Bible Study series: Matthew 16:21-28. Jesus understood his mission. Peter did not. “Let him deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me.”
A warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together. I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 16:21-28
21 Then from that moment, Jesus began to show his disciples that it is necessary that he depart for Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and teachers of the law and to be killed and on the third day to be raised. 22 Then Peter began to rebuke him, saying, “May God be gracious to you! It will certainly not happen to you!” 23 But Jesus wheeled around and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are stumbling block to me! You don’t set your mind on the things of God but on the things of people!”
24 Then at that moment, Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but suffers damage to his life? And what will a person give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then at that time ‘he will reward each person in accordance with his conduct.’ [Pss. 28:4; 62:12; Prov. 24:12]
28 I tell you the truth: some are standing here who will not experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matt. 16:21-28)
Comments:
21:
Here we round a corner in the mission of Jesus. He is headed toward Jerusalem to die.
“it is necessary”: He knew his mission, and it included his death, which was destined by God, to be the substitution for us. He died in our place. This requirement was unavoidable and necessary.
Christ’s Death on Cross = Cosmic Child Abuse?
Jesus was called by the Father to die for the sins of the world, and the Father reinforced this calling during his prayer time. But the good news is that Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day. It makes me wonder how God would call us to die. That’s the topic of the next verses.
“elders”:
“chief priests”:
“teachers of the law”: they are also called scribes. You can learn about all three groups at this link:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
This verse will be literally fulfilled in Matt. 26:64-65, when the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law bring him into the council room and interrogate him and conclude that he committed blasphemy (Luke 22:66 // Mark 14:62-64), which deserves death (Lev. 24:10-16, 23).
“third day”: Some people take this to mean literally seventy-two hours, because Jonah spent three days and three nights in the big fish (Jnh. 1:17; Matt. 12:40), so Jesus must also spend seventy-two hours in the grave. But we over-read the intent here. The sign of Jonah was his coming out of the depths of the belly and the sea, which was a type of the resurrection. Let’s not over-analyze it. Jesus was crucified and died on Friday; he spent part of Friday and Saturday and Sunday in the grave—or his body did—and his body was raised from the dead early on Sunday morning: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—three days. They don’t have to be seventy-two hours. It was a Jewish custom to count a partial day as one day. It’s inclusive counting.
How do I prove that “three days and three nights” can be partial? First, in 1 Sam. 30:12 (literally “today three days”), the day before yesterday. Second, in Esther, a period described as “three days and three nights” (4:16) is concluded on the third day (5:1). (Thanks, R. T. France, p. 491, fn. 12!). Third, Jesus says he will rise on the third day (Matt. 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64, and in Mark and Luke). Those verses in the Gospels where he quotes Jonah 1:17 and here where he says “on the third day” prove that he did not over-interpret Jonah, for the prophet was merely a sign and type. Jesus believed that three days and three nights could be partial. Fourth, even Paul said, “on the third day, according to the Scriptures”, that is, the OT (1 Cor. 15:4). So Paul must be using a semitic inclusive day out of three days of 72 hours. The days are partial.
Go to biblegateway.com and look up “third day.” It is amazing how many times the two words appear and how significant they are in many contexts.
Rising on the third day is the key to early apostolic preaching. All throughout the first five chapters of Acts, Peter and the others refer to it time and again. Paul referenced the resurrection when he spoke to the Athenians in Mars Hill (Acts 17:30-32).
1 Cor. 15:3-8 is all about the resurrection:
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. (1 Cor. 15:3-8, NIV)
Paul omitted the fact that he appeared to women first. (No, Paul did not omit this out of malice.) He appeared then to Cephas (Peter) and then the twelve. Next, he appeared to more than 500 at a time. Where did that happen? In Galilee? In or around Jerusalem? Probably the holy city, where the Jesus community gathered in larger numbers, at least according to what Acts says. (Or maybe they appeared in large numbers in Galilee, his main ministry operation.) In any case, Paul recounted what he knew. And the resurrection is the key reality and doctrine. Never give it up as nonessential, people of God. It is the core of our faith.
22-23:
Yes, Peter really did approach Jesus—or another translation could be that he took the Messiah aside—as if to give him private instruction. Yes, the Greek really does say “rebuke.” Peter actually rebuked Jesus. The lead apostle may have had enough insight from the Father to declare Jesus to the Messiah, the Son of the living God, but Peter did not have enough insight to calculate the plan of God that the Messiah must suffer and die, as Is. 53 says.
