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Verse 1:"And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked Him to show them a sign out of heaven." The Pharisees and Sadducees had a new agreement. In chapter fifteen the Pharisees and the scribes were joined together. The Pharisees and scribes were not absolutely opposing one another, but the Pharisees and the Sadducees were opponents of one another, yet they came in one accord to test the Lord. They tested the Lord because of unbelief. The gimmicks of the unbelieving ones are the same. In chapter twelve the Pharisees and the scribes asked for a sign because of unbelief. Why then did they ask for a sign again? The Pharisees, the scribes, and the Sadducees were Jews specializing in asking for signs. The sign they asked for in chapter twelve was to satisfy their own curiosity. Here it was purely for testing the Lord and not necessarily for them to see the strangeness of a sign. The Lord kept His former decision and would not change. People in the world make improvements, but the Lord does not, for He is perfect (Heb. 13:8) and His thought never changes. Testing means unbelief. To have faith is to believe in God's word. Without God's word, man has only sin — unbelief and disobedience. Unbelief is the root, and disobedience is the issue. To test the Lord is an indication of one's not believing in Him. It seems that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were saying, "We will not believe unless you perform something for us to see." This is just like people in the world wanting to see God before they believe in Him, or like a school testing the students before admitting them. But the Lord will never perform a sign to subject Himself to be tested by men. The Lord can perform signs, but not to be examined or controlled by men. He will not attract the unbelieving ones by performing signs for them.
Verses 2-3:Because they talked about heaven, the Lord spoke on the same thing. He rebuked them, saying that they could discern the signs in the sky yet could not discern the signs of the times. The Lord acknowledged that they were scientists. The unbelieving ones today are the same. In the Lord's eyes they know only that a certain cause produces a certain effect, but they do not know the signs of the times. It is very easy for people to neglect the signs of the times. It is most unfortunate that the signs are present, yet people do not see them. Their self-satisfaction (just like the scientists') makes them blind. Since signs already exist, the Lord would no longer perform other signs. The sign at this time is the cross.
Verse 4:"An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah. And He left them and went away." The sign of Jonah testifies of the Lord's death and resurrection. Jonah had to leave his own place; the Lord did the same. "Evil" here refers to man's nature; "adulterous" denotes improper communications. From this we see that not only one but everyone is evil. Therefore, the Lord left them.
Verses 5-6:To beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees is to beware of the temptation of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees is like leaven, which has the possibility to ferment. They said things and did not do them; they tried to reform others, but they themselves would not be reformed (Matt. 23:3). Therefore, we need to be careful in making friends. The unbelievers and the ungodly ones can contaminate us and leaven us. The Pharisees represent the dead conservatives, while the Sadducees represent the modernists. The leaven here means to ask the Lord to do something first before one will believe (or do a certain thing); this is tempting the Lord. The Lord warned us because it is possible that we might become leavened.
Verse 7:"But they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we did not take bread." The disciples were puzzled. They misunderstood the Lord because they thought leaven was for making bread. This is a misinterpretation of the Bible, thinking that leaven is related to bread. This kind of erroneous logic is most common today. This kind of misinterpretation also shows their unbelief and their foolishness. Even if they did not take bread, would the Lord have said such a word? The disciples forgot the case of the Lord's multiplying the loaves. Subjectiveness easily leads to misinterpretation.
Verses 8-12:Nothing can be hidden from the Lord. To have little faith is not to be without faith. But the Lord is not satisfied with those who have little faith. Reasoning indicates little faith. When men misinterpret the Scriptures, it is always their fault, not God's. The summary of 15:1 — 16:12 is that this generation must beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.
Verses 13-20:From this point on, the Lord began to reveal Himself; prior to this time He had only given hints concerning Himself. The phrase "from that time" in verse 21 is the center, the backbone, of the book of Matthew. Caesarea Philippi derived its name from Caesar and Philippi; the latter was the brother of Herod. This is a strange way to derive a name. The church is built at the center of the Gentile land.
Verse 13:"Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of Man is?" Why did the Lord call Himself the Son of Man? Names are quite important in the Scriptures. In the Epistles the Lord is called mainly the Lord Jesus or Jesus Christ because salvation has been accomplished. In the Gospels He is called the Son of God or the Son of Man because salvation was not yet accomplished. In Acts He is called God's Servant (3:13) until the time of the incident at the house of Cornelius. "The Son of Man" indicates that (1) He was rejected, (2) He was glorified for our sake, and (3) He is a man. Here it refers to the matters after the Lord was rejected.
Verse 14:"And they said, Some, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." John was very much like one who rendered service to people, Elijah was most zealous for religion, and Jeremiah was most pessimistic. No one would acknowledge (believe) that the Lord was the Christ. John had testified that the Lord was the Son of God, yet people still said that He was a prophet.
