1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
Either these men had followed Jesus around since the events of the previous chapter (Mat 15:1), or they were part of a second delegation sent from Jerusalem to keep an eye on Him. The religious Jewish elite were forever seeking a sign (see note on Mat 12:38), but their motives were evil (Luke 11:29; John 6:30; Mark 8:11). The parallel account says that Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit (Mark 8:12), being grieved at the hardness of their hearts (Mark 3:5) and saddened that they would not accept the many signs they had seen Him do throughout His ministry (Mat 11:20-21).
Clarke describes the religious differences of the Pharisees and Sadducees in his commentary on Mat 16:1. By the time of Christ, the Jews had splintered into many religious sects. The three most popular were the Herodians, Pharisees and Sadducees. The latter two were enemies, yet here they united their efforts to destroy Jesus.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
The Jews had asked Him earlier for a sign and Jesus had answered them similarly (cf Mat 12:39; Mat 16:4). The greatest sign would come later, when He rose from the dead, but the apostate religious leaders rejected that one too. John describes another occasion when the Jews demanded proof of His authority (see John 6:30-35).
As was His frequent custom, Jesus gave the Jews a parable to think about, ending with, Can ye not discern the signs of this time? (see Luke 12:54-56). The Jewish apostasy was fully developed and the harvest over-ripe and spoiling (Joel 3:13), but the people were oblivious to the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Their leaders were hypocritical and immoral, the flock was deceived and degenerate. Though outwardly they appeared holy and religious, within they were dead and depraved (Mat 23:27). They had rejected the many incontrovertible proofs of His identity – His authority and doctrine, His miracles of healing, His power over nature and spirits. The time-period of Daniel’s 490 year prediction to Messiah the Prince was blinking red (Dan 9:25-26); the prophecies of Old Testament were being fulfilled. The signs were all there, waiting for the wise to see, interpret and know their time.
The Jewish leaders could interpret signs in the physical skies, but not the signs that the Holy Scriptures had given them. In the land of Judea apparently, a red sky at evening means good weather in the morning, but a red sky in the morning means bad weather. Let the churches of Christ heed this lesson and study to discern the signs of their own times, for the skies are dark and lowering with deception and wickedness rising to never-seen heights (Luke 12:54-56). Someday the cup of iniquity will be filled to the brim, like the wickedness of the Jews in the time of Christ (Mat 23:32). Be alert and watch in prayer (Mark 13:35; 1Pet 4:7), for the end will come suddenly and unexpectedly (Luke 21:8; 2Pet 3:10).
5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
Jesus often used normal life experiences to teach a spiritual lesson (Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1). The physical bread became a way to teach a spiritual truth. Leaven is a type of sin (Ex 12:15; Mat 13:33) spreading quietly and unseen through a group of people until all are infected. Just a little leaven spreads easily through a large loaf of bread (1Cor 5:6-7). The Jewish leaders’ teaching was based on a man-made religious system, an image only of the original Mosaic covenant. The Jewish population had been led astray by their false teaching, only a remanant were prepared and willing to accept their own Messiah.
The symbolism in Jesus’ statement was entirely missed by the disciples, who were thinking physically while He was speaking spiritually. To us the figurative intent is quite clear, but the disciples’ spiritual minds had not yet developed. In many ways they were still like the Pharisees, looking for a physical Messiah who would lead them in triumph over the Romans and rule in power and political might. The day would come when their eyes were opened to the truths of the Gospel.
8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Jesus had twice demonstrated that He could abundantly meet the disciples’ physical needs, so they should not have thought He was speaking about literal bread. Yet they failed to understand that He was speaking spiritually. Their error is a warning to all, be careful to read the Scriptures as God intended. Be sure to tune your mind to learn the spiritual truths of the Kingdom that Jesus was preaching. Yes, we live in this physical world and we must apply the Truth to our everyday lives, but the real meat of the Gospel is righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom 14:17). And Jesus did not leave His followers without help in this regard, but sent them the Holy Spirit to help the seekers of truth to understand His teachings (John 14:26; 16:13-14).
