·
7 Harriet Starr Cannon,
Religious, 1896
·
8 Dame Julian of Norwich, c. 1417 was the greatest of all the English anchorites of the Middle Ages. She wrote the
earliest surviving book in the English language to be written by a woman, Revelations of
Divine Love.
·
9 Gregory of Nazianzus,
Bishop of Constantinople, 389 also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen, was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople, and theologian. He is widely considered the most
accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age.[4] As a
classically trained orator and philosopher he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the
paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church
officials.[
·
10 Nicolaus Ludwig
von Zinzendorf, Prophetic Witness, 1760
FIRST READING: Acts 9: 1 - 6 (7 - 20) RCL)
Acts 9:1 (NRSV)
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the
Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at
Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might
bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching
Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the
ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
me?" 5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will
be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood
speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the
ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by
the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight,
and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a
disciple in Damascus named Anani'as. The Lord said to him in a vision,
"Anani'as." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." 11 The Lord
said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the
house of Judas look for a man of Tar'sus named Saul. At this moment he is praying,
12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Anani'as come in and lay his hands
on him so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Anani'as answered,
"Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to
your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests
to bind all who invoke your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go,
for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and
kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he
must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Anani'as went and entered the
house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus,
who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your
sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And immediately something
like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and
was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
For several days
he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim
Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."
PSALM 30 (RCL)
Psalm 30: 1, 3 - 5, 10
- 11a, 12b (Roman Catholic)
Psal 30:1 (NRSV) I
will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my
foes rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I
cried to you for help,
and you have
healed me.
3 O LORD, you
brought up my soul from She'ol,
restored me to
life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to
the LORD, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to
his holy name.
5 For his anger is
but for a moment;
his favor is for a
lifetime.
Weeping may linger
for the night,
but joy comes with
the morning.
6 As for me, I
said in my prosperity,
"I shall
never be moved."
7 By your favor, O
LORD,
you had
established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD,
I cried,
and to the LORD I
made supplication:
9 "What
profit is there in my death,
if I go down to
the Pit?
Will the dust
praise you?
Will it tell of
your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD,
and be gracious to me!
O LORD, be my
helper!"
11 You have turned
my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off
my sackcloth
and clothed me
with joy,
12 so that my soul
may praise you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I
will give thanks to you forever.
Note Verse numbering in
Roman Catholic Bibles is one higher than the above.
30 Exaltabo te, Domine
(ECUSA BCP)
1 I
will exalt you, O Lord,
because you have
lifted me up *
and
have not let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O
Lord my God, I cried out to you, *
and
you restored me to health.
3 You
brought me up, O Lord, from the
dead; *
you
restored my life as I was going down to the grave.
4 Sing
to the Lord, you servants of his;
*
give
thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For
his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, *
his
favor for a lifetime.
6 Weeping
may spend the night, *
but
joy comes in the morning.
7 While
I felt secure, I said,
“I shall never be
disturbed. *
You,
Lord, with your favor, made me as
strong as
the mountains.”
8 Then
you hid your face, *
and I
was filled with fear.
9 I
cried to you, O Lord; *
I
pleaded with the Lord, saying,
10 “What
profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? *
will
the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
11 Hear,
O Lord, and have mercy upon me; *
O Lord, be my helper."
12 You
have turned my wailing into dancing; *
you
have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.
13 Therefore
my heart sings to you without ceasing; *
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for
ever.
SECOND READING: Revelation 5: 11 - 14 (all)
Reve 5:11 (NRSV)
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and
the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and
thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice,
"Worthy is
the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power
and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and
glory and blessing!"
13 Then I heard
every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and
all that is in them, singing,
"To the one
seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and
honor and glory and might
forever and
ever!"
14 And the four
living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and
worshiped.
Next a “scroll” ( 5:1)
is presented – a record of God’s plans for the end-time: see Daniel 10:21.
No one is found worthy to open the scroll and reveal its contents ( 5:3),
but finally, one is revealed, “a Lamb” ( 5:6),
representing Christ.
In a scene reminiscent of the honours given to a Roman emperor,
large numbers sing of Christ’s worthiness to disclose God’s plans. There are
seven honours he is worthy to receive ( 5:12):
the first four (“power ... might”) concern his dominion; the others express the
adoration of those present. The “Lamb” and the Creator (“the one”, 5:13)
are equal in majesty. All creatures in heaven and on earth certify this to be
true (“Amen”, 5:14).