“God be gracious to you”: it is rare word, hileōs (pronounced hee-ley-ohss) in the NT, appearing only at Heb. 8:12 and in Matt. 16:22. It means “gracious, merciful” (Heb. 8:12) or “may God be gracious to you” or “God forbid” (the Shorter Lexicon). In classical Greek it comes from hilaos (pronounced hee-lah-oss) and when used of the gods, it means “propitious, gracious” and of men it means “gracious, kindly, gentle” (Liddell and Scott). So Peter is saying that God will be kind and gracious to the Messiah, so that he won’t suffer and die. As noted, he didn’t factor in Is. 53. He didn’t have his mind lifted up to the plan of God.
“wheeled around”: it could be translated more gently as “turned,” but I like the drama because Satan was behind the human-centered plan of Peter.
See my posts about Satan in the area of systematic theology:
Bible Basics about Satan and Demons and Victory Over Them
Bible Basics about Deliverance
Magic, Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Fortunetelling
“mind set on”: it comes from one Greek verb that means, depending on the context: (1) “think, hold or form an opinion, judge”; (2) “set one’s mind on, be intent on”; (3) “have thoughts or attitudes, be minded or disposed” (the Shorter Lexicon). The editor recommends the second definition for Matt. 16:23. Peter had a good idea, but he did not have a God idea.
24:
“disciples”:
Here we have the Great Paradox. A paradox takes place when you join two seeming contradictory statements, yet they can be resolved, in a startling way.
Which statement is the paradox? (See also v. 48.)
1.. You gain your life by your own power, drive, and ambition.
2.. You gain your life by surrendering and giving it to God through Christ Jesus.
The world chooses the first one every day. It is not the paradox.
Jesus calls us to the second one. You gain by giving up; you win by losing. That’s the paradox. You surrender to the all-powerful God, not to yourself or to fate or to the devil or to the world’s systems. To God, your loving Father.
Now let’s allow Jesus to unpack what he means.
This verse may be the most important down-to-earth verse in the Gospel of Matthew for followers of Jesus. Theological truths are good and necessary, but it is difficult to follow a theology, and easier to follow a person. Many follow a theology and will even die for it. But are they willing to follow Jesus, even to the point of dying to themselves? It is better to follow a person than a theology. However, a word of warning: false doctrines about Jesus have arisen, and false Messiahs will come and deceive many, so be sure to stick close to the biblical Jesus (Matt. 24:23-24). But once you have the biblical Jesus, be ready to give up everything for him.
The key word is “if.” Did they really want to follow Jesus? If they do, then they must die. Die to what? Die to their old sin nature, their shortsighted desires and blinded will. And people better not think that their desires and will can lead them to a full life. Their own untamed, unsurrendered desires and wills can lead them only so far, but at the end of their lives, they will come up empty. They will discover that after they were climbing the ladder of success and got to the top, the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.
One has to say something like this every day: “Lord, I cling to the cross. I surrender my life to you. Not my will, but yours be done.” Do you trust him that his will is best? If you do, then you are on your way—his way! It’s an adventure. If you do not, then you will stumble around and get easily angry and frustrated and live a questionable life
25:
If you save your life—do as you please—you shall lose it. If you run and manage your life, then eventually you will lose it, despite your best effort to preserve it. When you climb up your self-built ladder, you will have to climb down again or you might come crashing down, depending on how fast and furiously and carelessly you climb. But when you give your soul or life to him, he will give it back to you repaired and even brand new by his miracle. You can be born again.
Turner speaks of three reasons to deny oneself: (1) self-preservation in the present life “leads to ultimate self-destruction, and self-denial leads to ultimate self-fulfillment (16:25; cf. 10:39).” (2) Self-denial “speaks of the folly of gaining material wealth in the present life and ultimately losing one’s soul (16:26; cf. 4:8; 6:19-24; Ps. 49:7-9; Eccles. 1:3; Luke 12:13-21; 1 Tim. 6:6-19; Rev. 3:17-18).” (3) One must take up the cross is the “near prospect of future reward at the glorious return of Jesus with his angels (13:40-41; 24:30-31; 25:31; 26:64; cf. Zech. 14:5)” (comment on 16:25-27).
“save”: it is the verb sōzō (pronounced soh-zoh). It could be translated as “preserve” or “protect” or “rescue” your life. If you keep or preserve the status quo or your present condition, then you shall lose it. You were made for God. When you try to preserve your soul or life without him, you will ruin it. When you follow him and surrender to him, he will help you gain, save, and preserve it.