The chief leaven of the Pharisees was hypocrisy (Mat 23:1-4). They taught righteousness, but lived wickedly. Outwardly, they appeared to be godly, but inwardly they were corrupted by extortion and excess (Mat 23:25). Today, there are many other flavors of spiritual leaven and all are poisonous to the soul. We must be careful to study and preach the pure, unadulterated Word of God. Nothing added, nothing subtracted. All good flour held together with the oil of the Spirit and baked in the fire. That will produce the unleavened bread of holiness, a shewbread which is acceptable unto God (Ex 25:30).
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
This episode marks a change in Jesus’ ministry. His fame had spread throughout the land of Israel, aided by miracles and doctrines without rival in the history of the world. His mission was close to being accomplished and the time of His death was drawing nigh. It was time to prepare His disciples for it (Mat 16:21). They must believe that He was the Messiah and to this end Jesus elicited Peter’s confession. While some of the multitudes did believe Jesus to be the Messiah, it seems that a majority in Israel did not think so. They thought Him to be some other prophet of old whose soul was reborn in the body of Jesus. This idea is called “the transmigration of souls,” which some Jews, Herod included, apparently believed to be true (Mat 14:1-2).
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter’s emphatic statement that Jesus was the Messiah of God is marked in all four gospels (Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20; John 6:69). The words seem to flow immediately from his mind; clear, strong and certain. An impulsive character, Peter was quick to speak, and sometimes suffered for it. Until this time, Jesus had not corrected the Apostles’ erroneous Jewish ideas concerning the Messiah, but now He will teach that the Messiah came to suffer, die and rise again (Mat 16:21). Jesus knew men’s hearts, so He did not ask the disciples what people thought of Him for His own benefit, but to stimulate their minds to make a sincere confession of faith that He was the Son of God, the Messiah sent to save men.
Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah, which means “the anointed one.” Jesus rarely said out-right that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. Instead, he let people deduce His identity from His works and words (John 10:24-25). How can it be that all the Jews did not immediately and unequivocally hail this miracle worker and teacher of good as their long-sought Messiah? Most seemed to waver in doubt and skepticism (John 7:31) due to His physical poverty and to His deep humility. He avoided all fame and honor of men, and this was just not acceptable for their Messiah!
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Flesh and blood is a Biblical euphemism for “Man.” Nobody told Peter that Jesus the Nazarene was the Messiah. He came to that belief on his own, by allowing his spirit to listen to the works of God. The Pharisees would not believe because they would not listen. Jesus made reference to this dichotomy in Mat 11:25, when He thanked God for allowing the poor and humble to understand, while hiding knowledge from the humanly wise (see also Mat 13:14).
I do not think that Jesus means to say that human reason can never lead one to belief in God, although it is true that Reason can be a stumblingblock to the believing component of Faith. Some cannot understand why a good God permits evil in the world, and so will not believe in Him because of their inability to reconcile that in their minds. Yet some are brought to belief in God through their study of material science, or by pondering the concepts of good and evil.
Believing in Christ is a conscious assent of the mind, but the level of one’s faith is not determined by the strength of his human reason! Some of the most fervently loyal and active Christians were men with little exposure to “human knowledge.” True, saving faith must be more than a logical conclusion of belief of mind. It must extend to actions (see note on Mat 14:31). The disciples had left all to follow their belief that Jesus was the Christ (Mark 10:28). Every soul that comes to Christ has first been drawn by the Spirit (John 6:44), yet that revealing (apokalupto) happens in the mind.
Simon Barjona, or, Simon son of Jonah (John 1:42). Interestingly, Peter’s gospel (Mark) omits this glowing commendation. The Apostles were the most humble, unpretentious men this world has ever known. Men who would rather record their faults and short-comings than their achievements and strengths (2Cor 12:10). And that is an impressive proof of the authenticity of their record, being a feature without precedent in human history.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Peter said, Thou art the Christ, and Jesus responded, Thou art Peter. Another play on words follows: Thou art Petros, and upon this petra I will build my Church. Petra means a large rock, while Petros is a small rock. The Catholics base their doctrine of apostolic succession and popery upon these verses. Yet the real subject is not Peter, but Christ and His coming Church. Jesus is drawing a picture of Himself building a city so mightily and immovably fastened upon a rock that enemy attacks will never prevail against it, no, even though they come from the Devil’s hell. The keys to open the gates of this fabulous city He gives to Peter, who will be the first to preach the Gospel and the human instrument that will formally open the door of salvation to the Gentiles.
