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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
all the rest were, caused to stumble he would not be, that he would stand by his Lord even unto death (Matt. 26:33, 35). Peter had fancied that his love overtopped that o f all the rest o f the disciples, so Jesus asks him ,if he still thinks, after his sad denial, that he loves “more than these." There may be also in the “ these” a refer ence to the instruments o f his old business to which Peter had been so devoted, and Jesus would know whether Peter was ready to put Him before these. Our Lord demands the supreme affection o f His dis ciples, every one and everything must be put afj:er Him (Matt. 10:37). In making such a demand Jesus clearly claims to be Divine; for only God has a right to demand supreme affection. With all the memory o f his fall before him, Peter did not hesi tate to reaffirm his love, but in doing it he does not use as strong a word for love as Jesus did in asking the questiofi. The word that Peter used, though not So strong, a word in setting forth so high a form of love, is a more tender word (see margin R. V .). It is difficult to translate the dif ference between the two words used, the one used by our Lord in asking the ques tion and the one used by Peter in replying. As near as wet can come' to it is by putting it this way, that Jesus asked Peter, “Lovest thou me?” (that is, in a sense a high, pure, spiritual love) and Peter replied by saying, “Yes, Lord; thou knowest that I have a tender affection for thee.” But while Peter stoutly affirmed his love for the Lord he did not say that he loved Jesus more than others did. His sad experience had taught him humility, but o f his' love he has no doubt, and is willing to appeal to Jesus’ own knowledge ofi it, “Thou knowest that I love thee.” Are we so confident o f our love to Jesus? Can we say to Jesus, “ Thou knowest that I love thee?” True love to Jesus Christ is shown by obedience (John 14:15, 21, 22), and Jesus accepted Peter’s profession of his love, and on this basis commissioned him, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus will set only the one who loves Him to feeding the
before His resurrection, they had no doubt as to who it was, that it really was the Lord. There is no mistaking Him, how ever different His external appearance may be from what we expect. Probably most people have formed some impression of how the Lord looks from the various paint ings we have seen o f Him, but there is no probability whatever that He ever looked at all like the paintings that we have, or that He will look at all like them when we see Him again, but nevertheless we shall know Him. There will be no mistak ing Him. W e shall not merely know Him “by the print o f the nails in His hands,” as we so often sing, we shall know Him by His whole appearance. There will be no mistaking Him for any other or any other for Him. The impression the narra tive gives is that Jesus Himself prepared the breakfast; (vs. 10, 13). It would be just like Him (cf. ch. 13:1-5). What a dignity this lends to the ordinary occupations of the housewife frying fish (cf. v. 9), setting the table, etc. John is very accurate in his statements o f the fact, pointing out that this was “the third time” that :Jesus was manifested to the disciples, “after that He was risen from the dead.” It was not the third appearance o f the risen Lord, as we learn from 1 Cor. 15:4, 5 and John 20:15, 16, but is the third appestrance to the dis ciples as a company. He had also appeared to individual disciples, to Peter and to the When breakfast is over Jesus especially addresses Himself to Peter. He was the one who especially needed first to be searched, and then encouraged and com missioned. He calls Peter by his weak natural name, Simon; for He is about to recall his failure in which he had not appeared at all as Peter (Rock-man, or Man o f rock). The first question that our Lord puts, to Peter brings up his former self-confident boasting and his sad fall., “Lovest: thou me more than these ?” our Lord asks. Peter-had boasted that though two on the way to Emmaus. Wednesday, September 20 . John ¿ 1 : 15 - 17 .
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