Revelation 5:11-14
Because I feel that it
is important to understand the whole of John’s vision and space in Comments is
limited, a fuller commentary on 4:1-5:14 follows:
This
book is an inspired picture-book, intended to make a powerful
appeal to the reader’s imagination. Using a literary genre known as an apocalypse, John gives us
an insight into what will occur at the end of the current era. A voice has told
him to record what he observes ( 1:10-11).
In
his vision, he sees God’s throne and the heavenly scene around it and hears the
praises sung there. He describes the glory of God in terms of precious gems ( 4:3).
Around God’s throne, there are “twenty-four elders” (perhaps the twelve Old
Testament patriarchs and the twelve apostles), so an image of the ideal Church.
As in a Roman court, God’s counsellors are “seated” ( 4:4):
they share in ruling and judging. “Flashes of lightning” ( 4:5)
and “thunder” express God’s majesty. The “seven spirits” before the throne may
be the seven angels of high rank, as in 1 Enoch, a non-biblical apocalyptic
book. Tobit 12:15 speaks
of Raphael as “one of the seven angels who ... enter before ... the glory of
the Lord”. Human language is inadequate for describing the divine (“something
like”, 4:6).
The “sea of glass”, a valuable commodity in John’s day, suggests the distance
between humans and God, even in heaven. The “four living creatures” around the
throne are angelic beings representing the whole of creation (see Ezekiel 1:5, 10);
they are God’s agents in unceasingly watching over all of nature (Ezekiel 1:18, 10:12).
They symbolize what is most splendid about animals: the lion – nobility, the ox
– strength, the human – wisdom, and the eagle – oversight. (A century after
John, the creatures were equated with the four evangelists: Mark, the lion;
Luke, the ox, Matthew, the human face; and John, the eagle.) Perhaps their “six
wings” ( 4:8)
express the swiftness of the execution of God’s will: see Isaiah 6:2-3 and
Ezekiel 1:6.
Representing earthly beings, they continually praise God as ruler of history
(or time). He will restore (or liberate) creation (“is to come”). They are
joined by the “elders” ( 4:10),
representing heavenly beings, who acknowledge God’s superior power by placing
their crowns “before the throne” – that all power comes from God. Perhaps 4:11 tells
us that all things existed in God’s will, and then he created them.
The
“scroll” ( 5:1)
is a record of God’s plans for the end-time: see Daniel 10:21.
Official documents were written “on the inside and on the back”, so the scroll
is such a document. It is perfectly sealed (“seven seals”) so it is unalterable
and known only to its author, God. 5:2 asks,
in effect, who can initiate the events of the end-time? No one
in all creation (“in heaven or earth”, 5:3)
can be found to do it. The dilemma causes John to “weep” ( 5:4),
for the faithful wish to know the events planned for the end of the current
era, and to see them put into effect – thus giving meaning to human suffering.
(When Revelation was written, Christians were being persecuted for their
faith.)
But
there is one in heaven who “can open the scroll” ( 5:5):
he is the Messiah (as the titles “Lion of ... Judah” and “Root of David” show);
he has “conquered” death. He is “a Lamb ... as if ... slaughtered”; he holds
the fulness of power and insight (“seven horns and seven eyes”, 5:6)
of the Spirit, sent into the world. He bears the marks of his sacrificial
death: he is Christ. The heavenly beings present the prayers of the “saints” ( 5:8,
the faithful on earth) before the Lamb. (The “harp” traditionally accompanied
the singing of psalms.) The song they sing is “new” ( 5:9)
because Christ has inaugurated a new era: he is “worthy” because he has rescued
all Christians everywhere. God made Israel a “kingdom” ( 5:10)
with “priests”: now he extends his promise to all the faithful.
In
a scene reminiscent of the honours given to a Roman emperor, large numbers sing
of Christ’s worthiness to disclose God’s plans. There are seven honours he is
worthy to receive (v. 12):
the first four (“power ... might”) concern his dominion; the others express the
adoration of those present. The “Lamb” and the Creator (“the one”, v. 13)
are equal in majesty. All creatures in heaven and on earth certify this to be
true (“Amen”, v. 14).
4:1-11: Important analogies are 1 Enoch 14; 71; 2 Enoch 20-21; Apocalypse of Abraham 18.
