John 21:25














That the last two verses of this Gospel are not the composition of the evangelist whose name it bears is plain enough. But it is almost equally plain that this fact does not detract from their value, but, all things considered, rather adds to it.

I. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS GOSPEL WAS KNOWN TO THE CONTEMPORARIES OF THE APOSTLE JOHN. Whoever wrote these supplementary sentences, this appendix to the treatise, it is clear that the treatise itself was in his hands, and that he added his witness in the earliest age, and in all likelihood while the aged John was still living.

II. JOHN HIMSELF WAS KNOWN BY THE WRITER OF THIS APPENDIX TO BE THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL. No one who is unprejudiced can suppose that this addition was made long after the writer was dead, and longer still after the death of the great Subject of the memoir. We have not here the record of an opinion; it is not the case of an anonymous Christian giving expression to his judgment that, as a matter of criticism, John was probably the author of the Gospel. "We know," he says - speaking for others as well as for himself - "that his [the beloved disciple's] testimony is true." They had doubtless heard many of the contents of the book from the lips of John himself, and they had doubtless heard the aged apostle acknowledge the authorship.

III. THE VERSE CONTAINS A GUARANTEE OF THE VERACITY OF JOHN. In stating that they knew that John's testimony was true, the guarantors and attestors must have been deliberately laying claim to independent sources of information. What more reasonable than to believe that they had seen and listened to some who had been witnesses of the Lord's death and of his resurrection-life? They may not only have entertained other apostles at Ephesus; they may have visited Jerusalem, and have seen those who in their youth had seen the Lord. In many ways they may have satisfied themselves that the records of John were not "cunningly devised fables;" that he had spoken what his eyes had seen and his ears had heard of the Word of life.

IV. THE WITNESS THUS BORNE TO THE GOSPEL CONFIRMS ITS CLAIM UPON OUR REVERENT ATTENTION AND FAITH. This was the intention with which the appendix was added. And as the interest and value of the document center in the Being to whom it mainly relates, we may justly acknowledge that we are under a moral obligation to study the testimony borne. The Gospel of John is to be treated as an ordinary book in so far that its acceptance as credible depends upon evidence of an appropriate and convincing character. But its contents are far from ordinary; they are so extraordinary that it is reasonable and right for the reader to look for a valid foundation for his credence. And inasmuch as the manifest purpose, the professed purpose, for which the Gospel was written was to produce faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall only receive the testimony of this unnamed but credible and veracious attestor so as to secure our highest enlightenment and welfare, if we are convinced that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. Even assent to historical truth is insufficient; for this is the means to an end, and that end is "saving faith." - T.

This is the disciple which testifieth of these things.
I. ITS TRANSCENDENT THEME. — "The things which Jesus did."

1. Their number — "many."

2. Their variety — "other."

3. Their importance. So deep had been the impression made by them that they were even then remembered and could have been written down.

4. Their significance. "The world would not contain," &c.

II. ITS UNAMED AUTHOR — the disciple whom Jesus loved. That this was John —

1. The Gospel indirectly attests.

2. Ecclesiastical tradition confirms.

III. ITS VERACIOUS CHARACTER.

1. The testimony of the author's consciousness, if ver. 24 be authentic.

2. The testimony of his contemporaries, probably the Ephesian Elders, if ver. 24 be non-Johannine.Lesson: Gratitude —

1. To God for His Son, Jesus Christ.

2. To Jesus Christ for the things which He did.

3. To the Holy Spirit for this sublime Gospel

(T. Whitelaw, D. D.)

I. VERY MUCH HAS BEEN REVEALED. His four biographers have said very much about Christ, and each has presented Him in some fresh aspect.

II. MUCH MORE MIGHT HAVE BEEN REVEALED (ver. 25). What volumes it would have taken to record the deeds and words of Him who never spent an idle hour, but "went about doing good!" Conclusion:

1. We should fully appreciate the amount revealed. It teems with truths, and pulsates with inspiration. A larger amount, perchance, would have been obtrusive rather than helpful.

2. We may anticipate wonderful studies. All the unrevealed will be brought under our observation.

(D. Thomas, D. D.)