Verse 15:"He said to them, But you, who do you say that I am?" Today the Lord is asking us also, "How would you answer?" Are you a religionist, a social worker, a philosopher, or a revolutionist? Even if you say that He is a prophet, He is still not satisfied. Do you confess that He is the Christ?
Verses 16-17:Bar means "son" and jona means "dove"; hence, Barjona means having the revelation of the Holy Spirit. People's observation of the Lord and their discussion about Him were inaccurate because they did not have the revelation of God. They went only by their own view, and therefore, the Lord was not satisfied. At this time the Lord again asked the disciples. When Peter answered as he did, that was the time of his regeneration (1 John 5:1; 4:15). The name Christ means that He is the One in whom God's hope (or plan) is accomplished. Peter said, "You are the only One who accomplishes God's hope and plan." Whenever the name Christ is mentioned, it is related to the Lord's work. Whenever the title the Son of God is mentioned, it is related to the Lord's person and His personal glory. The Lord has threefold glory: (1) personal glory, the glory He has in eternity as God; (2) human glory, the glory He had on the earth as a man; and (3) moral glory. Peter always spoke (see 1 Peter); his acknowledging signifies two things: (1) the Lord's work and person, and (2) his own regeneration. Simon was Peter's old name. Barjona means the son of the Holy Spirit; this indicates being born of the Spirit. We are blessed if we confess the Lord as Christ, for such confession indicates that we have received the revelation of the Holy Spirit. It is wrong to trust in theology or mere preachings. We are Christians not by reasoning but by revelation (see Gal. 1:16). God has given us four great revelations: (1) the revelation of nature, such as the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars; (2) the Book — the Holy Scriptures; (3) the most — the Holy Spirit; and (4) Jesus. The revelation of the Holy Spirit is most important, for without it, no one can be saved.
Verse 18:"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." "Also say." One thing has been said already; now He will go on to the second thing. By this word we know that at that time the building of the church had not begun. Peter (Petros) means "a little stone." Here rock in Greek is Petra, meaning "a large stone." Therefore, these are two different kinds of stones. The church cannot be built on Petros; no one builds a house on a small stone. Peter was only a small stone; the rock (Petra) is the Lord Jesus (1 Pet. 2:7-8). Peter confessed the Lord and therefore became a small stone. Hence, whoever confesses the Lord is also a small stone, that is, a living stone to be built into a spiritual house, the church, the dwelling place of God (1 Pet. 2:5). This rock is the Lord Christ whom Peter confessed. If the rock was Peter, the church would have been in great jeopardy when he trembled at the sight of a maid and denied the Lord three times. Without such a confession, there can be no church. The eunuch first had to confess before Philip would baptize him. The church (ekklesia) is a called-out congregation. This congregation is called out and separated unto holiness, that is, separated from the world, sin, temper, etc., as the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, every saint is holy and every saved one is sanctified. Hebrews 9:13-14 says that we are sanctified by the blood.
"Gates of Hades." Gates are entrances and exits. Hades cannot block the coming in and going out; death cannot hold the believers or the church, for the incorruptible life has been manifested in man (2 Tim. 1:10). The body of Christ: (1) the Lord's physical body, which expresses the Lord's divine life; and (2) the church on the earth which the Lord put on after His resurrection and ascension. Hence, the church is the place where the Lord deposits His life today. Because the incorruptible life has come out from Hades, the Lord has the authority to allow life to freely come in and out of Hades. The Lord has put into the believers the life that cannot be held by Hades. This means that He has regenerated them. We already have this life, which cannot be held by Hades. We will also be resurrected first, because we have this life. The life of the unbelievers is seized by Hades after their death. Resurrection means a life that cannot be held by death. This is also true while we are in our body today. The environment may be deplorable — trials, persecutions, violence, killings, etc. It seems that we have walls all around us. Yet we have the life that cannot be held back, and no environment can overcome us.
