King James Version
Matthew 16
28 verses with commentary
The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand a Sign
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XVI.
(1) **The Pharisees also with the Sadducees.**—The presence of members of the latter sect, who do not elsewhere appear in our Lord’s Galilean ministry, is noticeable. It is probably explained by St. Mark’s version of the warning in Matthew 16:6, where “the leaven of Herod” appears as equivalent to “the leaven of the Sadducees” in St. Matthew’s report. The Herodians were the Galilean Sadducees...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
The Pharisees and Sadducees ask a sign.(1-4)
Jesus cautions against the doctrine of the Pharisees.(5-12)
Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Christ.(13-20)
Christ foretells his sufferings, and rebukes Peter.(21-23)
The necessity of self-denial.
(24-28)
**Verses 1-4**
The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles a...
Read full commentary →He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather.**—It is remarkable that some of the best MSS., including the Vatican and Sinaitic, omit the whole of these suggestive words. We can hardly think of them, however, looking to their singular originality of form, as interpolated by a later transcriber, and have therefore to ask how we can explain the omission. They are not found in St. Mark, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us--**(Also see on Mr 7:26.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
The Pharisees and Sadducees ask a sign.(1-4)
Jesus cautions against the doctrine of the Pharisees.(5-12)
Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Christ.(13-20)
Christ foretells his sufferings, and rebukes Peter.(21-23)
The necessity of self-denial.
(24-28)
**Verses 1-4**
The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles a...
Read full commentary →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?
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. But he answered and said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel--**(Also see on Mr 7:26.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
The Pharisees and Sadducees ask a sign.(1-4)
Jesus cautions against the doctrine of the Pharisees.(5-12)
Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Christ.(13-20)
Christ foretells his sufferings, and rebukes Peter.(21-23)
The necessity of self-denial.
(24-28)
**Verses 1-4**
The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles a...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **The sign of the prophet Jonas.**—See Note on Matthew 12:39. As given by St. Mark, the answer was a more absolute refusal, “No sign” (*i.e.,* none of the kind that was demanded) “shall be given to this generation.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me--**(Also see on Mr 7:26.)
Mt 15:29-39. Miracles of Healing--Four Thousand Miraculously Fed.
For the exposition, see on Mr 7:31; Mr 8:10.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 16
Chapter Outline
The Pharisees and Sadducees ask a sign.(1-4)
Jesus cautions against the doctrine of the Pharisees.(5-12)
Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Christ.(13-20)
Christ foretells his sufferings, and rebukes Peter.(21-23)
The necessity of self-denial.
(24-28)
**Verses 1-4**
The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles a...
Read full commentary →The Leaven of the Pharisees
And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They had forgotten to take bread</strong> (ἐπελάθοντο ἄρτους λαβεῖν)—the verb <em>epilanthanomai</em> means 'to neglect, overlook.' This physical forgetfulness sets up Jesus's rebuke about spiritual forgetfulness. The disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee without provisions, yet immediately after witnessing two miraculous feedings (5,000 and 4,000), they worried about physical bread.<br><br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **They had forgotten.**—Better, *they forgot.* St. Mark, with his usual precision in detail, states that they had but “one loaf” with them. Either the suddenness of their Lord’s departure had deprived them of their customary forethought, or, it may be, they were beginning to depend wrongly on the wonder-working power, as though it would be used, not as before, to supply the wants of the famish...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.**—The form of the warning was obviously determined by the fact just narrated. The Master saw the perplexed looks and heard the self reproaching or mutually accusing whispers of the disciples, and made them the text of a proverb which was a concentrated parable. As St. Mark gives the words, they stand, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the l...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They reasoned among themselves</strong> (διελογίζοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς)—<em>dialogizomai</em> means 'to debate, consider, calculate.' The disciples engaged in faithless calculation, missing Jesus's point entirely. Their whispered discussion reveals hearts focused on logistics rather than listening to their Master.<br><br><strong>Because we have taken no bread</strong>—they interpreted Jesus's wa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **It is because we have taken no bread.**—There is a childish *naïveté* in their self-questioning which testifies to the absolute originality and truthfulness of the record, and so to the genuineness of the question which follows, and which assumes the reality of the two previous miracles. The train of thought which connected the warning and the fact was probably hardly formulated even in thei...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O ye of little faith</strong> (ὀλιγόπιστοι)—<em>oligopistos</em>, Jesus's signature rebuke in Matthew (6:30, 8:26, 14:31), literally 'little-faiths.' Not faithless (<em>apistos</em>), but stunted, immature faith that knows truth yet fails to apply it. Jesus <strong>perceived</strong> (γνούς) their whispered reasoning—divine omniscience sees anxious hearts.<br><br><strong>Why reason ye amon...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **O ye of little faith.