There are very many things written concerning Christ which are believed by others, but which I do not believe. The evidence from without I care little for, regarding only the evidence from within. Therefore it is that the reading of the uncanonical Gospels is useful in showing what a fine instinct, what a spirit of good taste, what a divinely inspired knowledge of what Christ was, the men who wrote our Four Gospels had. Between the two there is that singular difference which strikes a man of fine taste between the consummate work of a true artist and the work of a dauber, between a work of art wrought in love and one wrought only for bread. For the spirit of an artist creeps into every stroke of his brush; and in the writing of the Gospels, in settling which are canonical, every stroke is a betrayal. The apocryphal Gospels are not only a curious picture of the floating traditions of the Church; they are earthen vessels full of earthly dregs. They gather about Christ the stains of human stupidity and ignorance. Just as a man of fine taste has no difficulty in judging in a moment between a Raphael and what a coarse picture dealer declares to be one; just as one accustomed to the fine aromas of the wine of Hamburg can distinguish it from the spurious rubbish that is brought to imitate it; just as those who know the ring of true gold are proof against being deceived by the counterfeit, so there need be no difficulty in judging of these writings, as compared with the four Gospels now in use.

(George Dawson, M. A.)

There are also many other things.
Such words as these are called "strong language" and "exaggeration." But strong language is always true to the poet, natural to the passionate, truthful to the large-minded; and only obnoxious to the small, feeble, chill-blooded, to those who find human language big enough to live in. Human language is often felt to be like that bed of old, which was so short that a man could not stretch himself on it; and in trying to cover himself with the coverlid, found it to be too narrow. So as the next thing to having an adequate spoken language, men do what they can by extravagance to make it up. A great poet like Shakespeare presses the universe into his passion. He tells the woman he adores that her eyes outvie the brightness of the rising morning. One great ancient wished he was a star that he might look down always on her he loved. So these souls, feeling deeply, in order to say what they wish to say, since words won't do it, call upon all things to help them — the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley — all things are called in, that the beloved may be set forth in glory. Strong language is objectionable, is it? Yes, when it is but the emphasis of emptiness; when little people make a great noise, using language stronger than the occasion requires, the sin and shame of it is that they have no feeling adequate to it. But when the heart is all aglow, and the thing to be said infinite, then the most extravagant language is poverty stricken. To hear some commentations over the phrase is charming — "This passage must not be taken literally; of course the Apostle meant — "Oh, thank you for nothing! I want not your dry bread of sand.'" What John meant was that there were so many things that might be told about Christ, that the world could not contain it all. Beautiful expression! And how adequate! Now, what does it teach? If any man's biography were to be daily written down it would make a big book. One of the most charming books was written by a man on a tour round his chamber. Put some people in a room and they behold no more than a blind horse would. But not so with the instructed man. He would pause at every part of the room, and tell tales about the woodwork, tales of the trees from which the wood came, and or the climate in which they grew — tales that would run back to Adam. Franklin tells us that he "rose at six and washed." But if he had stopped to tell us all about "rose," what a volume would be wanted, and so on with "washed" and "dressed." And so one might come to think with the great poet, that the best portion of a man's life lies in the little nameless, unrecorded acts of kindness. It is the unwritten things of life that uphold the great things. So, when we think of Christ's life, and of the little that is said about Him, we know there must have been much that might have been written.

(George Dawson, M. A.)

Does St. John end his Gospel with an exaggeration? What shaft we say?

I. THERE ARE SEVERAL SOLUTIONS.

1. That the passage has been interpolated. But this view has no foundation. The verse is only wanting in one MS.

2. That it is only St. John's way of expressing his sense of the immense diligence of Christ's life, and the unparalleled number of His good works; and that, to convey that idea, he uses language which is, indeed, after the Eastern language, hyperbolical; but which could not mislead.

3. That St. John is speaking of all which Christ had done, and is doing, and will do to all eternity — in which acceptation the words would be strictly true — for then we should be dealing with the Everlasting and the Infinite — which, of course, exceeds the compass of the universe. But the comment is strained and far-fetched.

