on ol6as and -ywc{,a,ms ie the unity of the Person of tho Christ under obvious (see oh. x. 14; xvii. 3, eto.). J'eaus new conditions. l',lore thnn that, much saith to him, Feed my little,sheep.1 It is said solemnity is conferred on this fino.l word ·b,- some that, even if this bo the true read- of the Master. When thou wast younger ing, wo ho.ve simply a renewal of thetendel'• than thou art now ; i.e. before thou earnest -ness-and strong emotion which led the Lord under my sway; when thou wert supreme -to speak of -the lpv,a. on the first occasion. ruler of the fishing-fleet of Capernaum, Doubtless deep and glowing affection per- with wife and family dependent on thee; vades the use of these epithets ; but if this when Andrew, James, and John (thy part- be the sole explanation, then the reason of the ners) were in o. measure all doing thy will, adoption of wp&/3a.'Ta. in the second commis- following in thy train, submitting to thy sion is not evident, G.pv,a. would have o.nswered behests,-thon girdedst thyself for who.tevcr the purpose. - There is dfatinct progress in task was set before thee ; thou ha.dst the the ideas: (1) ••Feed my lambs;'' (2) "Rule choice of duties o.nd pleasures; thou hadst (shepherd) my sheep;" (3) "Feed my. little time at thy disposal, thy method of service s11eep," ]first, let·- Peter, let the npostolio in thine own hands, even as now it was thy company,- let any one of the successors will to. gird thee for the task of swimming of the a.postles, learn the delicate dnty of to my feet (see Isa. xiv. 5 ; Prov. xxri. supplying tho just a.nd appropriate nourish- 17 ; l Kings xviii. 46; eh. xiii. 4, 5, ment to those tho.t are young in yea.re 8,a(c(,wuµ,; Luke xii 35-37; :nil. 8; Acts or -in graces ; then let him also learn. to xii, 8, w,p,(o,vvvµ, ; 1 Pet. i. 13, civa(wvvvµ.,. -guide, direot, protect from outward foes, The simple verb is used hero in reference to the -mature disciples, and preserve the dis- aU kinds of " girding"). So that the Lord cipline •of the flock, seeking the lost sheep reminds him of hie natural self-will, so until it be found; and he will find that then conspicuona and prominent, the secret of e, third duty emerges, The sheep that are ell his weakness and much of his individu- young in bee.rt, the old men that aro childlike o.lity. And thou walkedst whither thou in spi.t•it, the trembling sheep that need eveu wouldest; or literally, thou icert in the more care than the lambs themselves, e.re habit of walking whithersoe~er thou. wert specially thrown upon the shepherd's co.re. willing or desiTing to do; i.e. thine outward Was not Peter himself a wpof3am6v? Had conduct, and th<l \Yhole line of thy daily he not shown that he wne ,a most imperfeot enterprise. and duty, was not only an me.ater of himself? - He was mature in yee.rs, utteranceoi thine own self-mastery, but even but childish ns well as childlike in character. thy wishes, the momentary we.ywardneSB of He could (for a while) only see ono thing at thy purposes, found immediate grati.ficntion, a time, and- ho was impatient of the future. But a great. ohange has come over thee; Mark well liis charactoristio words," Depnrt thou hust passed through a new experi- fr,)m me, for I am a sinful mnn, 0 Lord I" ence. Already thou feelest that thou a.rt "Thnt be fo.r from thee, 0 Lord I" "Why not thine o'1ln; thy heart and strength, cannot I follow thee 11010?" "Thou she.It -thy hands, thy feet, thy very girdle and never wash my feet I" '' Not my feet only, . sandals, are beginning to seem to thee no but my hands 11,nd -my bend I " " Let us longer at thine own disposal. Thy self-will build for thee three tabernncles I" "Not is checked, thy natural audacity o.nd power of initiBtion are ri,pressed into much nar- 1 np&/3a.'Ta. is the reading of N, D, and rower limits. Thou ho.st found thvself mnny manuscripts; but wpo/3a.nd. is in A, B, "'eaker than o. little child ; thou art in need 0, both the Syriao vorsicns, and is aocepted of this Divine prinoipl<l of "!011e," deep and by R.T., Westcott and Hort, Tisebendorf fervent, reverential as well as personal, not (8th edit.), Tregelles, Godet, nud Meyer. only to utter held ex.pressiolld of regard,  fi08 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [on. xxi, 1-21>,