Over halfway through the Book of Matthew, we finally come to the disciples’ understanding that Jesus is the Christ. It comes with Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi. But first, Jesus has to teach them about the yeast of the Pharisees and remind them of the significance of the miracles He had just done in feeding the multitudes. At this point, Jesus begins preparing the disciples for His death, though they don’t believe Him, as we see here.
1) V1-12 – 1The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested Him by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away. 5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.” 8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they understood that He was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Again the religious leaders find Jesus in His ministering, and they demand a miracle as proof that He is whom they deny Him to be – the Messiah. He explains that they know how to predict the weather based on the appearance of the sky, so they should be able to tell what is going on in their midst as He is among them. Alas, they could not “interpret the signs of the times.” We often can see that America, our nation founded on strong values, is in moral decline, and sadly at an increasing rate. We have biblical glasses – a worldview based on God’s word – enabling us to see clearly what so many people cannot see. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were blind (John 9) to the signs of their own times, and Jesus criticizes them for that blindness. Spiritual blindness, though our own fault (and the fault of our forefathers, even back to Adam), requires grace to overcome. God gives common grace to all but this grace of spiritual insight (regeneration) does not come to all people. Yet they are still at fault. That seems harsh, but no one will be able to declare sinlessness on Judgment Day.
Matthew Henry comments saying, “The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles and in conduct; yet they joined against Christ. But they desired a sign of their own choosing: they despised those signs which relieved the necessity of the sick and sorrowful, and called for something else which would gratify the curiosity of the proud. It is great hypocrisy, when we slight the signs of God’s ordaining, to seek for signs of our own devising.”
Jesus says that an adulterous and crooked generation demands signs, but He refuses to do a miracle before their eyes, like a magic trick, because it would not serve the purpose of God. Rather, Jesus declares the sign of Jonah will be their miracle, in due time, yet they still won’t believe, even after He rises from the dead. When Jesus and His disciples crossed the lake in a boat, Jesus was still dwelling on this episode and decided to teach the disciples. He told them to be careful and be on guard against the “yeast” of the religious leaders. They heard “yeast” and thought Jesus was talking about bread, especially since they hadn’t brought any on the journey. Of course, Jesus was referring to “the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (v12), which would infect them like a little yeast spreads throughout dough if they weren’t careful. Sometimes their teaching seemed right, but it wasn’t (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).
Knowing they didn’t understand, Jesus rebukes them with questioning. He reminds them about the miracles of feeding the multitudes, which had only recently happened, and they seem to grasp His meaning.
2) V13-20 – 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15“But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then He warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.
Jesus moves on again in His itinerant ministry and comes to Caesarea Philippi, where He poses the question to His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Why is Jesus asking the question? Is He insecure? Is He unsure? No. He is getting personal with His disciples here, but in a very tactful way. Introduce a topic by getting peoples’ opinions on the consensus, and then move in closer by asking for their specific perspective. The disciples reply that “the Son of Man” is generally thought of as John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Of course, none of those is correct. Jesus makes it personal with His question, “Who do you say I am?” while simultaneously declaring Himself to be “the Son of Man.”
Surprisingly, none of the disciples seem to be surprised that Jesus refers to Himself as “the Son of Man.” If all these other people had it wrong, why wouldn’t the disciples have consented with their views? Not surprisingly, however, Peter answers the question on behalf of the group. His confession is the truth, that Jesus – the Son of Man – is “the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Living God.” Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one, the very Son of God, the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God, King of kings, and Lord of Lords. Then, perhaps with a smile on His face – because the disciples are progressing in their understanding – Jesus says that Peter is blessed. He isn’t blessed as a result of having the right answer; on the contrary, he is blessed in order to have the right answer. The reason he is blessed is that God revealed the identity of Jesus to him. No one can come to Peter’s conclusion regarding the identity of Jesus unless God the Father puts that wisdom and knowledge and understanding in his/her heart and mind, and God does that by His Spirit, through regeneration.
V18 has caused much trouble in the church in the past millennium. Jesus officially gives Simon the name Peter here, though perhaps he was called Simon Peter beforehand. Jesus says that this man is a rock, though we see in Peter’s character anything but solidity at this point in his life. Jesus is declaring that this man will become a rock, solid in terms of standing firm in the faith despite persecution. Of course, Peter will deny that he knows Jesus three separate times on the night of the Last Supper. But still, Jesus foresaw (foreknew) that Peter would become a rock, very strong in preaching the gospel and leading the church, along with the Apostle John and his brother James for a short time, and then James, the half brother of Jesus, and even the Apostle Paul.
Then Jesus says, “And on this rock, I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” While Roman Catholics claim that Peter is the rock to which Jesus here refers, Protestant commentators declare that the confession of Peter is the rock on which Jesus will build His church. The difference is the Pope, the authority structure for the church. If Peter is the rock to which Jesus refers, then he is the first Pope – bishop of Rome – and his decisions and successors rule the church. But if the declaration that Peter makes regarding the identity of Jesus – that He is the Christ, Son of the Living God – is the rock to which Jesus refers, then Jesus remains the leader of the church, and there is no living human who has His authority in His place. Church leadership, then is as the Apostles teach in Acts and the Epistles, by elders, deacons, bishops, pastors, and the like.
There is much more to discuss over these words. Jesus says He will build His church. This is the first time in the Bible that “church” – ekklesia in Greek – is used. The word is found in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament in 2 Chronicles 30, where it is translated as “the whole assembly.” That’s appropriate, because Jesus is building an assembly of God’s people – the church. He is the Shepherd, and the church is His flock of sheep. We listen to His voice, and we follow Him. His church, then is a “new” institution, but at the same time, it is a continuation from the Old Testament of the people of God made up primarily, but not exclusively, of Hebrews. Some theologians argue for the start of the church being at Pentecost, while others declare that the church began with God’s promise to Abraham. It may seem insignificant, so what is the big deal? It seems the motive or reason for your answer to this question extends beyond the question to the foundation of your theology, the hermeneutic which guide your understanding of God’s word, and that is a big deal. Topics such as dispensational theology and covenant theology arise here, but we will leave them here and move on, as there is still much to consider in v18-20.
Jesus says the gates of Hades will not overcome, or prevail against, His church. We tend to think of the church as a refuge, a safe haven, a shelter, a defensive monolith against the swarming army of Satan. And there are times we need that. But Jesus seems to say the opposite: His church is on the offensive against the crumbling stronghold of the devil. Satan’s gates cannot stop Jesus and His church from breaking through and conquering whatever he has established. V19 needs to be added to our discussion above, regarding potential Pope Peter, as Jesus says to Peter, using the singular, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Catholicism suggests that this fact proves Peter’s authority; Protestants generally claim that, though Jesus was speaking to Peter, He was referring to all of the apostles, who would, of course, continue His ministry after His death, resurrection, and ascension, as recorded in the Book of Acts. For what it’s worth, Jesus repeats the binding and loosing statement in Matthew 18:18, but in plural, directed to all of the apostles. But the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” statement is made specifically to Peter, which explains the cultural idea that Peter is standing at the pearly gates as the one who admits or denies admission to God’s kingdom.
Finally, in v20, Jesus warns His disciples not to tell anyone that He is the Christ. Jesus has His purpose in this, though we might chalk it up to “God’s ways are not our ways.” It sure seems like the best thing would have been to announce with writing in the sky that the promised savior had come in the person of Jesus. But I think the secrecy speaks to a couple things: first, the obvious easy explanation is that Jesus still had significant work to do on earth before facing death on the cross, and premature extensive publicity would have prohibited His labor; second, and far more meaningful if controversial, Jesus’ identity and fulfillment of the role of Christ was not intended for everyone. It’s true that He is the only Christ available for all of humanity. But it’s equally true that He doesn’t save all of humanity. And while it’s true that the blame for not being saved falls on those who deny Him, it’s also true that He knew going into it the identity of those He came to save – all that the Father had given Him. Because He didn’t come for all, but only for those the Father had given Him, He didn’t need to announce His identity to everyone, but especially to the elect.