**—Our Lord reproves not the want of discernment which made them slow to receive the meaning of the similitude, but their want of faith. The discernment depended (in part, at least) on imaginative power, or acquired culture, for the lack of which they were not responsible. But their memory of the manner in which their wants had been twice supplied might at least have tau...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Do ye not yet understand, neither remember</strong> (οὔπω νοεῖτε, οὐδὲ μνημονεύετε)—<em>noeō</em> means 'perceive, comprehend,' while <em>mnēmoneuō</em> means 'call to mind, recall.' Jesus demands both theological comprehension and historical memory. Forgetting God's works produces unbelief; remembering them builds faith.<br><br><strong>The five loaves of the five thousand, and how many ba...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9, 10) **How many baskets.**—The distinction between the two kinds of baskets—the *cophini* and the *spurides*—is, as before noticed (Note on Matthew 15:37), strictly observed here.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand</strong>—Jesus cites the more recent miracle (Matthew 15:32-39), only one chapter earlier. Seven loaves fed 4,000 Gentiles (in the Decapolis region), with seven baskets (<em>spuridas</em>—large hampers, different word than v. 9) remaining. The repetition of miracle-memory underscores that God's provision isn't one-time but patterned, reliable, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →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?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **How is it that ye do not understand**?—True to His method of education our Lord does not Himself interpret the parable, but is, as it were, content to suggest the train of thought which led to the interpretation. And the disciples, slow of heart as they were, followed the clue thus given. “Then understood they.” Memory did at last quicken faith, and faith imparted the imaginative insight wh...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →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.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **The doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.**—Better, *teaching;* not so much the formulated dogmas of the sect as its general drift and tendency. The leaven was (as expressly stated in Luke 12:1) “hypocrisy,” the unreality of a life respectable, rigid, outwardly religious, even earnest in its zeal, and yet wanting in the humility and love which are of the essence of true holiness. ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-12**
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the ...
Read full commentary →Peter's Confession of Christ
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?
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' question 'Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?' introduces the crucial identity question. The phrase 'Son of man' (from Daniel 7:13) carries messianic implications while emphasizing His humanity. This question forces confrontation with Christ's identity—the central issue of Christianity. Reformed Christology emphasizes that right understanding of Christ's person is foundational to salv...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Cæsarea Philippi.**—The order of the journeyings of our Lord and His disciples would seem to have been as follows:—From the coasts of Tyre and Sidon they came, passing through Sidon, to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 7:31); thence by ship to Magdala and Dalmanutha, on the western shore (Matthew 15:39; Mark 8:10); thence, again crossing the lake (Mark 8:13), to the eastern Bet...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist.**—The passage is of the greatest possible interest as one of the very few that indicate the impressions shaped into beliefs that were floating among the people as to our Lord’s character and mission. They were based, it will be seen in each case, upon a popular doctrine of transmigration, to which the Pharisees had given a place in the...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus personalizes the question: 'But whom say ye that I am?' The shift from 'men' to 'ye' demands personal commitment, not merely reporting others' opinions. Salvation requires personal faith in Christ, not secondhand religion. Reformed theology emphasizes that each person must individually trust Christ—there's no salvation by proxy or tradition. This question confronts every generation: intellec...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Whom say** **ye?**—The pronoun is doubly emphasised in the Greek, “But *ye*—whom say *ye* . . .?” The question is, as has been said, parallel in tone, though not in form, to that of John 6:67. Had they still a distinct faith of their own? or were they, too, falling back into these popular surmises?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter's confession 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' is Christianity's bedrock declaration. 'Christ' (Greek 'Christos,' Hebrew 'Messiah') identifies Jesus as God's Anointed One. 'Son of the living God' affirms His deity—not merely a prophet but God incarnate. Reformed doctrine sees here the core of saving faith: Jesus is both Messiah (fulfilling Old Testament prophecy) and divine So...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.**—The variations in the other Gospels—St. Mark giving simply, “Thou art the Christ,” and St. Luke, “The Christ of God”—are interesting in their bearing on the question of literal inspiration, but do not affect the meaning; and the fullest of the three reports may be received without hesitation as the most authentic. The confession was made by ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus declares Peter 'blessed' because this revelation came from 'my Father which is in heaven,' not human reasoning. Saving knowledge of Christ is divinely revealed, not humanly achieved. Reformed doctrine's emphasis on divine initiative in salvation finds clear support here—natural man cannot discover Christ's true identity through intellect alone. The Father's revelation through the Holy Spirit...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona.**—Looking to the reality of our Lord’s human nature, its capacity for wonder (Mark 6:6, Luke 7:9), anger (Mark 3:5), sorrow (John 11:35, Luke 19:41), and other emotions, it is not over-bold to recognise in these words something like a tone of exalted joy. It is the first direct personal beatitude pronounced by Him; and, as such, presents a marked contrast t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →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: this name signifies a rock