Verse 19:"I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens." This verse is easily misinterpreted. Were the keys of the kingdom of the heavens given only to Peter? Does the binding refer to forgiveness of sins? The Catholic Church has this kind of wrong interpretation, and so does the Anglican Church. They both believe that the church has the authority to forgive sins. Are the keys (the Greek word being plural in number) (1) for the Jews — at Pentecost, and (2) for the Gentiles — at the house of Cornelius? Different people do not make the keys different. One does not have one kind of key for Mr. Wong and another kind of key for Mr. Lee, for the same door. Verse 18 mentions the gates of Hades, which are versus the gates of the kingdom of the heavens. The subject in verse 18 is the church, whereas the subject in verse 19 is the kingdom of the heavens. The church in verse 18 is to be built by the Lord, and the kingdom of the heavens is to be built by men. Here it does not say "The keys of the church" but "The keys of the kingdom of the heavens." Otherwise, Peter would have truly become a pope. The church is built by the Lord, and it is constituted of those who have been regenerated, who have received life, and who have the inspiration of the Spirit. This is not something revealed by flesh and blood but by the Father who is in the heavens. In the kingdom of the heavens God gives us the right to be believers. Yet in this kingdom of the heavens we have our duty and responsibility as disciples. Here it seems that the Lord was saying to Peter, "You can bring people into the kingdom of the heavens." (To say that he brought people into the church is the greatest blasphemy.) This was the first step, the first thing that brought men into the kingdom of the heavens. This key was in Peter's hand. The first few things used by Peter to bring people into the kingdom of the heavens are seen in Acts. (1) Peter had the key of testifying — his preaching on the day of Pentecost. (2) He had the key of baptizing people — he charged people to be baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3), to be in subjection to His command and thus to obey Him. Therefore, in Matthew 28:19 the Lord tells us to "disciple all the nations"; this is the first key. Then He tells us to baptize them into the name of the Triune God; this is the second key. Therefore, a person who is not baptized is in the church but not in the kingdom of the heavens (see Matt. 21:31-32; cf. Acts 2:47; 16:5, which say that the Lord added to the church daily). Preachers can only bring people into the kingdom of the heavens, which is the business office of the church. There may be tares in the kingdom of the heavens, but not in the church.
These keys of the kingdom of the heavens were given not only to Peter but also to the other disciples. Moreover, they are also given to us. Only when we have the keys do we have the authority to bind (i.e., not to open) and the authority to loose (i.e., to open). Matthew 18:18 gives the same promise. This proves that the keys are given also to others. The "you" in Matthew 18:18 is plural and refers not to Peter alone but to all those who are in the church. Therefore, we also have these keys. Since Peter's keys were for preaching and baptizing, ours are the same. As the first one to be regenerated and the first one to confess the Lord, Peter was qualified to receive the keys first and to begin preaching the gospel and baptizing people. We have the authority not to preach the word and the authority not to baptize someone (if in our consideration such a one is not saved and therefore should not be baptized), because the keys are in our hands. The confession of Christ is the rock (petra), the foundation. The church and the kingdom of the heavens cannot be separated, though they can be distinguished. A person may be in the kingdom of the heavens, but he may not be in the church. In Matthew 28 the eleven were only disciples; they were not apostles yet (apostleship is a gift in the church). In the entire Bible there are two lines: (1) the church and (2) the kingdom of the heavens. The two are distinct but not separate.
Verse 20:"Then He charged the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ." The Lord as the Son of God should be mentioned to anyone. But the Lord as the Christ should not be mentioned to certain groups of Jews, those who blasphemed the Holy Spirit. The Son of God is eternal, whereas Christ is for the fulfillment of God's plan. Therefore, there is no need to mention this to the Jews who rejected the Lord. This also proves that from the time they blasphemed the Holy Spirit, recorded in 12:24, the Jews were rejected by the Lord.
Verse 21:"From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised." Here, "from that time" means after Christ was confessed and the church was revealed. The death that the Lord referred to is not the redeeming death but the death by the suffering of persecutions and the death by being rejected. (According to the Bible, the Lord's death has two aspects. The conservatives hold to the redeeming death, while the modernists hold to the death of rejection.) Many of the Lord's sufferings were not for redemption but were due to His being rejected by men. The Lord prophesied here only concerning His death by rejection. The same prophecy was spoken three more times in the latter chapters. From that time on He no longer hinted but spoke plainly concerning His death by rejection. Verse 13 gives a hint that the Lord would be rejected and would suffer death; the words "from that time" signifies a great turning point, a great backbone in Matthew.
Verse 22:"And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, God be merciful to You, Lord! [or, God forbid it, Lord!] This shall by no means happen to You!" Peter took the Lord aside, acted according to his old disposition, and without careful consideration he quickly rebuked the Lord. The Lord will not be persuaded by men and will never accept teaching from men. Peter's persuasion came out of his affection, his love; it is similar to our urging those we love not to suffer. An unrestrained mind is dangerous, but an unrestrained emotion is even more dangerous. Peter acted impulsively according to his unrestrained emotion. Apparently it was good, but in reality it was a hindrance that the Lord hated. When we try to dissuade people from taking the narrow way, it is just like Peter trying to dissuade the Lord Jesus. We also say, "God forbid it!"