What Is the Work of Salvation?
“life”: in these two verses, it is the noun psuchē (pronounced ps-oo-khay, be sure to pronounce the ps-, and our word psychology comes from it). It can mean, depending on the context: “soul, life” and it is hard to draw a firm line between the two. “Breath, life principle, soul”; “earthly life”; “the soul as seat and center of the inner life of man in its many and varied aspects, desires, feelings, emotions”; “self’; or “that which possesses life, a soul, creature, person.” You can translate it as “soul,” if you wish.
We surrender our lives to God, our loving Father. As noted, we don’t surrender ourselves to the fates or the world or certainly not to the devil. If you surrender your life to God and feel despair, then Satan is attacking you. You say, “I surrendered my life to my loving Father, not to despair!”
People are also fearful that God shall call them to the foreign mission field. However, Matt. 25:14-30, in the Parable of the Talents, the king (God) gives different amounts of talents (money) to invest for the kingdom, according to the different capacities of the servants. To the servant who could handle it, the king gave ten talents. To another servant, the king gave two. And to the third servant the king gave one. God can size you up and see whether you have the capacity or ability to go on the mission field. If you do not, there is no shame in receiving a less difficult responsibility. Just multiply your two talents or one talent and then you’ll hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Word Study on Spirit, Soul, and Body
Is Humankind Two or Three Parts?
“lose”: it comes from the verb that means, depending on the context: (1) “to cause or experience destruction (active voice) ruin, destroy”; (middle voice) “perish, be ruined”; (2) “to fail to obtain what one expects or anticipates, lose out on, lose”; (3) “to lose something that one already has or be separated from a normal connection, lose, be lost” (BDAG). The Shorter Lexicon adds “die.”
It is frustrating when your expectations are unfulfilled. Prov. 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (NIV). What you anticipate may not be fulfilled. You get angry. Solution? Surrender your expectation to God, and let him put into you his hopes and dreams.
“for my sake”: So you must lose your life by his grace and for his benefit or sake. Your surrender cannot be self-denial that is self-directed or misdirected or even nondirected. It is not austerity for the sake of austerity. Dying daily is for him, to him and by him (by his grace).
26:
“benefit”: it comes from the verb that means, depending on the context: “help, aid, benefit, be of use (to), accomplish, be of value.”
“whole world”: recall that Satan showed Jesus the whole world and offered it to him, but Jesus rejected the offer (Matt 4:1-11). Don’t strive to gain or win the whole world. Let God through Christ give you the part of his world that belongs to you as his gift to you. In other words, do your job or ministry faithfully. Walk in the lane or mission he has given you. It starts with him and ends with him, and he will show you where you fit.
“suffer damage to”: it is the verb that means “to inflict injury or punishment.” In the passive voice, it means “to suffer damage or loss or forfeit.” Here it is in the passive. You will suffer loss or lose out if you seek hard after worldly things. Matt. 6:33 says that we must seek him first and righteous living—living in him—and he will add all those things to you.
The last line in the verse is a great rhetorical question. What would a person exchange for his life or soul? Money? Power? Bad exchanges. You must surrender your life to God and let him fulfill your desires. Luke 12:31 says that we must seek his kingdom, and then the things of life will be added to us. Then the next verse says that we should not fear because it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.
Here we must commit to Jesus because he is destined to come in judgment.
27:
“conduct”: it could be translated as “what they have done,” but that is a circumlocution. In any case, the conduct or their actions is about remaining true to the Messiah and his call to commitment.
In this verse Jesus teaches us about his Second Coming. He is here now, and this is his first coming. Jesus is destined to or will come with the Father’s glory and angels. He is going to judge each person. Please do not believe the popular teaching going around that God is not a judging God, and he won’t judge you, as I heard two Word-of-Faith and Word-of-Grace teachers claim, one after another on Christian television. (They combine those two doctrines in their teaching.) They are wrong. God will judge everyone by their works or conduct, good or bad.
Please see the link that talks of God’s judgment by good and bad works:
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
And this one:
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
Before we get to the final judgment, let’s offer some hope: the inaugurated kingdom. When Jesus came the first time and was in the process of inaugurating the kingdom of God, the kingdom came subtly and mysteriously. When he comes a second time, his inaugurated kingdom will be fully accomplished or realized.