[ NJBC]
4:1: “in heaven a door stood open”: In a
Jewish apocalypse, an
angel escorts the visionary/traveller to the firmament and through a large door
(or doors) into the first heaven: see 3 Baruch 2:2. Heavenly
gates are also mentioned in Genesis 28:17(Jacob’s
vision at Bethel) and 3 Maccabees 6:18.
[ NJBC]
4:1: “after this”: In Chapter 1,
John describes the first scene of his vision. This passage partially
resumes 1:19,
where God commands John: “Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to
take place after this”. [ NJBC]
4:1: “Come up here ...”: Some books that contain
visions of the enthroned deity are heavenly journeys (e.g. 1 Enoch 1-36and
37-71) but Revelation may or may not describe such a journey. [ NJBC]
4:2: The Old Testament represents God as making a
throne of the heavens (see Isaiah 66:1;
see also Matthew 5:34ff; 23:22),
sitting on a throne (see 1 Kings 22:19;
Isaiah 6:1;
Ezekiel 1:26, 1 Enoch 14:18-19) and
holding court in heaven (see Psalm 11:4).
4:3: “jasper and carnelian”: In Ezekiel 28:13, Yahweh commands the prophet to
tell the king of Tyre: “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious
stone was your covering, carnelian, ... and jasper ...”. See also Exodus 28:17-21,
where the priestly vestments are to be adorned with “carnelian” and “jasper”
stones. [ CAB]
4:3: “rainbow”: A halo or nimbus traditionally
thought to encircle divine beings. It indicates God’s mercy towards humanity:
see Genesis 9:16-17,
where God tells Noah that the rainbow will be an aide-mémoire of “the everlasting
covenant between God and every living creature”. [ CAB]
4:4: “seated”: In Jewish apocalypses, the heavenly beings
stand; hence the thought that here their posture is influenced by the Roman
court. [ NJBC]
4:4: “twenty-four elders”: Another interpretation
is that this recalls the idea of the heavenly council: see Job 1-2 and
Psalm 82 (“the
divine council”). [ CAB]
4:5: “lightning ... thunder”: Psalm 18:12-15 speaks
of God sending lightning and thunder. See also Revelation 8:5; 11:19; 16:18.
4:5: “seven spirits of God”: Comments refers
to 1 Enoch 90:21. 1
Enoch 20 gives their names: Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sariel,
Gabriel and Remiel. The Bible mentions four of them: Raphael (in Tobit 12:15),
Michael (In 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles; Ezra 8:8;
Daniel 10:13, 21;
Jude 9;
Revelation 12:7),
Gabriel (in Daniel 8:16; 9:21;
Luke 1:19, 26),
and probably Remiel (as “Jeremiel” in 4 Esdras 4:36).
They are also mentioned in 1:4 (“the
seven spirits who are before his [God’s] throne”) and 3:1 (“the
seven spirits of God and the seven stars”). [ CAB] Another interpretation is
that they are the seven ways in which the Spirit works in the world, according
to Isaiah 11:2-3.
The NRSV lists six: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear
(awe) of God. The Septuagint translation
mentions a seventh one: piety. [ NOAB]
4:6: “something like”: 8:8 speaks
of “something like a great mountain, burning with fire” being “thrown into the
sea”.
4:6: “sea of glass, like crystal”: The glass
possessed the clarity of crystal: highly unusual until many centuries later. [ JBC] In 1 Enoch 14, a great
house (a palace or temple) in heaven is described as having a floor of
crystal and being surrounded by flaming fire, so the background of the image
here is Ezekiel 1 and
subsequent elaboration and interpretation of that vision. [NJBC]
Another interpretation
follows. Late Judaism accepted the image of a heavenly sea between the first
and second heavens based on Genesis 1:6ff.
Above this sea was represented God’s palace: Psalm 104:3 speaks
of Yahweh: “you set the beams
of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on
the wings of the wind”. See also 148:4.
[ JBC]
Comments refers to several verses in Ezekiel:
- 1:5:
“In the middle of it was something like four living creatures ...”
- 1:10:
“As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being,
the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side,
and the face of an eagle”
- 1:18:
“Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four were full of
eyes all around”
- 10:12:
“Their entire body, their rims, their spokes, their wings, and the wheels
– the wheels of the four of them – were full of eyes all around”
4:7: The assignment of the four living creatures to
the evangelists appears to have been made per the following reasoning:
- the lion to Mark: the gospel according to Mark dwells
most fully on the resurrection of Christ and proclaims with great emphasis
the royal dignity of Christ
- the ox to Luke: in Judaism, the ox was a sacrificial
animal. The gospel according to Luke emphasizes the sacrificial aspects of
Christ's atonement, as well as his divine priesthood.
