John 21:15–25

Verse 15. Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these? That is, more than any one of these love me. Christ puts this question thrice to Saint Peter, that this triple protestation of love, says Saint Augustine might correspond to his triple denial. Saint Peter did not answer that he loved him more than the rest did, which he could not know, but modestly said: yea, Lord, thou knowest I love thee: and the third time, thou knowest all things, and the hearts of all men, thou knowest how much I love thee. At each protestation, Jesus answered, feed my lambs; and the third time, feed my sheep. To feed, in the style of the Scriptures, is to guide, rule, and govern. Saint Ambrose and some others take notice, as if by the lambs, might be understood the people, and by the sheep, those placed over them, as bishops, priests, and so forth but others make no such difference in this place, betwixt lambs and sheep, only as comprehending all the members of Christ’s Church, of what condition soever, even the rest of the apostles. For here it was that Christ gave to Saint Peter that power which he had promised him, (Matthew 16:18) that is, He now made Saint Peter head [2] of his whole Church, as he had insinuated at the first meeting, when S. Andrew brought him to our Saviour, when he changed his name from Simon to Peter: again, when he chose him, and made him the first of his twelve apostles; but particularly, when he said, thou art Peter, (a rock) and upon this rock will I build my Church, and so forth Upon this account the Catholic Church, from the very first ages, hath always reverenced, and acknowledged the supreme power of the successors of Saint Peter, in spirituals, over all Christian Churches. This appears also by the writings of Tertullian, of S. Irenæus, of S. Cyprian, of the greatest doctors and bishops, both of the west and east, of S. Jerom, S. Augustin, of S. Chrysostom, in several places, of the first general Councils, particularly of the great Council of Chalcedon, and so forth Witham.—Simon (son) of John. The father’s name is here added, to discriminate him from Simon Thaddeus, that every one might know that the chief care of the universal Church was not given to any other apostle but Peter. This Simon of John is the same as Simon Bar-jona. See Matthew 16:17. Menochius.—Saint Peter had three times renounced his master; and Jesus, to give him an opportunity of repairing his fault by a triple confession, three several times demanded of him, if he loved him more than these? That, as S. Augustin remarks, he who had thrice denied through fear might thrice confess through love. Calmet.

Verse 16–17. The lambs and the sheep of our Saviour here mean the faithful, who compose his Church, without any distinction of Jew or Gentile. Saint Peter, by these words, is appointed to take charge of the whole flock, as being the chief and prince of the apostles. He is, in some manner, the pastor, not of the sheep only, but of the pastors themselves. They have each their own flock to look after; but to him is committed the care of all; he alone is the pastor of all. Calmet.—Feed my sheep. Our Lord had promised the spiritual supremacy to Saint Peter; (S. Matthew 16:19) and here he fulfils that promise, by charging him with the superintendency of all his sheep, without exception; and consequently of his whole flock, that is, of his whole Church. Challoner.

Verse 16–17. The lambs and the sheep of our Saviour here mean the faithful, who compose his Church, without any distinction of Jew or Gentile. Saint Peter, by these words, is appointed to take charge of the whole flock, as being the chief and prince of the apostles. He is, in some manner, the pastor, not of the sheep only, but of the pastors themselves. They have each their own flock to look after; but to him is committed the care of all; he alone is the pastor of all. Calmet.—Feed my sheep. Our Lord had promised the spiritual supremacy to Saint Peter; (S. Matthew 16:19) and here he fulfils that promise, by charging him with the superintendency of all his sheep, without exception; and consequently of his whole flock, that is, of his whole Church. Challoner.

Verse 18. Thou shalt stretch forth thy hands … signifying by what death he should glorify God; that is, that a cross should be the instrument of his death and martyrdom.—Whither thou wouldst not: which is no more than to say, that a violent death is against the natural inclination of any man, even though he be ever so willing, and disposed to undergo it. Witham.—By this is meant the martyrdom of Saint Peter, which took place thirty-four years after this. He was first cast into prison, and then led out to punishment as Christ had foretold him. He stretched out his arms to be chained, and again he stretched them out, when he was crucified; for he died on the cross, as the ancients assure us. Calmet.

Verse 21. Lord, what shall this man do? S. Chrysostom thinks, it was the love and friendship, that Saint Peter had for Saint John, that moved him to ask this question. Witham.

Verse 22. Jesus saith: so I will have him remain, [3] and so forth That is, in case I will have him remain; or, as it is in the Greek, if I will have him remain, what is that to thee? It is thy duty, and thy concern, to follow me. Witham.—When Christ told Saint Peter to follow him, he meant, that he should go like himself to the death of the cross; but when he says of Saint John, So I will have him to remain till I come, he insinuates that his beloved disciple should not undergo a violent death; but remain in the world, till he should visit him by death, and conduct him to glory. It may likewise be understood of the Revelations, in which our Saviour manifested himself in his glory to this his beloved disciple. In the Greek, it is, if I will have him to remain; and this is the true reading, according to Estius, and Jansenius, bp. of Ghent, authorized by many Latin copies. Others refer these words of Christ to his coming to destroy Jerusalem: an epoch which Saint John survived.

Verse 23. This saying, therefore: [4] that is, a report went about among the disciples, the John was not to die. But Saint John himself, as Saint Augustine and Saint John Chrysostom observe, took care to tell us, that Christ said not so. Nor do we find any sufficient grounds to think that Saint John is not dead. Witham.

The word for “brothers” here may be also correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

Verse 24. This is that disciple, and so forth Some conjecture, that these words were added by the Church of Ephesus. But the ancient Fathers, Saint John Chrysostom S. Cyril, Saint Augustine expound them as they do the rest, without any such remark. Nor is it unusual for a person to write in this manner of himself, as of a third person. It is what Saint John hath done of himself, chapter 19 verse 35. Witham.—Some conjecture, that these words were added by the Church of Ephesus, to point out Saint John to be the real author of this history, and to record their own assent to this his testimony. But the ancient Fathers give no such comment. Nor is it unusual for a person to write of himself, as of a third person. It is what Saint John hath done before.

Verse 25. The world [5] itself, I think, and so forth It is an hyperbolical way of speaking, says S. Cyril, common enough, even in the holy Scriptures; and only signifies, that a very great number of things, which Christ did and said, have not been recorded. Witham.—This is a figure of speech, called hyperbole, and only means, that it would require many, many books, to contain all the various actions and sayings of our divine Lord.

ACTS

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES