The Gospel of Matthew
Prediction of death, resurrection
and return of the Messiah
Chapter 16: 21-28
There were only about six months to go before the last Passover, and the Lord Jesus knew that He would then:
- give Himself to suffer many things from the elders (civil authorities), the chief priests (religious authorities) and the scribes (the Law),
- be killed (as the Lamb of God for the propitiation of the sin of the world),
- and then be raised from the dead on the third day.
Knowing the right time in the development of His programme here on Earth, He now started preparing His disciples for this.
The disciples had accompanied Him in His ministry, listened to His teachings, witnessed the various miracles that He made to prove that He was the promised Messiah, and had concluded as summed up by Peter: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" (v. 16).
They had seen the crowds who came to partake of the blessings in the form of miraculous healings and abundant food free of charge, as well as the edifying teachings that fed their hungering souls, given to them by the Lord Jesus. On the other hand, they had also known the rejection by the masters of law and the major Jewish religious leaders to the idea that their Master was the promised Messiah.
It would not be surprising if they were now curious to know how His campaign, after almost three years, would culminate. Were they waiting for the Messiah eventually to ascend the throne He was entitled to, free the people from the Romans, and initiate a glorious kingdom fulfilling the old prophecies?
So the Lord Jesus then began to explain what He needed to do now: He had to go to Jerusalem, where He would suffer many things at the hands of the religious leaders, the chief among the priests and the teachers of the law, and then be killed to rise again on the third day.
This news came as a shock to the disciples: after so many journeys and work, it seemed that everything would end in nothing - where was the power, honour and glory due to the Master? Moreover, what would happen to them?
Peter had great esteem for the Lord Jesus and was His faithful companion. Having recognized His true identity, he probably now wanted to protect Him from the suffering He predicted. Therefore, he took the initiative, called the Lord aside, and began to rebuke Him saying that surely what He said would never happen. Peter was convinced that the Master was able to achieve the elevated position that was His right – so why could He now be discouraged from continuing the campaign, and ready to give up everything?
The Lord answered, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Besides Peter, He was addressing the enemy of God and men, Satan. Satan intended to prevent the redemption of man from sin, and sought to deflect the Lord Jesus from His purpose with the temptation hidden in the words of Peter. If the Messiah did not suffer and die, Peter and the rest of us would continue to be dead in our sins. Peter was therefore “not mindful of the things of God”, Who was providing salvation through the death of His Son.
The Lord told Peter he was a "stumbling block" (another translation for “offence”) by saying those words: in contrast to a "building stone" of His church, as He said that Peter was when he proclaimed: "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God". Peter thus justifies the nickname that the Lord Jesus gave him: a stone, useful for construction but which can also make others stumble. Like us!
Peter was concerned about the things of this world, the well-being and the political career of his Master, without considering the more important things of God, as would be the remission of the sins of men, which He had come to achieve. He learned the lesson, for Peter would later write about Him "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24).
Then the Lord called the crowd and said to them and the disciples (see also Mark 8:34) that if anyone wanted to accompany Him, he should deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him. Peter was concerned with how Christ would tackle crucifixion, a genus of cruel execution of criminals and insurgents among the peoples subjugated by Rome. This would be the fate of the Lord Jesus, the King of the Jews. However, as with all who wish to follow the Messiah, Peter would also have to learn to deny himself and take his own cross to follow Him.
It is probable that "to take the cross" was a figure of speech at that time. As part of their punishment, criminals were forced to carry their own wooden cross to the place of their cruel execution. Thus, "to take the cross" referred to resignation to the sufferings of this world, and many still use the term today in this sense.
However, the Lord Jesus uses the expression with respect to the suffering that comes to those who abandon their ambitions in this world and face obstacles, opposition and persecution to follow Him. To follow the Lord Jesus requires self-denial, i.e. denial of one’s self. The disciple of Christ is "crucified with Christ": he ceases to exist for himself to this world, as the apostle Paul taught in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Just as the convict had to carry his cross (which the Lord Jesus would also have to face to meet his conviction), also the disciples of the Lord Jesus in this world suffer for their faith, often even facing death. To follow Christ, His disciple "dies" for himself, and that explains what the Lord Jesus said, then: "he who wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Whoever wants to live for his own benefit in sin in the world, will end up losing his life: he is going to die and be lost forever. Whoever dies for himself and live for Christ will have life forever, in communion with God. This is the paradox of the Gospel.
The value of eternal life is priceless: it cannot be bought, although many think they can do it, because they do not reflect on its value. It cannot be bought, but it comes free of charge by the grace of God, through faith in the work accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. The price was His precious blood.
All this news must have left the disciples surprised, having difficulty in understanding it. After all, it was very different from the expectations they had had, and everything was so supernatural. Even the resurrection of the Lord, after suffering the death on the cross, was hard to accept. In fact, as we can read later on, they did not believe in it much, and were immensely surprised when it actually happened.
But not only that, the Lord continued saying that He would return one day to the world, in the glory of His Father- God the Father - with His angels to carry out judgment (chapter 25:31). This implied that after the resurrection, He would ascend to heaven, and He solemnly declared that some of them would not die until they saw the Son of man coming in His Kingdom. Mark and Luke say "until they see the Kingdom of God come with power". Actually, six days later, the Lord Jesus took three disciples, John, Peter and James up a high mountain, and there He was transfigured before them, "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light " (cap. 17: 2). Therefore, they saw His glory.
After His ascension, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in Jerusalem, and they were thus "baptized in the Holy Spirit", starting His church, and the Kingdom of God, with the power of His Spirit converting thousands of people in a single day.
Though the disciples may not have fully understood His words on this occasion, they remembered them, and great was their joy when they saw the fulfilment of this prophecy.
R David Jones
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21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"
23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
Gospel of Matthew chapter 16 verses 21 to 28