4. That the word "contain" is ambiguous, and that it might be translated, "the world," i.e., the ungodly world, "would not receive the whole of what Jesus did."

5. That St. John is speaking not of the mere outward actions, but of what they represented and involved. And this is none other than a literal truth that "if all these" were "written," seriatim, "the world itself could not contain the account which should be written."

II. The last seems to be the only true understanding of St. John's words: THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE FULNESS THAT THERE IS IN THE MINUTEST PORTION OF CHRIST'S MINISTRY.

1. Remember —(1) It is the life of the Son of God who came to this earth for about thirty-three years, of which we have the history of only three, and in those three only a few leading, salient features.(2) That the object of this short visit was the salvation of the whole world.(3) That infinite love, wisdom, and power met in His every word and act.(4) That the record, which has been given us, has been left for His Church to read, and live upon for ever. There is enough to satisfy the whole intellect and affection of the race. And if the gospel be such as this — what a weight, what an infinity, there must be in every iota. If we waste a crumb, it must be at our peril, and with great damage! Here is our duty, and here is the great work of the Holy Ghost, to find the latent senses of each fraction of that portentous narrative. "The secret of the Lord," — covered thoughts, intentions sealed except to the initiated — "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him."

2. You must consider also —(l) Every action of Christ was first a great beautiful fact, standing out to be admired.(2) It was an illustration of His character, in which we are to read out His sympathy, wisdom, power, faithfulness, &c.(3) We are to read, through Him, God — the only real delineation we have of the Invisible Father.(4) It is the illustration and the pledge of what Christ is and does now He is in glory.(5) It is our pattern and example that we may copy.(6) It is an allegory — a parable of spiritual things which always lie underneath it.

3. Now, take any one event in our Lord's ministry, and divide it into all these parts: see it in all its lights; and what a volume will be there! Regard, in this way, His baptism, or His temptation, or His transfiguration, or His death, &c., or any one of His miracles; or a prayer, a touch, a look; and into what masses and mountains of thought it all swells! What piles upon piles might be said and written!

4. Think of all that, for nearly nineteen centuries, has been said and written by the Church on those four Gospels; and yet it is not exhausted. New thoughts, new beauties, new comforts are coming up every day. And were the world to last nineteen thousand centuries more, it would be just the same! And will not these things be the themes of faculties infinitely higher, than now, throughout eternity? Do not "the angels" still "desire to look" on them?

5. Then, we must add to the account that there were "many things which Jesus did" which St. John knew but did not record; many more, which none knew, or could know. But all would bear the same development.

6. Then, when, for a moment, we try to draw these together and conceive the total of such an aggregate, is the language one whir too strong?

III. LET ME GATHER SOME INFERENCES.

1. When we have to do with the life of Christ, we are dealing with the most solemn immensities. The more we study it, the more we shall feel with St. John — that we are standing on the shore of a boundless ocean; that what we see is nothing compared to what lies beyond the horizon. That all human intellect put together, and all the largest hearts of men of love, if that love could go on for ever, could not contain the half of what Christ did, and what Christ was. Is that too much to say? You will not think so if you love Him and know Him.

2. Therefore you must come to the contemplation of every part of Christ's life very modestly. There is much more than you have any idea of. If you think you know any verse of the Bible, you have yet a great deal to learn. You will never empty it. And, seeing it so exceeds all our proportions, you must pray for the enlargement of your own soul, that you may be able to contain it.

3. For a heart enlarged by the Holy Ghost has a greater capacity than the universe. The universe could not contain it; but, by the working of the Holy Ghost, it is promised you shall be "able to comprehend with all saints, what is the length, and breadth, and depth, and height, and know that love of Christ which passeth knowledge."

(J. Vaughan, M. A.)

When I see how much has been written of those who have lived; how the Greeks preserved every saying of Plato's; how Boswell followed Johnson, gathering up every leaf that fell from that rugged old oak, and pasting it away, I almost regret that one of the disciples had not been a recording angel, to preserve the odour and richness of every word of Christ. When John says, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written," it affects me more profoundly than when I think of the destruction of the Alexandrian Library, or the perishing of Grecian art in Athens or Byzantium. The creations of Phidias were cold stone, overlaid by warm thought; but Christ described His own creations when He said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are life." The leaving out of these things from the New Testament, though divinely wise, seems, to my yearning, not so much the unaccomplishment of noble things, as the destruction of great treasures, which had already had oral life, but failed of incarnation in literature.