Fuller exegesis has now been moved to this post:
What Jesus Really Taught about End Times
Next, France connects v. 27 with Jesus’s enthronement at his ascension. He has a point because the phrase “shall come” could be translated “about to come.” However, BDAG, a Greek lexicon which most scholars consider to be authoritative, says that Matt. 16:27 is best translated as “destined” or “inevitable.” “With present infinitive to denote an action that necessarily follows a divine decree is destined, must, will certainly.” In this verse it is the present infinitive “to come.” I chose “will come” (future tense).
Further, Matthew records three parables in which Jesus spoke of a delay of a key person: the Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servant (24:45-51), the Parable of the Ten Maidens (25:1-13), and the Parable of the Talents (25:14-30). In each parable, the delayed key figure is the Son of Man, and the entire context, beginning with 24:36 is about the Second Coming and the synteleia (closing or wrap-up) of the age. His coming in judgment matches well with the final judgment described in Matt. 25:31-46. Therefore, this verse does not exclusively teach the enthronement at his ascension. He has not yet come in judgment over all men; it is still in the future.
“glory”: it is the noun doxa (pronounced dox-ah), and it means, depending on the context: (1) “the condition of being bright or shining, brightness, splendor, radiance”: (2) “a state of being magnificent, greatness, splendor, anything that catches the eye”; (3) “honor as enhancement or recognition of status or performance, fame, recognition, renown, honor, prestige”; (4) “a transcendent being deserving of honor, majestic being” (BDAG). In this verse the first and second meaning fits here, even the fourth one would fit, too.
See the final part of a three-part series:
3. What Does the Glory of God Mean to Us?
So the Son, in the authority of the Father, and holy angels will appear gloriously, with a bright light and with splendor, radiance, and greatness. His coming will catch our eye, to say the least. But it will not be as if the Father comes literally, but his glory will surround his Son and angels. They will come back physically and literally.
Matt 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 (and 17) in Parallel Columns Are Finally Clear
Matthew 24:4-35 Predicts Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Matthew 24:36 to 25:46–From Second Coming to New Messianic Age
What Is Pretribulational Premillennialism?
What Is Midtribulational Premillennialism?
What Is Posttribulational Premillennialism?
The good news for us regular Bible readers is that this verse in no way presents the time or season of his return; that’s not the point here.
Once again, see this post, which clears away the complications:
What Jesus Really Taught about End Times
“angels”: An angel, both in Hebrew and Greek, is really a messenger. Angels are created beings, while Jesus was the one who created all things, including angels (John 1:1-4). For more comments, scroll back up to v. 20.
Renewalists believe that angels appear to people in their dreams or in person. It is God’s ongoing ministry through them to us.
Finally, Jesus will reward—the Greek verb could mean “pay back” or “repay”—in accordance of how they conducted themselves throughout their whole life.
“conduct”: Jesus uses an unexpected noun here: praxis. It is used in the singular, and in the singular it means the conduct throughout one’s life (Olmstead, pp. 51-52). So it could be translated as “lifelong conduct.” Please make no mistake. The powerful Son of Man will return and judge us all, according to our deeds or our lifelong conduct.
Other verses for judgment based on our conduct: Ps. 27:4; 61:13; Prov. 24:12; Jer. 27:29; Lam. 3:64; Rom. 2:6; 2 Cor. 11:15; 2 Tim. 4:14; Rev. 2:23; 20:12, 13.
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
The wrath of God is coming. Wrath means “judicial reckoning.” God does not fly off the handle and lose his temper. No, picture him as an English judge with a white wig on. Let’s learn a lesson. It took hundreds of years before God judged his people, the ancient Israelites. He sent numerous prophets to warn them about the coming judgment. But they refused to repent, except a remnant. His judgment-wrath came by deporting them, but he allowed a remnant to return to the land of Judah / Israel, seventy years later.
God’s wrath is judicial.
It is not like this:
(Source)
But like this:
(Source)
That is a picture of God in judgment.
The Wrath of God in the New Testament
Do I Really Know God? He Shows Wrath
The Wrath of God in the Old Testament
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
God does not judge out of capricious anger after he loses his temper. He systematically evaluates everything we have done. And he is perfectly willing to give us a favorable judgment.
Be warned, people of God! Call out to him and cling to the cross and surrender everything in your life, every day of your life.
