Without heavenly revelation people can realize, at most, only that Christ is the greatest among the prophets; no one can know that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (v. 16).

As a man, Christ was a mystery to that generation, as He is to people today.

In the northern part of the Holy Land, close to the border, at the foot of Mount Hermon, on which the Lord was transfigured (Matt. 17:1-2). It was far from the holy city and the holy temple, where the atmosphere of the old Jewish religion filled every man's thought, leaving no room for Christ, the new King. The Lord brought His disciples purposely to such a place with its clear atmosphere that their thought might be released from the effects of the religious surroundings in the holy city and holy temple and that He might reveal to them something new concerning Himself and the church, which are the pulse of His heavenly kingdom. It was in Caesarea Philippi that the vision concerning Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, came to Peter (vv. 16-17). It was there also that the church was revealed and mentioned for the first time as the means of bringing in the kingdom of the heavens (vv. 18-19).

Referring to the things taught. The teaching of the Pharisees was hypocritical (Matt. 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29), and the teaching of the Sadducees, which denied the resurrection, angels, and spirits (Acts 23:8), was like today's modernism. Hence, both the teaching of the Pharisees and the teaching of the Sadducees were impure and evil and were likened to leaven, which was not to be seen among God's people (Exo. 13:7).

Larger than the handbaskets in v. 9.

A basket used for a journey.

From 15:1 through 16:12 Matthew's record is very much concerned with the matter of eating. Eating unclean things may defile us. Eating is the way to partake of Christ (Matt. 15:21-28), and by eating we feed on the unlimited and inexhaustibly rich supply of Christ (Matt. 15:32-39). But we must beware of eating any leaven (vv. 5-12).

Jonah was the prophet who turned from Israel to the Gentiles and was put into the belly of the great fish. After remaining there for three days, he emerged to become a sign to that generation for repentance (Jonah 1:2, 17; 3:2-10). He was a type of Christ, who, as the Prophet sent by God to His people (Deut. 18:15, 18), would turn from Israel to the Gentiles, would be buried in the heart of the earth for three days, and would then be resurrected, becoming a sign to that generation for salvation. The Lord's word here implies that for that evil and adulterous Jewish and religious generation, the Lord would do nothing but die and be resurrected as a sign, the greatest sign, to them that they might be saved if they would believe.

See note Luke 12:56⁵.

I.e., appearance.

The words from this point to the end of v. 3 are omitted by some ancient authorities.

See note Matt. 12:38^1a. So in the succeeding verses.

The Christ refers to the One concerning whom God prophesied in the Old Testament through the prophets and whom His saints through the ages looked for (John 1:41, 45; Luke 2:25-26; 3:15), the One who would come to accomplish the will of God (Heb. 10:5-7).

The Christ, referring to the anointed One of God, speaks of the Lord's commission, whereas the Son of the living God, referring to the Second of the Triune God, speaks of His person. His commission is to accomplish God's eternal purpose through His crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and second coming, whereas His person embodies the Father and consummates in the Spirit for a full expression of the Triune God.

The living God is in contrast to dead religion. The Lord is the embodiment of the living God, having nothing to do with dead religion.

I.e., son of Jonah.

Flesh and blood refers to the natural man, who was created and became fallen.

Only the Father knows the Son (Matt. 11:27); hence, only He can reveal the Son to us.

The Father's revelation concerning Christ is only the first half of the great mystery, which is Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32). Hence, the Lord needed to reveal to Peter the second half also, which concerns the church.

Or, a stone; material for God's building (1 Pet. 2:5).

This rock refers not only to Christ but also to this revelation concerning Christ, a revelation that Peter received from the Father. The church is built on Christ and on this revelation concerning Christ.

The Lord's building of His church began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 41-42). Yet the Lord's prophecy here still has not been fulfilled, even up to the twentieth century. The Lord is not building His church in Christendom, which is composed of the apostate Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations. This prophecy is being fulfilled through the Lord's recovery, in which the building of the genuine church is being accomplished.