- the eagle to John: in his gospel, John soars upward in
his contemplation of the divine nature of the Saviour. The eagle was
thought to fly very high.
- the human face to Matthew: Matthew records the human
ancestry of Christ. [SSCA]
4:8: “six wings”: Isaiah 6:2-3,
part of Isaiah’s commissioning, says: “Seraphs were in attendance above him;
each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered
their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory’”, but we read in Ezekiel 1:6“Each
had four faces, and each of them had four wings”. John’s vision seems to have
features of the visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel.
4:8: “Holy, holy, holy”: In Isaiah 6:3,
the song is to God who fills heaven and earth with his glory, but here it is to
God who rules history. [ JBC]
4:8: “who was and is and is to come”: This phrase
also appears in 1:4 and 1:8.
In Exodus 3:14-15 (God’s
revelation of himself to Moses), God says: “This is my name forever, and this
my title for all generations”.
4:10: “fall before ...”: This act of reverence
originated in Persia. It became part of the ceremony of the ruler cult in Hellenistic kingdoms, and
eventually of the Roman imperial cult. [ NJBC]
5:1: “scroll”: It is a record of God’s plans for
the end-time: see also 1 Enoch 81:1-3.
This verse is like Ezekiel 2:9-10:
“I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it.
He [ Yahweh] spread it before
me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words
of lamentation and mourning and woe”. [ NOAB]
All of world history is subject to the will and power of God. [ CAB]
5:1: “written on the inside and on the back”: In
Mesopotamia, a document was written on a tablet. It was then placed in a small
clay casket on which the identical text was copied. The idea was to discourage
fraud. This practice continued even after papyrus came into use. So what John
sees is an official document. [ JBC]
5:3: “in heaven or on earth or under the earth”:
The then current division of creation: Exodus 20:4 commands:
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth”. In Philippians 2:10,
Paul writes: “... at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth”. [ JBC]
5:5: “the Root of David”: Isaiah 11:1 foretells:
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of
his roots”. See also Isaiah 11:10.
[ CAB] The Lamb fulfils Old
Testament prophecies.
5:5: “[he] has conquered”: In 1 Corinthians 15:54-57,
Paul writes: “When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this
mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be
fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up in victory ...”. By his death,
Christ has conquered, thus showing Christians the road to victory: see
also 2:11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12.
[JBC]
5:5: “he can open the scroll”: Only the Lamb is
worthy to possess the scroll and open it. In other words, the death and
resurrection of Jesus, and the reconstitution of the redeemed people of God,
are essential to the unfolding of eschatologicalevents.
5:6: “Lamb”: For the theme of Christ sacrificed as
a lamb, see John 1:29, 36;
Acts 8:32;
1 Corinthians 5:7;
1 Peter 1:18-19.
This theme plays on those of the Servant of Yahweh (see Isaiah 53:7,
part of a Servant Song)
and of the paschal lamb (see Exodus 12),
but Revelation considers the Lamb to be a conqueror who after his sacrifice
holds universal dominion. This victorious sight would permit comparison of the
Lamb with a ram, an ancient symbol of power and dominion: see Daniel 8:3.
5:6: “seven horns”: “Seven” is the number for
perfection. A horned sheep or ram was an apocalyptic symbol: see
Daniel 8:20-21; 1 Enoch 89:42; 90:9. [ JBC]
5:6: “seven eyes”: The Lamb watches and supervises
all that takes place on earth. In Zechariah 4:10,
an angel interprets a vision the prophet has: “‘These seven [lamps on a
lampstand] are the eyes of the Lord,
which range through the whole earth’”.
5:8-9: “the Lamb ... [who was] slaughtered”: This
title is used 28 times in Revelation (e.g. in 5:6, 12; 13:8).
[ CAB] The same verb is used of
the sacrifice of Christians who, following Christ, suffer death out of loyalty
to their Lord (see 6:9 and 18:24).
Isaiah 53:7,
part of the fourth Servant
Song, says: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open
his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that
before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth”.
