LXX.
THIRD WITHDRAWAL FROM HEROD'S TERRITORY.
Subdivision C.
PASSION FORETOLD. PETER REBUKED.
aMATT. XVI. 21-28; bMARK
VIII. 31-38; IX. 1; cLUKE
IX. 22-27.
a21 From that time
[i. e., from the time of Peter's confession, and about three-quarters
of a year before the crucifixion] began Jesus to show unto his disciples,
b31 And to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many
things [Since the apostles, by the mouth of Peter, had just confessed
Jesus as Christ, it was necessary that their crude Messianic conceptions
should be corrected and that the true Christhood--the Christhood of the
atonement and the resurrection--should be revealed to them. In discourse
and parable Jesus had explained the principles and the nature of the kingdom,
and now, from this time forth, he taught the [414] apostles
about himself, the priestly King], athat he must go
up to Jerusalem, band be rejected by aand suffer
many things of the elders, and bthe chief priests, and the scribes
[The Jewish Sanhedrin was generally designated by thus naming the three
constituent parts. See page 45],
and be killed, aand the third day be raised up. {band
after three days rise again.} [For comment on these variant phrases,
see page 306.]
32 And he spake the saying openly. c22
saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day
be raised up. [Very early in his ministry Jesus had given obscure intimations
concerning his death (John ii. 19-22; iii. 14; Matt. xii. 38-40), but these
had not been understood by either friend or foe. Now that he thus spoke
plainly, we may see by Peter's conduct that they comprehended and were
deeply moved by the dark and more sorrowful portion of his revelation,
and failed to grasp the accompanying promise of a resurrection.]
a22 And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be
it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee. [Evidently Peter
regarded Jesus as overcome by a fit of despondency, and felt that such
talk would utterly dishearten the disciples if it were persisted in. His
love, therefore, prompted him to lead Jesus to one side and deal plainly
with him. In so doing, Peter overstepped the laws of discipleship and assumed
that he knew better than the Master what course to pursue. In his feelings
he was the forerunner of those modern wiseacres who confess themselves
constrained to reject the doctrine of a suffering Messiah.]
b33 But he turning about, and seeing his disciples. aturned,
brebuked Peter, and saith, {asaid} unto Peter, Get
thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest
not the things of God, but the things that be of men. [Jesus withdrew
from Peter and turned back to his disciples. By the confession of the truth
Simon had just won his promised name of Peter, which allied him to Christ,
the [415] foundation. But when he now turned
aside to speak the language of the tempter, Peter receives the name Satan,
as if he were the very devil himself. Peter presented the same temptation
with which the devil once called forth a similar rebuke from Christ (Matt.
iv. 10). He was unconsciously trying to dissuade Jesus from the death on
which the salvation of the world depended, and this was working into Satan's
hand. Peter did not mind or think about the Messiah's kingdom as divinely
conceived and revealed in the Scriptures.]
b34 And he called unto him the multitude with his disciples,
a24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
c23 And he said unto all [despite the efforts of Jesus to
seek privacy, the people were still near enough at hand to be called and
addressed], If any man would come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily [comp. Rom. viii. 36; I. Cor. xv. 31] and
follow me [For comment, see page
368. The disciple must learn to say "no" to many of the strongest cravings
of his earthly nature. The cross is a symbol for duty which is to be performed
daily, at any cost, even that of the most painful death. The disciple must
follow Jesus, both as to his teaching and example.]
24 For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; aand {cbut}
whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, band the gospel's
cthe same shall afind it. csave it.
[Jesus here plays upon the two meanings of the word life, one being of
temporal and the other of eternal duration. For comment on a similar expression,
see page 368.
b36 For what doth it profit a man, {cis a man ashall
a man be profited,} if he shall gain {bto gain} the whole world,
cand lose or forfeit his own self? (ahis life? or {b37
For} awhat shall {bshould} a man give in exchange
for his life? [Peter and the rest of the apostles had been thinking
about a worldly Messianic kingdom, with its profits and rewards. Jesus
shows the worthlessness even of the whole world in comparison with the
rewards of the true kingdom. It is the comparison between the things which
are external, and which perish, [416] and the
life which is internal, and which endures. External losses may be repaired,
but a lost life can never be regained, for with what shall a man buy it
back?] 38 For
whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words [comp. Luke
xii. 9; II. Tim. i. 8, 12; ii. 12] in this adulterous and sinful generation
[see pp. 305, 306],
the Son of man also shall be ashamed of him cwhen he cometh
in his own glory, and the glory of the {bhis} cFather,
and of {bwith} the holy angels. [Peter had just been ashamed
of the words in which Christ pictured himself as undergoing his humiliation.
Jesus warns him and all others of the dangers of such shame.]
a27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father,
with his angels; and then he shall render unto every man according to his
deed. [The Father's glory, the angels, and the rendering of universal
judgment form a threefold indication that Jesus here speaks of his final
coming to judge the world.]
b1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you,
c27 But I tell you of a truth, aThere are some of
them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see
the Son of man coming in his kingdom. ctill they see the kingdom
of God. bcome with power. [The mention of his final coming
suggested one nearer at hand which was to be accomplished during the life
of most of those present, since none but Jesus himself and Judas were to
die previous to that time. The kingdom was to come and likewise the King.
The former coming was literal, the latter spiritual. Those who refer this
expression to the transfiguration certainly err, for no visible kingdom
was established at that time. The expression refers to the kingdom which
was organized and set in motion on the Pentecost which followed the resurrection
of Jesus. It was set up with power, because three thousand souls were converted
the first day, and many other gospel triumphs speedily followed.] [417]
[FFG 414-417]