Gk. ekklesia, meaning an out-calling. This word is used in reference to a called-out congregation. My church indicates that the church is of the Lord, not of any other person or thing; it is not like the denominations, which are denominated according to some person's name or according to some matter.

Gates of Hades refers to Satan's authority or power of darkness (Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18), which cannot prevail against the genuine church built by Christ upon this revelation concerning Him as the rock, with stones such as Peter, a transformed human being. This word of the Lord's indicates also that Satan's power of darkness will attack the church. Hence, there is spiritual warfare between Satan's power, which is his kingdom, and the church, which is God's kingdom.

According to history there were two keys. Peter used one on the day of Pentecost to open the gate so that the Jewish believers could enter the kingdom of the heavens (Acts 2:38-42), and he used the other in the house of Cornelius to open the gate so that the Gentile believers could enter (Acts 10:34-48).

Kingdom of the heavens is used here interchangeably for church, which is used in the previous verse. This is a strong proof that the genuine church is the kingdom of the heavens in this age. This is confirmed by Rom. 14:17, in which the kingdom of God is mentioned in obvious reference to the proper church life.

After the revelation of the great mystery concerning Christ and the church, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ were unveiled. In order for Christ to build His church, He had to go to the religious center, pass through crucifixion, and enter into resurrection.

The natural man is never willing to take the cross.

Christ perceived that it was not Peter but Satan who was frustrating Him from taking the cross. This reveals that our natural man, which is not willing to take the cross, is one with Satan.

Or, You are a snare to Me.

When we are setting our mind not on the things of God but on the things of men, we become Satan, a stumbling block to the Lord on His way to fulfill God's purpose.

To deny our self is to forfeit our soul-life, the natural life (v. 26; Luke 9:25).

Three terms in vv. 23-25 are related to one another: mind, himself, and soul-life. Our mind is the expression of our self, and our self is the embodiment of our soul-life. Our soul-life is embodied in and lived out by our self, and our self is expressed through our mind, our thought, our concept, our opinion. When we set our mind not on the things of God but on the things of men, our mind grasps the opportunity to act and express itself. This was what happened with Peter. Hence, the Lord's subsequent word indicated that Peter had to deny himself, i.e., not save his soul-life but lose it. Losing the soul-life is the reality of denying the self. This is to take up the cross.

This Gospel is concerned with the kingdom of the heavens, which is a matter of authority. The church revealed in this book represents the kingdom with its reign. Hence, the authority to bind and to loose was given not only to Peter, the apostle for the church here, but also to the church itself (Matt. 18:17-18).

Whatever the church people bind or loose on earth must be something that has already been bound or loosed in the heavens. We can bind or loose only what has already been bound or loosed in the heavens.

The revelation concerning Christ with His church is always hidden from religious people.

This will take place at the judgment seat of Christ when He comes back (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12).

This was fulfilled by the Lord's transfiguration on the mountain (Matt. 17:1-2). His transfiguration was His coming in His kingdom. It was seen by His three disciples — Peter, James, and John.

The cross is not merely a suffering; it is also a killing. It kills and terminates the criminal. Christ first bore the cross and then was crucified. We, His believers, first were crucified with Him and now bear the cross. To us, to bear the cross is to remain under the killing of the death of Christ for the terminating of our self, our natural life, and our old man. In so doing we deny our self that we may follow the Lord.

Before the Lord's crucifixion the disciples followed Him in an outward way. But now, after His resurrection, we follow Him in an inward way. Because in resurrection He has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) dwelling in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), we follow Him in our spirit (Gal. 5:16-25).

Or, destroy.

See note Matt. 10:39¹.

In Luke 9:24-25 soul-life is replaced with himself, indicating that our soul-life is our self.

For indicates that the Lord's rewarding of His followers at His coming back, as mentioned in this verse, will be according to whether they lose or save their soul, as mentioned in vv. 25-26.