5:8: “harp”: In 14:2-3,
John tells us: “I heard a voice from heaven ... the voice I heard was like the
sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the
throne ...”. 15:2 speaks
of “those who had conquered the beast” having “harps of God in their hands”. [ JBC]
5:8: “the prayers of the saints”: See also 8:3ff; 11:18; 13:7;
Daniel 7:18ff;
Psalm 141:2 (in
the Septuagint translation).
The prayers express the Christians’ hope the God’s mysterious decree will be
carried out soon (see 5:10).
5:9-13: The three doxologies (vv. 9-10, 12, 13)
correspond to the acclamations that usually followed enthronement of a king.
5:9-10: The Lamb is adored in terms similar to the
adoration rendered to God in 4:11:
“‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for
you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created’”. [ NOAB]
5:9: See also 5:12.
In John 1:29,
we read of John the Baptizer: “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and
declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”
5:9: “a new song”: This phrase is used several
times in Psalms (e.g. in 33:3; 40:3; 98:1).
It originally referred to an unusual hymn of praise but also to an
extraordinary event, as in Isaiah 42:10.
The newness corresponds to the new name given to the conqueror (see 2:17 and 3:12),
to the new Jerusalem (see 3:12 and 21:2),
to the new heaven and earth (see 21:1),
and to universal renewal (see 21:5).
5:10: “kingdom and priests”: In 1:5-6,
the author writes: “To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his
blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him
be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen”. The vocation promised to Israel
in Exodus 19:6 (“you
shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation”, see also Isaiah 61:6) is
extended to the Church. 1 Peter 2:9 says:
“... you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own
people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvellous light”. [ NOAB]
5:12: “power”: In 1 Corinthians 1:24,
Paul says that “Christ crucified” is “the power of God and the wisdom of God”.
[CAB]
5:12: “wealth”: In 2 Corinthians 8:9,
Paul writes: “... you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty
you might become rich”. See also Ephesians 3:8.
[ CAB]
5:12: “might”: In Luke 11:22,
Jesus speaks of God’s power versus the Devil’s power: “... when one stronger
than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armour in which he
trusted and divides his plunder”. [ CAB]
5:12: “honour”: See Philippians 2:10.
“God also highly exalted him [Christ] and gave him the name that is above every
name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth”. [ CAB]
5:12: “glory”: John 1:14 says:
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the
glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth”. [ CAB]
5:13-14: All creation exults with joy, for the moment
is at hand when it will be freed from the curse of sin and death, in order to
be completely renewed. See also 20:11; 21:1, 4-7; 22:2.
Paul writes in Romans 8:18-21:
“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was
subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of
God”.
5:14: “Amen”: Literally: it is true! [ CAB]
GOSPEL: John 21: 1 - 19 (RCL)
John 21: 1 - 14 (15 -
19) (Roman Catholic)
John 21:1 (NRSV)
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of
Tibe'rias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were
Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathan'ael of Ca'na in Galilee, the sons
of Zeb'edee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them,
"I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with
you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught
nothing.
4 Just after
daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was
Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?"
They answered him, "No." 6 He said to them, "Cast the net to the
right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now
they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That
disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon
Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and
jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the
net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred
yards off.
9 When they had
gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just
caught." 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of
large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the
net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast."
Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because
they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to
them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus
appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 When they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you
love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I
love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A second time
he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him,
"Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend
my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do
you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time,
"Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know
everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my
sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten
your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will
stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take
you where you do not wish to go." 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of
death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow
me."
Jesus asks Peter about his love for him (v. 15).
Peter avoids comparisons with “these”, the other disciples. Jesus asks three
times – a reversal of Peter’s denial of him; each time Jesus tells him: feed/tend
my lambs/sheep. V. 18 begins
with a proverbial saying: in old age, we lack the mobility and freedom of
movement we had when young. But Peter’s life will be cut short: he will either
be bound a prisoner, or be crucified (“stretch out ...”). In 13:37-38,
Peter offers to follow Jesus even to laying down his life for him. Now Jesus
says: “Follow me” (v. 19).
Tradition says that Peter was crucified too.
It is generally agreed
that this gospel ended originally with what we consider Chapter 20.
It is likely that Chapter 21 was
added to explain the Beloved Disciple’s death. (The beloved disciple is
usually thought to be John, the author of the first twenty chapters of this
gospel, although some scholars, including NJBC, consider that it was written by
the Johannine community.) Some early Christians clung to the hope that he would
survive until Christ’s return: see vv. 21-23.