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus makes pivotal declaration: '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' (Greek: σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, 'you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church'). The word play: Πέτρος (Peter, masculine) and πέτρα (rock, feminine). Debate exists wheth...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Thou art Peter, and upon this rock . . .**—It is not easy, in dealing with a text which for many centuries has been the subject-matter of endless controversies, to clear our minds of those “afterthoughts of theology” which have gathered round it, and, in part at least, overlaid its meaning. It is clear, however, that we can only reach the true meaning by putting those controversies aside, a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus gives Peter 'the keys of the kingdom of heaven,' symbolizing authority to open gospel access. At Pentecost, Peter unlocked the kingdom for Jews (Acts 2) and Gentiles (Acts 10). The 'binding and loosing' terminology reflects rabbinic authority to declare what's forbidden or permitted. Reformed interpretation sees this as apostolic authority in gospel proclamation, not papal succession. What t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.**—Two distinct trains of figurative thought are blended in the words that follow. (1.) The palace of a great king implied the presence of a chief officer, as treasurer or chamberlain, or to use the old Hebrew phrase, as “over the household.” And of this, as in the case of Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah (Isaiah 22:22), the key of office, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man.**—We may venture to analyse what we may reverently call the motives of this reticence. Had the disciples gone about, not only as proclaiming the kingdom and as preachers of repentance, but sounding the watchword that the Christ had come, it might not have been difficult for them to gather round Him the homage of excited crowds. It ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-20**
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or fi...
Read full commentary →Jesus Foretells His Death
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus begins revealing His approaching suffering, death, and resurrection—core gospel events. The phrase 'began to shew' indicates this teaching continues through the Gospels. Reformed soteriology emphasizes the necessity of Christ's suffering: God's justice required payment for sin, accomplished through the cross. Jesus 'must' (Greek 'dei'—divine necessity) suffer because God's redemptive plan de...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **From that time forth began Jesus.**—The prominence given to the prediction shows that it came upon the minds of the disciples as something altogether new. They had failed to understand the mysterious hints of the future which we find in, “Destroy this temple” (John 2:19), in the Son of Man being “lifted up” (John 3:14), in the sign of the prophet “Jonas” (Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4). Now t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-23**
Christ reveals his mind to his people gradually. From that time, when the apostles had made the full confession of Christ, that he was the Son of God, he began to show them of his sufferings. He spake this to set right the mistakes of his disciples about the outward pomp and power of his kingdom. Those that follow Christ, must not expect great or high things in this world. Pet...
Read full commentary →Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. Be: Gr. Pity thyself
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter's rebuke 'Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee' reveals well-meaning but satanic opposition to God's will. The Greek 'hileos' means 'God be merciful/gracious to you,' essentially 'God forbid!' Peter's love for Jesus led him to oppose the cross—and thereby oppose salvation itself. Reformed theology recognizes that even believers can speak against God's purposes when trusting...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.**—It is obvious that the mind of the disciple dwelt on the former, not the latter part of the prediction. The death was plain and terrible to him, for he failed to grasp the idea of the resurrection. The remonstrance would perhaps have been natural at any time, but the contrast between this prediction and the tone of confidence and triumph in the pre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-23**
Christ reveals his mind to his people gradually. From that time, when the apostles had made the full confession of Christ, that he was the Son of God, he began to show them of his sufferings. He spake this to set right the mistakes of his disciples about the outward pomp and power of his kingdom. Those that follow Christ, must not expect great or high things in this world. Pet...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' rebuke 'Get thee behind me, Satan' reveals how Peter's well-meaning resistance to the cross served Satan's purposes. Peter's confession in verse 16 came by divine revelation; his rebuke here comes from human reasoning. Reformed theology recognizes that even believers can speak for the adversary when resisting God's will. The phrase 'thou art an offence unto me' (Greek 'skandalon'—stumbling ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **He turned, and said to Peter.**—St. Mark adds, significantly, “when He had turned about and looked on His disciples.” They, we may believe, stood behind, watching the effect of the remonstrance which Peter had uttered as their spokesman, and therefore, the Lord reading their thoughts, the rebuke, though addressed to him, was spoken so that they too might hear.
