1564 | MattheW 16:14
14
They re plied , “ Some say John the Bap tist ; others say Eli jah ; and still oth ers , Jer e mi ah or one of the proph ets .”
15
“ But what about you ?” he asked . “ Who do you say I am ?”
16
Si mon Pe ter an swered , “ You are the Mes si ah , the Son of the liv ing God .”
17
Jesus re plied , “ Blessed are you , Si mon son of Jo nah , for this was not re vealed to you by flesh and blood , but by my Fa ther in heav en . 18 And I tell you that you are Pe ter , a and on this rock I will build my church , and the gates of Hades b will not over come it . 19 I will give you the keys of the king dom of heav en ; what ev er you bind on earth will be c bound in heav en , and what ev er you loose on earth will be c loosed in heav en .” 20 Then he or dered his dis ci ples not to tell any one that he was the Mes si ah .
Jesus Predicts His Death
16:21-28pp — Mk 8:31 – 9:1 ; Lk 9:22-27
21
From that time on Jesus be gan to ex plain to his dis ci ples that he must go to Je ru sa lem and suf fer many things at the hands of the el ders , the chief priests and the teach ers of the law , and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life .
22
Pe ter took him aside and be gan to re buke him . “ Nev er , Lord !” he said . “ This shall nev er hap pen to you !”
23
Jesus turned and said to Pe ter , “ Get be hind me , Sa tan ! You are a stum bling block to me ; you do not have in mind the con cerns of God , but mere ly hu man con cerns .”
24
Then Jesus said to his dis ci ples , “ Who ever wants to be my dis ci ple must deny them selves and take up their cross and fol low me . 25 For who ev er wants to save their life d will lose it , but who ev er los es their life for me will find it . 26 What good will it be for some one to gain the whole world , yet for feit their soul ? Or what can any one give in ex change for their soul ? 27 For the Son of Man is go ing to come in his Fa ther ’ s glo ry with his an gels , and then he will reward each per son ac cord ing to what they have done .
28
“ Tru ly I tell you , some who are stand ing here will not taste death be fore they see the Son of Man com ing in his king dom .”
a
18 The Greek word for Peter means rock . b
18 That is , the realm of the dead c
19 Or will have been d
25 The Greek word means either life or soul ; also in verse 26 . center for the worship of Pan was carved into mountain rocks there , as well as a temple dedicated to Zeus , the chief god in the Greco-Roman pantheon . the Son of Man See 8:20 and note . 16:14 Some say John the Baptist Given the proximity and closely aligned message of Jesus and John the Baptist , this is a natural connection ( see ch . 3 ; compare Mk 1:7 – 8,14 – 15 ). Elijah Jesus ’ ministry closely reflects Elijah ’ s . According to Mal 4:5 , the coming of Elijah would precede the great and terrible day of Yahweh ( final judgment ). The portrayal of John as Elijah signals that Mal 4:5 already has been fulfilled ( see Mt 11:14 ). Therefore , the judgment is near , and the kingdom of heaven inaugurated by the Messiah will soon arrive in fullness ( compare 4:17 ). Jeremiah A prophet of judgment and repentance who was strongly opposed by the religious leaders of his day . 16:16 You are the Messiah The Greek word used here , christos , meaning “ Christ ,” “ Messiah ,” or “ anointed one ,” is equivalent to the Hebrew , mashiach , which primarily describes kings in the OT ( see 1:1 and note ). 16:17 Jonah Probably a reference to the name of Peter ’ s father ( compare Jn 1:42 ). 16:18 you are Peter There is a wordplay here , as the name Peter is associated with the word for “ rock ” in both Greek ( the language of the NT text ) and Aramaic ( the language spoken by Jesus and the disciples ). on this rock This may refer to Jesus , Peter as a leader ( compare Mt 16:16 ), Peter as a representative of the leadership of the church , or the church in general . the gates of Hades In this instance , this likely refers to the realm of the dead in general ( the underworld ) — similar to the Hebrew word she ’ ol . Jesus and his disciples are at Caesarea Philippi , located at the base of Mount Hermon . This region is affiliated in ancient Near Eastern , Jewish and Greek literature with the gateway to the underworld , the gods and other spiritual beings . The OT also affiliates the region , called Bashan in the OT , with an evil giant clan and idolatry ( Dt 2:10 – 12 ; 3:1,10 – 11 ; Jos 12:1 – 5 ). Jesus seems to be saying that through his power , the church will overcome the powers of evil and death itself . 16:19 keys of the kingdom of heaven Refers either to the authoritative roles given to Peter and the apostles or to the church as the advocate for God ’ s ways and spreader of the message of salvation . whatever you bind Binding and releasing may refer to what Peter and the church leaders prohibit ( bind ) or permit ( release ). This seems to indicate that the church and its leadership are given authority to carry out God ’ s will and to oppose the powers of evil ( compare Mt 12:29 – 32 ). 16:20 not to tell anyone As the next passage indicates , Jesus knows that his Messianic role will involve suffering and death , and he apparently recognizes a divine timetable for these events to unfold . Compare 8:4 and note .
16:21 – 23 For the first time in Matthew ’ s Gospel , Jesus predicts his death . Peter does not comprehend the notion of a suffering Messiah ( compare Isa 52:13 – 53:12 ); instead , he focuses on the power and authority described in Mt 16:18 – 19 . Jesus rebukes Peter for failing to grasp the larger purposes of God ’ s plan .
16:21 From that time on This marks the end of Jesus ’ Galilean ministry , as he turns toward Jerusalem and the events that must take place there . chief priests Prominent priests who were involved in Jewish religious government . teachers of the law See note on 2:4 . 16:22 Peter took him aside In Peter ’ s view , the Messiah should not have to endure the suffering that Jesus predicts . 16:23 Get behind me , Satan With a sharp rebuke , Jesus confronts Peter ’ s misunderstanding of the Messiah ’ s ultimate mission . Peter ’ s implicit desires align better with Satan ’ s aims ( to convince Jesus to avoid suffering and death ; 4:1 – 11 ) than with God ’ s plan ( the cross ).