This is the first occurrence of the word church (ekklesia) in the Scriptures. Outside of Mat 18:17, it is not found elsewhere in the four Gospels. The Apostles however, used ekklesia often in the rest of the New Testament, usually in reference to individual churches and not as Christ did here in referring to the universal, timeless Church of God. Jesus spoke of the coming Kingdom of heaven using various terms and parables, yet apart from the above-mentioned private times with His disciples, He seems to have avoided this word, ekklesia.
The reason is probably due to that word’s usage in the Greek Scriptures of the Jews, where ekklesia is the standard term for the religious assembly or congregation of the Jews. Imagine the outrage of the Jews if they had heard Jesus say, I will build My ekklesia. As if He were saying, “The time of the Jewish ekklesia has ended (Acts 7:38); now I will build My ekklesia, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it.” While that inference is perfectly true, He could not say it publicly without damaging His mission. And so Jesus forbade His disciples to spread this teaching before His death (v20). Nevertheless, they would spread this Gospel throughout the lands of the Gentiles until the Church of Christ was firmly established. It is similar to the prophet’s picture of a stone, cut without hands, smiting the image and growing into a great mountain that filled the whole earth (Dan 2:34-35). The New Covenant is made up of spiritual Jews from every nation under heaven (Gal 6:16; Col 3:11; Rom 2:29; Php 3:3).
The Church of Jesus Christ likened to a city built upon a rock is imagery consistent with other Scriptures (Acts 4:11; 1Cor 3:11; 1Pet 2:4-7; Heb 11:10; Mat 7:24). The chief rock or corner stone is Christ, but the Apostles are called foundation stones in the Church (Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14). Peter had a special place in this foundation as the next verse will show, but the principal rock of the Church is Jesus Christ (1Cor 10:4). Peter’s confession that Jesus the Nazarene is Christ the Son of the Living God is a relevant truth for each believer. Upon this rock, this confession, Christ is building His Church. A person’s first, essential work in salvation is to believe that Jesus is the Christ (John 6:29). So while Jesus does give Peter a place in the foundation of Christianity, the significant truth is Peter’s confession that Jesus is truly the Son of God.
The gates of hell (hades). This is an Old Testament expression, although not found in this exact English form. The Greek of the Septuagint in Isa 38:10, the gates of the grave, is virtually identical. And the gates of death in Job 38:17; Ps 9:13; 107:18 is also similar. The phrase seems to be a figurative expression for Satan’s powers of spiritual wickedness and his evil plots to destroy and corrupt Christ’s Kingdom. It also anticipates the triumph of Christ over death and Hades. He offers every person the opportunity to participate in that glorious triumph.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The subject of Jesus’ ministry was the New Covenant that God was making with Man, that Kingdom of heaven He had been preaching which was even then at hand (Mat 4:17; Mat 10:7). The seven parables of chapter 13 described the Kingdom under various perspectives. Now, Jesus tells the disciples that He is giving to Peter the keys that will open the gates of the Kingdom to the world. Peter would be the first to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection to the Jews (Act 2:14) and he would also be the first to minister salvation to the Gentiles. The keys belong to Jesus (Rev 3:7) and He gives them to Peter (and the other Apostles) to lay the foundations of His new building of heaven. Under the control and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles would write the Scriptures that would establish the correct and true parameters for the Church’s determinations of binding and loosing in the Kingdom. They were the hands by which the new Church would be established for all nations. Their exemplary faith and lives have greatly inspired later men of God.
Bind and loose are common Jewish words that rabbis used to judge actions as lawful or unlawful in regards to the Old Covenant Law. Here, Jesus endorsed Peter and the rest of the Apostles to teach and establish the laws of His Kingdom Church after His death and ascension into heaven. This fiat cannot be limited to Peter in exclusion of the other Apostles, for Peter spoke for them all in declaring, Thou art the Christ. It is only logical then that Christ’s proclamation is received by all as well. Yet, in naming Peter as chief recipient of the keys, Jesus foretold the opening of His Kingdom to the Gentiles by way of revelation to Peter, who saw in a vision unlawful meats made lawful (Act 11:5-10) and who first witnessed the Spirit coming to the Gentile family of Cornelius.