**Get thee behind me, Satan.**...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 21-23**
Christ reveals his mind to his people gradually. From that time, when the apostles had made the full confession of Christ, that he was the Son of God, he began to show them of his sufferings. He spake this to set right the mistakes of his disciples about the outward pomp and power of his kingdom. Those that follow Christ, must not expect great or high things in this world. Pet...
Read full commentary →Take Up Your Cross
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus defines discipleship costs: 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me' (Greek: εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι, 'if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me'). Three imperatives: (1) 'deny himself' (ἀπαρνέομαι) - refuse self as ult...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Then said Jesus unto his disciples.**—St. Mark adds that He “called the multitude with the disciples,” and St. Luke’s “he said unto all “implies something of the same kind. The teaching as to the unworldliness of His kingdom which the disciples so much needed was to be generalised in its widest possible extent. Those who were following Him, as many did, in idle wonder, or with the desire of...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-28**
A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes. "Let him deny himself." If self-denial be a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teach us. "Let him take ...
Read full commentary →For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus presents discipleship paradox: 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it' (Greek: ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν, 'for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it'). The word ψυχή means both 'life' and 'soul.' Those clinging to physical life, comfort, and self-interest will lose eternal life. Those surre...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **Whosoever will save his life, . . . whosoever will lose his life. . . .**—There is a subtle distinction between the two clauses in the Greek which the English fails to represent. “Whoso ever *willeth*—*i.e.,* wishes—to save his life” (the construction being the same as in Matthew 16:24) in the first clause, “Whosoever shall lose his life” in the second. It is as though it was felt that no m...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-28**
A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes. "Let him deny himself." If self-denial be a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teach us. "Let him take ...
Read full commentary →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?
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus poses ultimate value question: '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?' (Greek: τί γὰρ ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ, 'for what will a person be profited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?'). The verb κερδήσῃ ('gain') is business term...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **what is a man profited . . .?**—It is not without a purpose that what may be called the argument of expediency is here brought in. Even the self-denial of Matthew 16:24 does not exclude the thought, for those who are still within the range of its influence, of what, in the long-run, will profit us most. There is a self-love which, in spite of the strained language of an exaggerated and unre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-28**
A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes. "Let him deny himself." If self-denial be a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teach us. "Let him take ...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels</strong> (μέλλει γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ)—The future μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι ('is about to come') declares certain future reality. Jesus identifies Himself as 'the Son of Man' (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου), the Danielic figure who receives eternal dominion (Daniel 7:13-14). ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **For the Son of man shall come.**—The fact stands in a logical relation to the preceding verse. The fact that the Son of Man is about to come to execute judgment, clothes its abstract statement with an awful certainty. No bribe can be offered to the Eternal Judge to change the sentence of forfeiture if that forfeiture has been rightfully incurred. From first to last in our Lord’s teaching (*...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-28**
A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes. "Let him deny himself." If self-denial be a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teach us. "Let him take ...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death</strong> (ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἰσίν τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου)—The solemn ἀμήν (truly, verily) introduces weighty truth. The phrase οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ('will never taste death') uses the strongest Greek negative, guaranteeing some present will survive until seeing <strong>the ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death** **. . .**—The immediate sequence of the vision of the Son of Man transfigured from the low estate in which He then lived and moved, into the “excellent glory” which met the gaze of the three disciples, has led not a few interpreters to see in that vision the fulfilment of this prediction. A closer scrutiny of the words must, howe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-28**
A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes. "Let him deny himself." If self-denial be a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teach us. "Let him take ...
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