(H. W. Beecher.)

Supposing a complete biography of Christ to have been written, let us consider —

I. ITS MAGNITUDE. In every life there are many transactions which would add nothing to the completeness of a biography. There are many things in the experience of us all which are like blades of grass. To distinguish them in a picture would be to impair it and give us not the field but the grass. But things were otherwise with Christ. Every miracle, prayer, look, &c., was worthy of a picture by itself. And suppose instead of our present summary we had all the details what a library there would be. And then there are many things which it takes a longer time to describe than to do.

II. ITS CUMBROUSNESS.

1. What life would be long enough to produce it.

2. What means could be adequate to disperse it.

3. What man could read, let alone remember it. Conclusion: Let us see the impossibility of making any improvement in God's Word. There is wisdom as well in its limits as in its matter and form.

(Mathematicus.)

The materials which he has actually made use of are few in number compared with the store from which he might have drawn; he omitted many things, the record of which might have over-filled the world with books; with only a few selections from his rich treasury, he shows us the glory of the Incarnate Word — as if a painter should take a bit of grey rock, a tuft of maidenhair fern growing in a crevice, some patches of grass and heather, a tree or two, a human figure, a dim-seen mountain range, the infinite blue sky, and putting these into a picture should show us the glory of God in nature.

(J. Culross, D. D.)

Treasures many are contained in the Bible, but not all. There are more treasures in Christ than even in the Bible. He could not transfer all the treasures of His person into a book, "for if they should be written," &c. Blessed be God for the treasures contained in this precious volume before me, but the day will arrive when they shall be all exhausted. But after exhausting the treasures of the Book, the treasures of the Person will still remain. Blessed be His name for the treasures which have come through Christ, thrice blessed for the treasures that are in Christ. Dwelling in Him are treasures enough to make a dozen new Bibles, the Bibles of eternity.

(J. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.).

People
Didymus, Jesus, John, Jonah, Jonas, Nathanael, Peter, Simon, Thomas, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Cana, Galilee, Sea of Tiberias
Topics
Amen, Books, Contain, Described, Detail, Indeed, Itself, Opinion, Recorded, Room, Suppose, Vast, Wouldn't, Written
Outline
1. Jesus appearing again to his disciples is known of them by the great catch of fish.
12. He dines with them;
15. earnestly commands Peter to feed his lambs and sheep;
18. foretells him of his death;
22. rebukes his curiosity.
24. The conclusion.

Dictionary of Bible Themes
John 21:25

     5232   book

Library
November 20. "The Disciple whom Jesus Loved Leaned on his Breast" (John xxi. 20).
"The disciple whom Jesus loved leaned on His breast" (John xxi. 20). An American gentleman once visited the saintly Albert Bengel. He was very desirous to hear him pray. So one night he lingered at his door, hoping to overhear his closing devotions. The rooms were adjoining and the doors ajar. The good man finished his studies, closed his books, knelt down for a moment and simply said: "Dear Lord Jesus, things are still the same between us," and then sweetly fell asleep. So close was his communion
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

'Lovest Thou Me?'
'Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs.'--JOHN xxi. 15. Peter had already seen the risen Lord. There had been that interview on Easter morning, on which the seal of sacred secrecy was impressed; when, alone, the denier poured out his heart to his Lord, and was taken to the heart that he had wounded. Then there had been two interviews on the two successive Sundays
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

An Eloquent Catalogue
'There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples.'--JOHN xxi. 2. This chapter, containing the infinitely significant and pathetic account of our Lord's appearance to these disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, is evidently an appendix to the Gospel of John. The design of that Gospel is complete with the previous chapter, and there is a formal close, as of the whole book, at the end thereof. But whilst
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