Outside of Christ’s work at Calvary, the inclusion of the Gentiles into the Kingdom of heaven was the most difficult undertaking within God’s new plan for Man, yet Jesus entrusted that work to the Apostles. Christ hereby certified that the decisions of the Apostles have the backing of heavenly authority. In affirming that whatever His Apostles bind on earth will agree with what has been bound in heaven, Jesus endorsed the Scriptures (all written by His Apostles) as divinely authoritative. Christ’s words here are powerful and clear. We are to accept His Apostles’ teaching as His own. He had breathed upon them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22) and they moved and spoke under His control (John 20:23).
Some expositors however, teach that this verse gives individual churches (or her leaders) the authority to bind and loose; that is, later human leaders of the churches are empowered to decide what is lawful and what is not. However, to think that Jesus was speaking to later churches when He was actually addressing Peter is a risky extrapolation. Furthermore, the early churches after the times of the Apostles did not act in that manner. And if this idea were true, the Catholic Church of the middle ages was right and the reformers were malcontents. True, individual churches do make right-versus-wrong decisions, but only in applying and enforcing Bible principles that have already been “bound and loosed” by the Apostles. Thinking that Christ gave His authority to churches was the very error of the popes. The Scriptures are the revealed will of God for the churches and they explain what has been bound and loosed in heaven.
So the responsibility of the churches is to acquaint themselves with the Scriptures written by the Apostles and require their members to follow them. Circumstances and situations will possibly require considerations and decisions by the churches, and if this is what these expositors understand by “binding and loosing” then we agree. But to teach that in giving Peter the keys of the kingdom Christ was effectively imparting to church leaders His authority stretches sound interpretation. Jesus and the disciples were alone praying (Luke 9:18) when He brought up this subject, and He charged them to keep it in strict confidence until after His departure (Mat 16:20). Although this was written for our benefit, He was speaking to the Apostles. True to history, they would lay the eternal foundations of His Kingdom with their teaching and martyred lives. Extending this unique authority and power to all church leaders would make Scripture re-writable and uncertain. There are many false leaders willing to be tools of the devil in making their own “binding and loosing” determinations of good and evil.
The Scriptures show that a church has the authority to require their members to follow the commandments of the Scriptures. Jesus addressed that topic in Mat 18:17-18 in language very similar to the present passage. He says, Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven (NASB). In this case Jesus did speak to the churches and the link between these two passages is that while with Peter’s confession Christ confirms the authority of the Apostles in establishing the Church of Christ, the latter is a solemn reminder to the churches that all “binding and loosing” decisions on earth must be made in correspondence with heaven-set principles and laws.
Obviously, the Apostles were were fallible men. So it is significant and important that Jesus, by the Holy Spirit’s guiding, underwrote the acts of the Apostles such that the correct and perfect foundation might be laid (Is 54:11-14). How confirming that is! We hold the will of God in our hands when we read the Holy Scriptures. Amen.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. 21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
For much of Jesus’ time on earth, He avoided being publicly known as the Messiah (Mat 9:30; Mat 12:16). One reason for that was because of the Jewish misconception of their Messiah’s mission. Even now, Peter would try to rebuke Him for predicting His death! Nevertheless, it was important for them to understand His true mission, for the time of His sacrifice was approaching. He had walked the earth proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom for 3 years and in about 6 months He must go to Jerusalem (Luke 13:33) to be killed by the Jewish leaders (Luke 9:22). Jesus knew beforehand every detail of His future and He adjusted His earthly experiences accordingly. After His death, the Apostles would show by many infallible proofs that Jesus Christ, risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, was the Messiah long promised by God (Act 4:10).
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
This is an extremely interesting and instructive detail. Peter, perhaps basking in Christ’s approbation, took the initiative to give Jesus bad, even sinful, advice. Amazingly, Peter was one minute the mouthpiece of the Spirit and the next he was the mouthpiece of Satan. Some scholars do not see it this way and would translate Satan to be adversary, thereby softening Jesus’ charge. Yet the Greek word is always translated Satan in the NT. And the temptation in Peter’s words are equal to Satan’s reasoning in the desert, when he greatly tempted Jesus to avoid the disgraceful chore for which He had come into the world. Christ responded to Peter and Satan in almost identical words (compare Mat 4:10 and Mat 16:23). Peter was not the devil, nor did he yet understand Christ’s mission, but his words were the devil’s words.
