John 21:14

21:1-14 Christ makes himself known to his people, usually in his ordinances; but sometimes by his Spirit he visits them when employed in their business. It is good for the disciples of Christ to be together in common conversation, and common business. The hour for their entering upon action was not come. They would help to maintain themselves, and not be burdensome to any. Christ's time of making himself known to his people, is when they are most at a loss. He knows the temporal wants of his people, and has promised them not only grace sufficient, but food convenient. Divine Providence extends itself to things most minute, and those are happy who acknowledge God in all their ways. Those who are humble, diligent, and patient, though their labours may be crossed, shall be crowned; they sometimes live to see their affairs take a happy turn, after many struggles. And there is nothing lost by observing Christ's orders; it is casting the net on the right side of the ship. Jesus manifests himself to his people by doing that for them which none else can do, and things which they looked not for. He would take care that those who left all for him, should not want any good thing. And latter favours are to bring to mind former favours, that eaten bread may not be forgotten. He whom Jesus loved was the first that said, It is the Lord. John had cleaved most closely to his Master in his sufferings, and knew him soonest. Peter was the most zealous, and reached Christ the first.

How variously God dispenses his gifts, and what difference there may be between some believers and others in the way of their honouring Christ, yet they all may be accepted of him! Others continue in the ship, drag the net, and bring the fish to shore, and such persons ought not to be blamed as worldly; for they, in their places, are as truly serving Christ as the others. The Lord Jesus had provision ready for them. We need not be curious in inquiring whence this came; but we may be comforted at Christ's care for his disciples. Although there were so many, and such great fishes, yet they lost none, nor damaged their net. The net of the gospel has enclosed multitudes, yet it is as strong as ever to bring souls to God.

The third time; that is, the third day, for upon his resurrection day he showed himself, 1. To Mary Magdalene, John 20:14 . 2. To the two disciples going to Emmaus, Luke 24:15,31 . 3. To the women going to tell his disciples, Matthew 28:9 . 4. In the evening to his disciples, met, John 20:19 . All these are by John counted for one time, because they were upon one and the same day. That day seven night he appeared to them again, John 20:26 . After this at the sea of Tiberias, mentioned in this chapter.

John 21:14 . Τρίτον , the third time ) He is speaking of the more solemn appearances, viz. those here recorded, which were vouchsafed to the disciples conjointly. [In fact, already in ch. John 20:14 ; John 20:19 ; John 20:26 , John had recorded three appearances of the Saviour, if that which was vouchsafed to Mary Magdalene be taken into account. But in this ch. 21, when he thought it advisable to subjoin some particulars concerning Peter and John by way of an Appendix, he adds one appearance also, in order that of those appearances which were vouchsafed to a number of the apostles together , there might be three in all on record in this Gospel.— Harm. , p. 609.] Thomas also was present on two of these occasions.

14 . This is now the third time ] We have a similar construction 2 Peter 3:1 . The two previous manifestations are probably those related John 20:19-23 ; John 20:26-29 : but we have not sufficient knowledge to arrange the different appearances in chronological order. See on Luke 24:49 . shewed himself ] Manifested Himself: see on John 21:1 .

(14) This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples. —Better, . . . that Jesus was manifested . . .— Comp. Note on John 21:1 . The writer is giving his own witness. He passes over, therefore, the appearances to Mary Magdalene and others, and counting only those “to the disciples”—to the Ten on the first Easter day, and to the Eleven on its octave—gives this appearance as the third. (Comp. Note on 1Corinthians 15:5-7 .)

John 21:14 . Τοῦτο ἤδη τρίτον ] This time already for the third time . See on 2 Corinthians 13:1 . ἤδη presupposes, on the one hand, that, according to John, until now any other appearances before the disciples had not taken place, with the exception of the three related ( John 20:19 ff., John 20:26 ff., John 21:1 ff.); but, on the other hand, that at a later date several other appearances occurred. Since he, moreover, refers his τρίτον only to the appearances that were made to the circle of disciples (not to individual persons), a wider scope is thereby given to harmonists; in no case, however, can they succeed in reconciling the three appearances with the statements of Paul , 1 Corinthians 15:5 ff., especially as there εἶτα and ἔπειτα (in opposition to Wieseler) denote chronological sequence. The Apostle Paul is charged, on the supposition that his account is to be understood in an internal way, with a great arbitrariness, when it is asserted that the three appearances related by John are comprized in εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα in Paul (Luthardt, Lange). Not even can ὤφθη Κηφᾷ in Paul be reconciled with John. To John, however, must be accorded the preference over the tradition followed by Paul, so far as the latter does not agree with the former. NOTE.