V. 23 says
“So the rumour spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet
Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he
remain until I come, what is that to you?’” [ BlkJn]
This story may be
related to Mark 16:7:
“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee;
there you will see him, just as he told you.” Note also Luke 5:1-11,
also a story of a miraculous catch. There Peter is told by Jesus: “... from now
on you will be catching people.” (v. 10) CAB considers the story in Luke to
be an expansion of the one in Mark 1:16-20.
See also Matthew 4:18-22.
Matthew ends with a post-resurrection commissioning scene: see Matthew 28:16-20.
It is possible that the story in Luke and the one here are about different
occasions. There are several common elements, but the location of the boat, the
position of Jesus with respect to the boat, the nature of Peter’s reaction, the
actual condition of the net, and the presence of other boats to help with the
catch, differ. [ NJBC]
Verse 4: “the disciples did not know that it was
Jesus”: As in other appearance stories ( 20:15,
to Mary Magdalene, and Luke 24:14-15,
on the road to Emmaus) Jesus is not immediately recognized. [ NJBC]
Verse 7: “It is the Lord!”: Mary Magdalene recognizes
Jesus when he calls her name: see 20:16.
[ NJBC]
Verse 7: “put on some clothes, for he was naked”: BlkJn offers put on his
outer garment (for he had stripped). JB and REBtranslate the Greek similarly.
Verse 10: Comments: This verse looks
odd, for some fish is already on the fire: BlkJn suggests that three strands
have been combined in this passage. The point of one is expressed in v. 11;
that of the second in v. 14.
A third theme is introduced with the “fish” (v. 9)
and “bread” supplied by Jesus.
Verse 11: “large fish”: So they are worth catching. [ BlkJn]
Verse 11: “a hundred [and] fifty-three of them”: Various
interpretations have been proposed over the centuries for this number, but none
is convincing. [ BlkJn]
Verse 11: “the net was not torn”: It is likely that the
fish symbolize those who will come to Christ; there will be many of them. The
narrator may emphasize that the net did not break to point to the unity of the
believers, in contrast to the divisions over Jesus that occurred in the
unbelieving crowds: see, for example, 7:43; 8:16; 10:19.
[ NJBC] John may be saying that
all are brought safely to land. [ BlkJn]
Verse 12: “none of the disciples dared to ask him ...”:
They had to become adjusted to the new situation: raised from the dead, they
could still meet him in the Eucharist.
A fish occurs along with bread in some early representations of the Eucharist.
[ BlkJn] The fish preceded the
cross as a symbol of the Church.
Verse 13: In Luke 24:42-43 (Jesus’
post-resurrection commissioning of his disciples), Jesus himself eats some fish
to dispel doubts. [ NJBC]
Comments: In John 6, the Feeding of the Five
Thousand, Jesus has blessed a meal of bread and fish: Another
point-of-contact between this story and the one in John 6 is
that only in these stories does “Sea of Tiberias” appear. [ NJBC]
Verse 14: “the third time”: Jesus’ other
post-resurrection appearances are mentioned in 20:19-23, 26-29.
[ NOAB]
Verses 15-17: Peter’s triple denial of Jesus is in 18:17, 25-27.
Peter has also stated that he will not desert Jesus (unlike other disciples) in
Mark 14:29.
[ NOAB] Loving Jesus must be
matched by caring for the flock. For Jesus as the shepherd, see 10:1-16.
1 Peter 5:1-2 tells
us “... I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God ...”. In
Acts 20:28 we
read that Paul told the leaders of the church at Ephesus to “Keep watch over
yourselves and over all the flock, ... to shepherd the church of God ...”. [ BlkJn]
Verse 15: “do you love me more than these?”: The Greek
word translated “these” can be neuter. If it is, more than all else is
a valid translation. [ BlkJn]
Verse 18: A scholar notes that a similar expression to
“take you where you do not wish to go” was used by contemporary authors – both
Christian and pagan – as a reference to crucifixion. Tradition says that Peter
was crucified at Rome about 64-68 AD [ NOAB]; 1 Clement 5:4 says:
“Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours
and when he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory
due to him”. [ NJBC] Tertullian wrote: Then
is Peter girt by another, when he is made fast to the cross. [ BlkJn]
Verse 19: “‘Follow me”: In 1:43,
Jesus addresses these words to Phillip, asking him to become a disciple.
In 13:36,
Jesus tells Peter “‘Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will
follow afterward’”, thus predicting the manner of Peter’s death. [ BlkJn]
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
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