Reading the parallel account in Mark 8:33 it appears that Peter had taken Jesus aside to counsel Him, but Jesus turned back to His disciples and rebuked Peter publicly. Catholics, who crown Peter as their first “Vicar of the Son of God,” are perturbed by Jesus’ blunt words. Jesus had just elevated Peter very high; now He lowers him quite to the bottom. And from now until after Jesus’ resurrection Peter will make several gaffes: foolishly suggesting to build 3 temples at the transfiguration, protesting when Jesus tried to wash his feet, cutting off the high priest’s servant’s ear, and denying the Lord three times at His trial. Yet Peter was a powerful figure in boldness and integrity in spreading the Gospel.
There are lessons for Christians in this exchange. Do not blindly trust any man to be your spiritual leader, for good men and bad have been used as tools in in the spiritual battles and doubts of others during this test of life. Remember the man of God who lost his life for listening to the old prophet of God (1Kings 13). We must be aware and astute to discern between right and wrong exposition and advice! As with Peter, good Christians might speak the very words of truth at one point, but then counsel entirely contrary to the will of God in a later instance. For as with Peter, counselors are not privileged to know the future, nor do they know the route that God has designed for you. It is disconcerting to realize that a fellow Christian may give false counsel, but it is even worse to deny that as a possibility.
An example of a bad man being used by God to speak truth can be seen in John 11:47-53. Caiaphas knew not that he prophesied Jesus’ death and commended His mission when he spoke to the Jews. How powerful and confirming to see God turn the king’s heart whithersoever He will (Pro 21:1; Ps 2:4; 1Cor 3:19). The lesson here is the importance of being attuned to the Father, as Jesus was, so that we may correctly discern the true path. Jesus knew that Peter’s words were wrong for Him and He rejected them immediately.
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Death to self. Death to my will. Death to my wishes, dreams and desires. The cross was certainly not Jesus’ wish, neither will your cross be your wish. Nevertheless, “If you want to follow Me, you must take up that undesired cross and carry it to the bitter end. If you try to save your life by discarding your cross, you will end up losing your spiritual, eternal life.”
Strong words! Difficult words! Yet they are saving words.
The songwriter comforts us, “The cross that He gave may be heavy, but it never outweighs His grace.” Jesus carried His cross up Mount Calvary, knowing all the time that at any moment He had the power to abort the mission, call for ten thousand angels to destroy those wicked men, and avoid the suffering, abuse and separation. So too at any time a Christian may discard his own cross, give up and avoid the suffering, persecution and separation from worldly pleasures. But like our Savior, let us carry our crosses with perseverance on to the finish line, keeping always in sight the future joy that is set before us (Heb 12:1-2).
Be warned that this is where Satan most actively tries to subvert the Gospel of Christ. And his strategies are arrayed against the whole spectrum of the human will. For some Satan uses deception, clouding the issues with questions and emotional experiences aimed at making your own personal will seem to be God’s will. He will try to deceive you into thinking that your new cross is God’s, when it is actually only your man-made article. Like Jesus to Peter, you must not let such thoughts dwell in your heart for one moment; “Get thee behind me Satan! Thou art an offence unto me!” Many have deceived themselves into thinking they are following Christ when they are actually following their own wills (Mat 7:22-23). Remember that Jesus’ cross was difficult, sorrowful and lowly. And we are called to follow Him. If we are truly walking in His path, we should expect the same experiences (John 15:20). Denying self is refusing anything that might hinder you from doing all that Christ asks of you. It is rarely a simple, easy choice; Jesus even likens it to hating yourself (Luke 14:26-27).
Another tool Satan has used to wreck a Christian’s will is to attack him with discouragement and depression. Health issues, family disagreements, financial difficulties, untimely deaths, etc. are things that often bring Satan in an all-out attempt to get Christians to give up their faith in Christ and fall into bitterness and defeat. Unfortunately, many false teachers in the churches contribute directly to the devil’s success in this area, teaching that once he is saved a Christian should expect to live happily ever after. Not true! According to our Master’s own words, suffering and self-denial are universal traits of His followers.