The Beach and the Sea
'When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.'--JOHN xxi. 4. The incident recorded in this appendix to John's Gospel is separated from the other appearances of our risen Lord in respect of place, time, and purpose. They all occurred in and about Jerusalem; this took place in Galilee. The bulk of them happened on the day of the Resurrection, one of them a week after. This, of course, to allow time for the journey, must have been at a considerably
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

'It is the Lord!'
'Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.--JOHN xxi. 7. It seems a very strange thing that these disciples had not, at an earlier period of this incident, discovered the presence of Christ, inasmuch as the whole was so manifestly a repetition of that former event by which the commencement of their ministry had been signalised, when He called them to become 'fishers of men.' We are apt to suppose that when once again they embarked on the lake, and went back to their
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Youth and Age, and the Command for Both
Annual Sermon to the Young '... When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.... And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me.'--JOHN xxi. 18, 19. The immediate reference of these words is, of course, to the martyrdom of the Apostle Peter. Our Lord contrasts the vigorous and somewhat self-willed youth and the mellowed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

'They Also Serve who Only Stand and Wait'
'Peter, seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do! Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me.'--John xxi. 21, 22. We have seen in a former sermon that the charge of the risen Christ to Peter, which immediately precedes these verses, allotted to him service and suffering. The closing words of that charge 'Follow Me!' had a deep significance, as uniting both parts of his task in the one supreme command of imitation of his Master.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

November the Thirteenth a Transformed Fisherman
"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing." --JOHN xxi. 1-14. Simon Peter had often gone a fishing, but never had he gone as he went in the twilight of that most wonderful evening. He handled the ropes in a new style, with a new dignity born of the bigger capacity of his own soul. He turned to the familiar task, but with a quite unfamiliar spirit. He went a fishing, but the power of the resurrection went with him. This action of Simon Peter's is the only true test of the reality of any spiritual
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Love and Service.
TEXT: JOHN xxi. 16. "He saith to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Tend my sheep." THERE is no more important charge than that which the Lord gave to His apostle in these words. He calls Himself the Shepherd of His flock; therefore what He here committed to the charge of the apostle was to do the Lord's own work in His name, and under His oversight and ruling direction as Chief Shepherd. But
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

On the Same Words of the Gospel of John. xxi. 15, "Simon, Son of John, Lovest Thou Me More than These?" Etc.
1. Ye remember that the Apostle Peter, the first of all the Apostles, was disturbed at the Lord's Passion. Of his own self disturbed, but by Christ renewed. For he was first a bold presumer, and became afterwards a timid denier. He had promised that he would die for the Lord, when the Lord was first to die for him. When he said then, "I will be with Thee even unto death," and "I will lay down my life for Thee;" the Lord answered him, "Wilt thou lay down thy life for Me? Verily I say unto thee, Before
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, John. xxi. 16, "Simon, Son of John, Lovest Thou Me?" Etc.
1. Ye have observed, beloved, that in to-day's lesson it was said by the Lord to Peter in a question, "Lovest thou Me?" To whom he answered, "Thou knowest, Lord, that I love thee." This was done a second, and a third time; and at each several reply, the Lord said, "Feed My lambs." [4317] To Peter did Christ commend His lambs to be fed, who fed even Peter himself. For what could Peter do for the Lord, especially now that He had an Immortal Body, and was about to ascend into heaven? As though He had
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Lovest Thou Me?
Without preface, for we shall have but little time this morning--may God help us to make good use of it!--we shall mention three things: first a solemn question--"Lovest thou me?" secondly, a discreet answer, "Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee;" and thirdly, a required demonstration of the fact, "He saith unto him, Feed my lambs;" or, again, "Feed my sheep." I. First, then, here was A SOLEMN QUESTION, which our Saviour put to Peter, not for his own information, for, as Peter said, "Thou knowest
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Christ among the Common Things of Life
William James Dawson, Congregational preacher and evangelist, was born in Towcester, Northamptonshire, in 1854. He was educated at Kingswood School, Bath, and Didsbury College, Manchester. He has long been known as an author of originality and pure literary style. In 1906 he received the pastorate of Highbury Quadrant Congregational Church, London, and accepted an invitation to do general evangelistic work under the auspices of the National Council of the Congregational churches of the United States.
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume 10