3) V21-28 – 21From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” 23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done. 28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
With the understanding that Jesus is the Christ, the disciples begin to hear from Jesus that “He must go to Jerusalem and suffer…and…be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Peter, the very same man who spoke up with the good confession of Jesus’ identity, denies that this would happen and even rebukes Jesus. And Jesus says, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (v23). Though Peter was not Satan, and was not indwelled by Satan or any other demonic spirit, Jesus called him Satan, referring not to him but to his words being from Satan. We could very easily and rightly parallel this interaction between Jesus and Peter with the one subsequent to it, in v16-19, to suggest that either Satan and the first Pope, Peter, are one and the same, or more appropriately that Jesus was speaking not of Peter personally in that previous passage, but of his confession of Jesus’ identity as the rock on which He would build His church. Peter’s words here, in which Jesus felt the temptation of Satan, served as a potential stumbling block to Jesus. But notice how He sternly and swiftly dealt with that temptation! We tend to toy around with temptation, until it has us in its grasp, and we sin. But Jesus declared what it was and put a stop to it immediately. We can do the same, for God has not allowed us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. He always provides a way out so that we can stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Jesus accuses Peter of having only the things of men in mind with his rebuke of Jesus, and not the things of God. Once again, God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:9)!
Jesus then uses this moment to further teach His disciples in v24-28. Following Jesus is not about building personal success stories that the world would want to mimic. Following Jesus requires denial of the desires inherent in human nature (at least the fallen version of human nature). You might want to spend extra time at the office to build up your career, but following Jesus demands that you get home and spend time with your family; many women might want to have a career outside the home, but following Jesus might mean staying home with the kids. It could also be the opposite: you may want to spend time with the family, or be a stay-at-home mom, but the circumstances require extra effort in the workplace. The point is that following Jesus requires self-denial. In the immediate context, Peter needed to see that Jesus’ identity as the Christ did not mean political domination as a conquering king in the here-and-now. It may look that way at the second coming of Christ, but now is the time to deny those desires and take up the cross (literally for Jesus, figuratively for us). He would soon die, rather than rise to worldly power, one thing with which Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Taking up our cross might be humility or service at the expensive of pride and luxury; that’s what following Jesus looks like.
Jesus gives the motive for many of the selfish desires with which we are often overwhelmed – wanting to save our lives. We want to excel and have glory and wealth and health and long lives of joy and plenty; and we tend to think that self-exaltation at the expense of others is the method to attain such. Jesus says this type of response will actually cause us to lose our lives, rather than save them (v25). On the other hand, losing your life (primarily but not exclusively in the sense of selflessness) for Jesus will result in abundant and eternal life, something for which we lack proper appreciation. As the saying goes, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” And that’s sort of what Jesus gets at in v26. It is no good to gain the whole world if you lack life in the soul. Life in soul is primarily spiritual, not physical, but that doesn’t mean the physical is unimportant, as some erroneous theologians (Gnostics) have claimed. Jesus speaks to the value of one’s soul, much as He describes the value of the kingdom of heaven in many of His parables. That’s why we are told to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” All these other things we have idolized are put in their proper place, and then God grants them to us as well.
The final words of Jesus in this passage are meant to encourage steadfastness in righteous living. Jesus says He “is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels” and “reward each person according to what he has done.” It’s a picture of glory in accomplishment, which Jesus will experience, ironically, in death and resurrection. It’s a picture of Judgment Day, when justice and mercy will be dispensed in finality, according to our deeds. Jesus is not teaching works righteousness, but He certainly does not promote antinomianism either! Faith in Jesus results in good deeds done out of gratitude for God’s grace. Finally, Jesus says, “Some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Scholars have questioned the meaning, and made many efforts to ascribe a timeline to these words, but the general consensus is that He refers to Pentecost, the commencement of a glorious church age near at hand.
Bible text from
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International Bible Society.