Do not believe those who say that this world is not such a gloomy place and that the physical Christian life is all joy, peace, and happiness. The Scriptures and the historical record of Christ’s true followers teach a very opposite truth. If there is, nor has there been, no suffering and struggle in your life, be concerned. Maybe the devil is not bothering you because you already belong to him! The Apostle James says we should rejoice in our tribulations and suffering, recognizing that the yielding of a man’s will to God’s is effecting a better person (James 1:2-4). It is sad that many churches today understand perfectly the terrible cross that Christ bore, but of their own cross they are next to completely ignorant, nor do they want to hear about it (2Tim 4:3-4).
Notice the three steps to being Jesus’ disciple and receiving the reward of eternal life: 1) If any wills to follow Me. 2) Let him deny his own Self. 3) Take up his cross, and follow Me. These are crucial steps that must be taken in order to arrive at the goal. You cannot stop after the first step. The parallel accounts in Luke 9:24-26; Mark 8:34-38 are similar in demanding our total obedience to the commandments of Christ. Many however, are demonstrating by their very lives that they believe this solemn command to be nothing but a nice-sounding metaphor. They are gambling with their own soul. What will it cost you to become a Christian? It will cost you…everything. And it must begin and end with the rejection of your will – its wishes and loves – to follow instead the will of Christ as laid out in the Holy Scriptures.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Jesus repeated this simple, sober proverb on several occasions. He spake the same words to His disciples just before sending them out two by two into the cities of Israel (Mat 10:39), and again in the Olivet Discourse (Luke 17:33) and once more in the week of His death (John 12:25). It is appropriately linked with the three-fold injunction of the previous verse to follow Christ at the cost of following Self. The words life and soul in these two verses derive from the same Greek word, psuche. While that word can refer to earthly life, this passage (as well as others) gives psuche an immortal dimension, for clearly Jesus here refers to spiritual life as opposed to physical life. Pnuema corresponds to the spirit and immortal soul as well, while zoe is the more general word for life. These three Greek words correspond to the Hebrew words nephesh, ruwach and chay.
Here we learn the true value of the human soul and what that should mean to the way we live. The first part of this duplet intones the impossibility of a man saving his own soul. Whosoever will try to save it will end up losing it. Man cannot save his soul because every man has sinned, and sin causes guilt requiring punishment. The second part explains how a man’s soul can be saved: by losing one’s life for the sake of Christ. John describes it as “hating one’s own life” (John 12:25). Not that literal, physical death is required to be saved, but that one must deny Self so that Christ’s will can shine forth from his life! Our attitude must always be: Christ first and always, regardless of the consequences to my self, my will, my very life. Essentially, one gains Life by living in the denial of Self.
Something must be lost in order to gain eternal life and that something is our natural way of life: our ambitions, our desires, our wills, our natural pleasures and loves, our personal preferences, our inner earthly joys. These must be sacrificed in order to gain that jewel of priceless measure, eternal life! Sometimes it is the smaller sacrifices that are the hardest to make.
The opposite is that man who would gain the whole world, and lose his own soul. These are men who have lived for themselves, some gaining riches, some glory and fame, some just cheap pleasures. Jesus says a person might gain the entire world and yet that success would pale in comparison to what a saved soul will gain in eternity! And to think that every person, from the least to the greatest, has the opportunity and ability to attain a prize worth more than all the world’s amenities and pleasures put together! Yet some church members try to do as little as possible to gain this possession – they “ride the fence,” getting as close to the world as possible. Is the risk worth it? What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
The truth is a simple choice: live a life of Self now and lose a life Eternal, or lose a life of Self now and gain a life Eternal. Sadly, many value their souls as very, very cheap. Judas sold his soul for thirty pieces of silver, Esau for only a bowl of soup. The carnal Christian forfeits his soul for a short time of Selfish living. The true worth of a human soul? Priceless. It is to be regarded as more valuable than the whole world. Let us never forget that our mission is to win souls for Christ. The best of our lives, our talents, our gifts, our money and time should be invested in gaining pounds for the Kingdom (Luke 19:13).
There is simply nothing so important and so valuable as your soul. It is a sobering possession. The parallel accounts adds, Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38). Who would choose to possess the entire world for 50 years in exchange for afterward enduring unending torment at the hands of the most evil, demented individual in the universe?