Erroneous Opinions Imputed to the Apostles.
A species of candour which is shown towards every other book is sometimes refused to the Scriptures: and that is, the placing of a distinction between judgment and testimony. We do not usually question the credit of a writer, by reason of an opinion he may have delivered upon subjects unconnected with his evidence: and even upon subjects connected with his account, or mixed with it in the same discourse or writing, we naturally separate facts from opinions, testimony from observation, narrative from
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

Of Avoiding of Curious Inquiry into the Life of Another
"My Son, be not curious, nor trouble thyself with vain cares. What is that to thee? Follow thou Me.(1) For what is it to thee whether a man be this or that, or say or do thus or thus? Thou hast no need to answer for others, but thou must give an answer for thyself. Why therefore dost thou entangle thyself? Behold, I know all men, and I behold all things which are done under the sun; and I know how it standeth with each one, what he thinketh, what he willeth, and to what end his thoughts reach.
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Instructions to Converts.
Text.--Feed my lambs.--John xxi. 15. YOU, who read your Bibles, recollect the connection in which these words are found, and by whom they were spoken. They were addressed by the Lord Jesus Christ to Peter, after he had denied his Lord, and had professed repentance. Probably one of the designs which Christ had in view, in suffering Peter to sin so awfully as to deny his master, was to produce a deeper work of grace in him, and thus fit him for the peculiar duty to which he intended to call him, in
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

Synopsis. --Arbitrary Criticism of the Biblical Narratives of the Raising of the "Dead. " --Facts which it Ignores. --The Subject Related to the Phenomena of Trance
III SYNOPSIS.--Arbitrary criticism of the Biblical narratives of the raising of the "dead."--Facts which it ignores.--The subject related to the phenomena of trance, and records of premature burial.--The resuscitation in Elisha's tomb probably historical.--Jesus' raising of the ruler's daughter plainly a case of this kind.--His raising of the widow's son probably such.--The hypothesis that his raising of Lazarus may also have been such critically examined.--The record allows this supposition.--Further
James Morris Whiton—Miracles and Supernatural Religion

Seventh Appearance of Jesus.
(Sea of Galilee.) ^D John XXI. 1-25. ^d 1 After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself on this wise. 2 There was together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee [see p. 111], and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. [As usual, Peter was the leader.] They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat;
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Harmony of the Gospels
36. The church early appreciated the value and the difficulty of having four different pictures of the life and teachings of the Lord. Irenaeus at the close of the second century felt it to be as essential that there should be four gospels as that there should be "four zones of the world, four principal winds, and four faces of the cherubim" (Against Heresies III. ii. 8). 37. Before Irenaeus, however, another had sought to obviate the difficulty of having four records which seem at some points to
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

Feeding the Lambs.
Some years ago when attending to the work to which the Lord had called me in one of the sunny Southern States it was my happy privilege to enjoy for a few days the kind hospitality of a generous Christian farmer. One balmy afternoon while walking over the pleasant fields of his large farm, with my heart in sweet communion with God, I came upon the most beautiful flock of sheep it had ever been my privilege to behold. They were quietly grazing in a rich green pasture, near by which silently flowed
Charles Ebert Orr—Food for the Lambs; or, Helps for Young Christians

The Fall of the Empire and of the Papacy
[Sidenote: Urban IV (1261-4).] The date of Alexander's death marks the beginning of a new episode in the history of the mediaval Papacy. His successor, Urban IV, was a Frenchman. With more vigour than his predecessor he pursued the policy of the destruction of the Hohenstaufen. Since the English prince had proved a useless tool and no more money could be wrung from the English people, he obtained the renunciation of the claims of Edmund to the Sicilian crown and turned to his native country for a
D. J. Medley—The Church and the Empire

Epistle xx. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius, &c. Our most pious and God-appointed lord, among his other august cares and burdens, watches also in the uprightness of spiritual zeal over the preservation of peace among the priesthood, inasmuch as he piously and truly considers that no one can govern earthly things aright unless he knows how to deal with divine things, and that the peace of the republic hangs on the peace of the universal Church. For, most serene Lord, what human power, and what strength
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

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