John 21:15-23

II. Peter and John: John 21:15-23.

Peter: John 21:15-19 a. The following conversation completes the preceding scene by the express reinstallation of St. Peter not only in the apostolic office, but in the direction of the apostolic company and work. No doubt Jesus had announced to him the pardon of his sin in the special appearance which He had granted to him (Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5). In the appearance to the disciples in general, John 20:21-23, He had already treated him as an apostle. But He had not yet restored to him the whole of his old position, of which his denial had deprived him that of chief of the apostles. This is what He does in the first part of the following conversation (John 21:15-17).

ADDITIONAL NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.

Vv. 15-23. In the words addressed to Peter there are two parts: first, those which bear upon his re-instatement in office, as it may be called; and, secondly, those which relate to his death.

1. The words which are found in John 21:15-17 introduce the matter of Peter's re-instatement by calling attention to his former protestations of love, with respect to which he had so signally failed and fallen. The readiness of Jesus to forgive and to restore is thus more tenderly manifested here than anywhere else in the Gospel narrative. The passage exhibits Jesus, in this regard, in His relation to His own friends. Following upon the words which restore Peter to his place and position in the great work and kingdom, Jesus utters a word of prophecy, in which He proclaims, as it were, to the two friends among the apostles who stood nearest to Him in His love, and who were to continue in life for many years, as James was not, the future which they must expect. The testimony of Jesus to Himself, in His relation of love to the individual disciple, is thus brought out in this appended chapter, which by reason of this characteristic, as well as its many forms of expression, manifests a truly Johannean type.

2. That the word these (τούτων) in John 21:15 refers to the other disciples, and thus carries the thought back to Peter's protestation in John 13:37, “I will lay down my life for thee,” and the similar protestation in Mark 14:29 (comp. Matthew 26:33), “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I,” is generally admitted now by the best writers, and there can be but little doubt that this is the correct view.

3. As to the distinction between the words ἀγαπᾷν and φιλεῖν, it is undoubtedly intended to be a marked one in this place. Otherwise the use of the two words can hardly be satisfactorily accounted for. The former word has in it the moral element, and is more appropriate to express the relation of man towards God and Christ, while the latter is here used of the affection of friendship. Weiss, however, thinks that the occurrence of the latter word in the third question put by Jesus to Peter makes it doubtful whether any such distinction is intended

4. That the reference of the prophetic words of Jesus respecting Peter's future is to the manner of his death, is affirmed by the evangelist, and there is nothing in the language used to make this reference in any way improbable. The language, however, only indicates death by violence, and is not sufficiently definite to show that Peter was to be crucified. The parallelisms of the expressions are such as to make it evident that the words thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee form as a whole the contrast to thou girdedst thyself. The stretching forth the hands, therefore, does not follow the girding or binding, but precedes it and is incidental to it; it must accordingly refer to that forced submission which pertains to the prisoner or criminal who is bound and led out to execution.

5. The word ἔρχομαι in John 21:22-23 is one which presents some difficulty. That it cannot mean come for him at death is evident, because all men Peter as well as John tarry till this coming. It cannot refer to the coming in and through the Spirit, for both of the disciples alike were to live beyond that period. For the same reason, it cannot mean the return for the forty days. Both of these latter ovents, also, were so near at hand that no such expression would have been used respecting them. The ordinary reference of the word to the Parousia escapes these objections; but as Jesus appears to have been free from any idea that the Parousia was to take place in the near future, there seems to be a kind of extravagance in the expression, as thus explained, which bears with it a certain improbability. This last view is that which is pressed upon us by the usage of the word, and, if it is adopted, the explanation of the meaning suggested by the evangelist is the one which must be regarded as correct namely, that the emphasis is on the if. Luthardt holds that the contrast which the evangelist makes, as he claims, between the dying of the disciple and his tarrying until Jesus should come, shows that, at the time of writing the words, Jesus had already come. The coming began, according to his view, with the judgment upon Israel and Jerusalem. Alford has substantially the same view. Weiss holds (see his notes on John 14:3, John 21:22) that Jesus is represented by John as having thought, like the apostles, that the Parousia would be in the near future.