John Gill

Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”

“And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself,.... This is repeated from Joh 18:18 to connect the history, and carry on the thread of the account of Peter's denial of Christ, which is interrupted by inserting the examination of Christ before the high priest, which was…”

Peter denied it once more, and immediately a rooster crowed.

“Peter then denied again,.... A third time, as the Ethiopic version renders it; and that, according to other evangelists, with cursing and swearing; for now he was more affrighted than before, lest should he be taken up, and it be proved upon him, that he…”

This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

“That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled,.... That he should be delivered by the Jews to the Gentiles, to crucify him; and that he should be lifted up from the earth, and as the serpent upon the pole: which he spake, signifying what death…”

“Not this man,” they shouted, “but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.)

“Then cried they all again,.... For it seems that Pilate had made this proposal once before, and that this was the second time, though not mentioned; yet some copies, and the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions, leave out the word "again": they all, priests…”

The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe.

“And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns,.... This was an emblem of his being surrounded by wicked men, sons of Belial, comparable to thorns, whilst he hung suffering on the cross; and of the sins of his people compassing him about, which were as…”

It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”

“And it was the preparation of the passover,.... So the Jews (x) say, that Jesus suffered on the eve of the passover; and the author of the blasphemous account of his life says (y), it was the eve both of the passover and the sabbath…”

Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

“And Pilate wrote a title,.... Luke calls it a superscription, Mark, the superscription of his accusation, and Matthew, the accusation itself; it contained the substance of the charge against him, and was written upon a table or board, and nailed to the cross, as Nonnus…”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

“Pilate answered, what I have written I have written,.... He seems to say this, as one angry and displeased with them; either because they would not consent to release Jesus, which he was desirous of, but pressed him so very hard to crucify him; or…”

Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus.

“And after this,.... That is, after Jesus had given up the ghost, when it was a clear case that he was dead; as it was before the soldiers came to break the legs of the crucified, and before one of them pierced the side of…”

Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

“And there came also Nicodemus,.... To the cross, at the same time as Joseph did; who, whether they were brethren, as some conjecture, and met here by consent, since one prepared one thing, and another, for the interment of Christ, is not certain.”

Now there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

“Now in the place where he was crucified,.... Which takes in all that spot of ground that lay on that side of the city where he was crucified; or near to the place of his crucifixion, for it was not a garden in which he…”

He bent down and looked in at the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

“And he stooping down and looking in,.... That is, John; when he came to the sepulchre, stooped down to look into it, and see what he could see; he only went into the court, or stood upon the floor, where the bearers used to set…”

The cloth that had been around Jesus’ head was rolled up, lying separate from the linen cloths.

“And the napkin that was about his head,.... The word σουδαριον, rendered "napkin", is thought to be originally Latin, and signifies an handkerchief, with which the sweat is wiped off the face, and so it is used in Act 19:12 but Nonnus says it is…”

Then the disciples returned to their homes.

“Then the disciples,.... Peter and John, after they had seen and examined things, and satisfied themselves as much as they could: went away again unto their own home; or "to themselves", as in the original text, and so the Vulgate Latin reads it; not that…”

After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

“And when he had so said,.... The above salutation, in the most kind, tender, and affectionate manner: and to put them out of all pain, and that they might know certainly who he was, he showed them his hands and his side; his hands, which…”

Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus,.... The person here spoken of, is described by his Hebrew name Thomas, and his Greek one Didymus, which both signify a twin; and perhaps he was one.”

Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

“And after eight days,.... That is, after another week, the same day a week later, which taking in the day in which Christ rose and appeared to Mary Magdalene, and his disciples, and the day in which he now appeared to the disciples with Thomas…”

Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

“And Thomas answered and said unto him,.... Without examining his hands and side, and as astonished at his condescension and grace, and ashamed of his unbelief: my Lord and my God; he owns him to be Lord, as he was both by creation and redemption…”

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,.... The word Thomas is omitted in the Alexandrian copy, and in Beza's ancient copy, and in some others, and in the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions.”

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not recognize that it was Jesus.

“But when the morning was now come,.... The day began to dawn, and light to appear, very early in the morning; for Christ visits his right early, and is a present help to them in their time of trouble.”

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

“Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved,.... Which was John the Evangelist and Apostle, the writer of this Gospel: saith unto Peter, it is the Lord; which two disciples were very intimate with each other, and communicated their thoughts freely to one another.”

When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it, and some bread.

“As soon then as they were come to land,.... As soon as they were come out of the ship, and safe on shore, not only Peter, but all the rest of the disciples: they saw a fire of coals there: on the shore, to their…”

Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

“Jesus saith unto them,.... The disciples: bring of the fish which ye have now caught: for they might have caught some before, though so few and small, as scarcely to be reckoned any; nor were they bid to bring all they had taken, only some…”

Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish.

“Jesus then cometh and taketh bread,.... After they had taken the fish out of the net, and all was prepared for the meal, and the disciples were set down to eat, Christ came and took his place as the master of the feast, and head…”

When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.”

“So when they had dined,.... The Persic version adds, Jesus turned his face to Simon Peter; he did not interrupt them whilst they were eating; but when they had comfortably refreshed themselves, he looked at Peter, and singled him out from the rest, and directed…”