Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them,
Come _and_ dine.
And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, 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.
He saith to him the second time,
Simon, _son_ of Jonas, lovest thou me?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him,
Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, _son_ of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him,
Feed my sheep.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 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.
This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify G.o.d. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him,
Follow me.
Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 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.
Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what _is that_ to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things: and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. After that he was seen of James.
CHAPTER Lx.x.x.
THE ASCENSION OF JESUS--INCIDENTS.
And (_Jesus_), being a.s.sembled together with _them_, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, _saith he_, ye have heard of me. And he said unto them,
These _are_ the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and _in_ the prophets, and _in_ the Psalms, concerning me.
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them,
It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he said unto them,
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be d.a.m.ned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pa.s.s, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight; he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of G.o.d.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day"s journey; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing G.o.d.
Amen.
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of G.o.d; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
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. Amen.
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with _them_, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
CONCLUSION.
Jesus has now conquered death, and ascended, where "He ever liveth to make intercession for us." We no more mark his footsteps, or hear his voice amid the hills and valleys of the Promised Land; but in the groves of immortal bliss, he is worshipped by adoring angels, and by the "spirits of just men made perfect."
There, Moses and Elias, Peter, James and John, "walk with him in white,"
and in a more exalted sense than, when on the Mount of Transfiguration, exclaim, "Master, it is good for us to be here." And with these,
"The saints of all ages in harmony meet, Their Saviour and brethren transported to greet; While the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll, And the smile of our Jesus is the feast of the soul."
But while we linger on these mortal sh.o.r.es, other words, from the lips of Jesus, still fall upon our ears.
When Paul was on his way to the feast of the Pa.s.sover at Jerusalem, he tarried for a brief s.p.a.ce at Ephesus. Here he called together the elders of the church, and gave them an account of his labors, and exhorted them to diligence in the cause of their Master. And in that memorable farewell address, while urging upon the strong the duty of supporting the weak, he enforces his doctrine, by reminding them of the "words of the Lord Jesus," where he says,
It is more blessed to give than to receive.