Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

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, he showed them his hands and his side--not only as ocular and tangible evidence of the reality of His resurrection (See on Lu 24:37-43), but as through "the power of that resurrection" dispensing all His peace to men.”

If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

“Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, &c.--In any literal and authoritative sense this power was never exercised by one of the apostles, and plainly was never understood by themselves as possessed by them or conveyed to them.”

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails…

“How Christ Himself viewed this state of mind, we know from Mr 16:14, "He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen."”

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.”

“They probably met every day during the preceding week, but their Lord designedly reserved His second appearance among them till the recurrence of His resurrection day, that He might thus inaugurate the delightful sanctities of THE LORD'S DAY (Re 1:10).”

Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

“Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither . . . behold . . . put it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing--"There is something rhythmical in these words, and they are purposely couched in the words of Thomas himself, to put him…”

Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

“Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God--That Thomas did not do what Jesus invited him to do, and what he had made the condition of his believing, seems plain from Joh 20:29 ("Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed").”

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

“FIRST CLOSE OF THIS GOSPEL. The connection of these verses with the last words of Joh 20:29 is beautiful: that is, And indeed, as the Lord pronounced them blessed who not having seen Him have yet believed, so for that one end have the whole…”

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

“But these are written--as sufficient specimens. the Christ, the Son of God--the one His official, the other His personal, title. believing . . . may have life--(See on Joh 6:51-54).”

Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.

“Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing--(See on Lu 5:11). that night . . . caught nothing--as at the first miraculous draught (see on Lu 5:5); no doubt so ordered that the miracle might strike them the more by contrast.”

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

“Jesus stood--(Compare Joh 20:19, 26). but the disciples knew not it was Jesus--Perhaps there had been some considerable interval since the last manifestation, and having agreed to betake themselves to their secular employment, they would be unprepared to expect Him.”

So He called out to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” “No,” they answered.

“Children--This term would not necessarily identify Him, being not unusual from any superior; but when they did recognize Him, they would feel it sweetly like Himself. have ye any meat?--provisions, supplies, meaning fish.”

So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.

“But it is not through the agency of a Christian ministry that all true disciples are gathered. Jesus Himself, by unseen methods, gathers some, who afterwards are recognized by the constituted fishers of men, and mingle with the fruit of their labors.”

This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.

“This is the third time that Jesus showed himself--was manifested. to his disciples--His assembled disciples; for if we reckon His appearances to individual disciples, they were more.”

Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

“He saith to him . . . the second time . . . lovest thou me, &c.--In this repetition of the question, though the wound was meant to be reopened, the words "more than these" are not repeated; for Christ is a tender as well…”

Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?”

“It was fitting that he should; it was meant that he should. But this accomplished, the painful dialogue concludes with a delightful "Feed My sheep"; as if He should say, "Now, Simon, the last speck of the cloud which overhung thee since that night of…”

When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

“But this is very doubtful, and it seems more natural to consider our Lord as intending to give no positive indication of John's fate at all, but to signify that this was a matter which belonged to the Master of both, who would disclose or…”

Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die.

“Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die--into which they the more easily fell from the prevalent expectation that Christ's second coming was then near at hand.”

This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who has written them down. And we know that his testimony is true.

“This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things--thus identifying the author of this book with all that it says of this disciple. we know that his testimony is true--(Compare Joh 19:35).”