28:
This verse introduces the encounter of Jesus with Moses and Elijah, in glory and splendor in the next pericope or section (vv. 28-35). So none of them experienced death before the transfiguration happened. However, Carson says it refers to more than just the Transfiguration in the next chapter. He says it refers to the dynamic reign of God, as the disciples went out and preached the kingdom and saw miracles and people saved. So he expands the meaning of “some will not taste death” to more disciples than just Peter, James, and John.
“experience”: the Greek verb means taste. Many translate it as taste. I chose experience because after Jesus appears in glory with Moses and Elijah, the prophets will disappear, and the glory did not remain; therefore Peter, James and John, who were with Jesus on the mountaintop, did not go deeper than a taste of his permanent glory. Truth be told, we will never be able to draw the line between our tasting of God and his glory and experiencing them. It is a matter of the soul, and reading the inner life is difficult in passages like this.
So how do we transition from v. 27, which teaches the great Second Coming, and v. 28, which teaches an interim coming (of sorts). Further, why would Jesus talk about their not experiencing death to four disciples, if he was referring to the transfiguration, just six days away (17:1-13)?
R.. T. France says:
But it is likely that Matthew (and Mark and Luke) saw in this vision [in Matt. 17:1-13] at least a proleptic fulfillment of Jesus’s solemn words in v. 28, even though the truth of Jesus’ kingship was to be more concretely embodied in later events following his resurrection. (p. 641).
Osborne, after discussing various optional interpretations concludes, wisely:
The transfiguration, however, must be added as a proleptic anticipation of these kingdom events [in v. 27] that then exhibit the power and glory of the coming of the Son of Man and themselves are a foretaste of the second coming. It cannot be the sole thrust, because “not experience death” would make little sense if used of the next event [transfiguration]. Nevertheless, it does inaugurate the series (and is even more explicit in Mark 9:1). (p. 639).
Keener:
When Jesus again takes some disciples aside for private instruction, …. His transfiguration among them provide a foretaste of his glory when he will return to when he will return to judge the earth(16:28). Once could offer various suggestions for the background of Jesus’ proleptic “glorification” here … [then Keener offers various parallels in ancient texts]. (p. 437).
Blomberg, commenting on vv. 27-28, agrees with the “prolepsis” interpretation.
The glory of Jesus’ second coming will soon be foreshadowed in his transfiguration (itself a foretaste of his resurrection). Verse 28 remains cryptic but is best taken as just such a reference to Jesus’ transfiguration—the very next event described. Second Peter 1:16–18 reinforces this equation of the transfiguration with Christ’s coming in glory, while the parallelism between vv. 27a and 28b, each speaking of the “Son of Man coming” further supports this interpretation.
Carson, after thoroughly exploring the various optional interpretations, lands on this one:
It seems best to take v. 28 as having a more generic reference—namely, not referring simply to the resurrection or Pentecost or the like, but to the manifestation of Christ’s kingly reign exhibited after the resurrection in a host of ways, not the least of them being the rapid multiplication of the disciples and the mission to the Gentiles. Some of those standing there would live to see Jesus’ gospel proclaimed throughout the Roman Empire and a rich “harvest” (cf. 9:37-38) of converts reaped for Jesus Messiah. This best suits the flexibility of the “kingdom” concept in the Synoptic Gospels. (p. 434)
So it seems that various interpretations are valid, but some are closer to the mark. Prolepsis means a “foretaste” or “anticipation.” Webster’s dictionary: “The representation or assumption of a future act or development as if presently existing or accomplished.” In other words, the transfiguration in 17:1-13 represents the future act of the Second Coming (v. 27) as if the Second Coming existed or was accomplished at the time of the transfiguration.
I would like to combine the scholars’ interpretation who emphasize prolepsis with Carson’s interpretation of the kingdom. The “kingdom” concept in v. 28 must be taken broadly, to include the advance of the kingdom and the proclamation of the gospel and the growth of the church throughout the Roman Empire, according to the complete description of the kingdom in the synoptic Gospels. The kingdom is not static, but advances, because the resurrected Lord is reigning over it. And the transfiguration is a foretaste of his reign.
Fuller discussion here:
“Some Shall Not Experience Death until They See Son of Man Coming”
GrowApp for Matt. 16:21-28
1. Peter never had sight of God’s full plan. Have you ever strayed from God’s plan for your life? How did you get back on track?
2. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves or surrender everything to him. How is that going for you? Any unsurrendered, secret areas that need full disclosure and surrender?
RELATED
9. Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 