Verse 23:"But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men." The Lord would not forgive Peter's mistake, nor would He accept Peter's kindness. "He turned" shows that Peter was at the Lord's back. It must have been that Peter came from behind the Lord and took Him aside. Speaking behind people is usually wrong. "Get behind Me." This is strange since Peter was already behind Him. It means that the Lord would not give Peter the opportunity to speak. Whoever tries to teach or help the Lord is surely wrong, for He is perfect. (We can give two examples of how the disciples tried to teach the Lord: "You see the crowd pressing upon You" (Mark 5:31) and "They have no wine" (John 2:3).) This is the Lord's moral glory. Peter had just received the regenerated life, yet immediately he was trapped and utilized by Satan. The victory at Jericho is followed immediately by the defeat at Ai. Therefore, we should be especially on our guard after any victory. Anything that prevents people from going to the cross is from Satan. "Get behind Me!" This was because Peter was a stumbling block that caused others to be stumbled and stopped from going on. The Lord considered Peter's frustrating as something of Satan. Whoever sets his mind on the things of men is of Satan. Satan is very close to men. Perhaps he has already been in and out of our mind today fifty times.
Verse 24:"Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." If we interpret the cross here as redemptive in nature, then we cannot follow the Lord, for how can we have a part in the redemptive work? Only the high priest can enter the Holy of Holies. Therefore, redemption is the Lord's work alone. The cross is not only for redemption but for suffering — obedience in persecutions. The Lord calls us to suffer, not to accomplish redemption. Here it is a matter of following Jesus, not of believing in Jesus. Believing puts us in the church, and following enables us to be in the kingdom. To believe and not to follow is most dangerous. Following is the cheapest price we pay. The least requirement of the Lord to us is that we deny ourselves, that is, that we follow Him. We need to reject our own mind and seek to satisfy God's will. To deny ourselves equals taking up our own cross. There are two kinds of crosses: (1) the cross of Christ for redemption (John 11:50-52), and (2) the cross of sufferings — the cross ordained by God for each believer. The cross that the Lord arranges for each believer is different. Although the ways are different, they are the cross just the same. The cross is the blows we suffer on our way. After we have been saved, we desire to take one way, but God wants to take another way. May God's blows be always upon us. The Lord is teaching us through Peter. He rebuked Peter for setting his mind on the things of men, that is, for disobeying the blows that come from God. The denial of self is the only condition for following the Lord. To deny the self, which is negative, is to refuse to mind our own things. To take up the cross is to endure the pain in our refusing to mind our own things. To follow the Lord is to take the Lord's way, to obey Him.
If we want to save our soul in this age, we will lose it in the coming age; if we lose our soul in this age, we will save it in the coming age. The soul includes the mind, the will, and the emotion. To save our soul is to satisfy our mind, will, and emotion in this age, that is, to not deny the self. To lose the soul in this age is to deny the self, which is the opposite of saving the soul. He who sacrifices for the Lord loses his soul. Whoever does not want to lose his soul today will lose the satisfaction of his soul in the kingdom, just like the one-talented slave who will be weeping and gnashing his teeth in the kingdom. Those who enjoy the pleasures in the world, who do not labor for the Lord, and who, instead of wiping their sweat with their handkerchief use it to wrap up their talent, will lose their soul, that is, suffer shame, in the millennium, though they will still have the eternal life. To gain the soul in the future is to have the enjoyment in the kingdom, that is, to receive glory.
Verse 26:"For what shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul-life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul-life?" Why take the trouble to gain the whole world, that is, the wealth and glory of the world, yet lose the glory of the kingdom of the heavens? What can we give in exchange for our soul? In the Lord's eyes those who save their soul today are the most foolish.
Verse 27:"For the Son of Man is to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will repay each man according to his doings." From here on the Lord called Himself mainly the "Son of Man," signifying sufferings. "Then" proves that what is mentioned earlier in this passage will take place in the future. "Doings" refers to saving the self today or losing the self for the Lord. The doings are the basis for the reward and have nothing to do with the eternal life. (We should take note that this portion is concerned with our doings, not with our faith.) Therefore, at the Lord's coming, this is what will happen:
Here we see two entirely opposite outcomes. Therefore, in order to find out whether or not we will receive a reward in the future, we do not need to wait until we come before the judgment seat. Rather, we just need to examine our doings. If we lose our soul today, we can be assured that we will gain it in the future; if we gain our soul today, we can also be assured that we will lose it in the future.
Verse 28:"Truly I say to you, There are some of those standing here who shall by no means taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." This verse is connected to chapter seventeen.
(1) God is most patient. When the world says that He is not there, He is not anxious but continues to hide Himself.
(2) Today's preachers are like actors; they act and advertise, only with the intention of making a performance.
(3) Foolishness and unbelief are twins.
(4) We are all "missionaries" here, because we are not citizens of this earth.
(5) The Lord's trial before the high priest was indeed very unjust; he asked the Lord if He was the Christ. When the Lord answered yes, he should have gone on to investigate if such a claim was true or not before making a verdict. But when the high priest heard the Lord's answer, he rent his garments and proclaimed that He had blasphemed, and they pronounced a death sentence upon Him.
(6) When we read the Bible, we should not seek merely for spiritual knowledge. The most important thing is that we are God's servants and should know His requirements.