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Some souls will gain eternal life, but many others will throw it away. The Great White Throne Judgment at the end of Kingdom of Christ on earth will gather every nation, kindred and tongue before God. There, He shall reward every man according to his works (Mat 25:31-34). In the Greek, the word reward (apodidomi) means to recompense or render what is due, whether good or bad (see 2Tim 4:14; Rev 18:6). Let no man deceive you by saying obedience is not an integral part of saving faith! Works must accompany belief or there is no saving faith. The Gentile woman of the previous chapter was commended for her faith, which Jesus called great because of her powerful actions (Mat 15:28). It is absurdity to think that belief alone will earn a heavenly reward. The Bible teaches otherwise. True faith must have accompanying works, or it is dead, useless, unsaving (James 2:20). Obviously, our works cannot earn salvation either. Saving, evangelical faith is Belief, Acceptance, Obedience and Trust working together (see note on Mat 14:31).
While Christ rewards those who work well for Him by showering them with amazing gifts and joys, but how does Satan reward those who work well for him? By weighing them down with even more bitterness, torments and sadness! What a terrible difference.
28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Verse 27 closed the topic of the great loss of souls at the end of the Kingdom on earth, when Jesus will come with His angels to judge every man (see also 2Cor 5:10). Verse 28 however, retrocedes to describe the beginning of that Kingdom on earth, for it would be odd to speak of the end of a Kingdom that had not yet officially begun. Jesus made the consummation of the Kingdom of exigent concern to His disciples by predicting its establishment in their own lifetime.
Some scholars, and most notably the Preterists, make v27-28 refer to the same end-of-the-age event. Yet a straightforward reading of the passage places both verses in the greater context of sacrificing all in order to enter the Kingdom of God. The moment is coming, Christ says, when the secrets of men will be made known and the Kingdom will be purged of all things wicked (Rom 2:16; Luke 9:26). This Kingdom had not yet begun, but it was so near that some standing in the multitude listening to His words would be alive to witness the remarkable and earth-changing events of its coming to Mankind. The common element in these two verses is the Kingdom of Christ, the Age of Grace that Jesus came to establish and the two events serve to bookend the earthly aspect of that Kingdom. Preterist doctrine notwithstanding, Jesus has not yet rewarded every man according to his works.
Some say Jesus was speaking of His Transfiguration in verse 28, but the connection is vague and purpose-less. True, the Transfiguration is the next event related in this Gospel, but how is that related to Christ coming in His kingdom? As with the Preterist interpretation, the basis for this idea is to make v27-28 refer to the same event. Yet, why is it considered strange that Jesus would speak of both the beginning and ending of the earth-bound Kingdom in adjacent verses? Jesus had just told the disciples that Peter would open the door to the Kingdom and that it would be built to prevail over the attacks of hell (Mat 16:18-19).
The Preterist heresy makes this passage (and Mat 26:64; Mark 14:62, etc) refer to a Second Coming that supposedly took place in AD 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God frequently and always in reference to the people of His covenant (Eph 3:15). It would be a never-ending Kingdom of souls that He would inaugurate with His death. In His parables of the Kingdom of God, Jesus sometimes described the earth-bound churches of Christ and sometimes the future heavenly Church. Here it is natural that Jesus speak of the coming of the earthly aspect of the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:27), and then connect the nearness of that occasion with the lives of the disciples. It is the normal and easy understanding of this passage. To interpret it otherwise signifies an ulterior motive, another agenda.
Some have utilized the final phrase to enlarge a point of doubt: some of those who are standing here will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God after it has come with power (Mark 9:1, NASB; Luke 9:27). Jesus made a similar statement upon sending the twelve to preach the coming Kingdom, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come (Mat 10:23). A series of crucial events brought the Kingdom of Christ to earth with power. It all began with the preaching of John, followed by Jesus’ baptism and ministry of miracles and teaching. Then came the most important events of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension to the heavenly Throne. These were followed by such essential events as the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, the entrance of the Gentiles into the Kingdom and the writing of the Holy Scriptures. In that vein, Jesus continues His mission message, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mat 4:17; Mat 10:7), by noting that some in audience would live to see it come with power. In his epistle, Peter also speaks of the power and coming of Christ in connection with His first coming (2Pet 1:16).