The suffering servant – Matthew 16:21
He must…
suffer many
things … be
killed … be
raised. This is the first of three times that Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to suffer, be killed, and then rise from the grave (Matt. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19). This verse also indicates a turning point in the story, with Jesus intentionally heading toward Jerusalem for the final stage of his ministry. Jesus' suffering and death fulfill what God said in Isaiah about the coming Suffering Servant who would take humanity's sins upon himself and bring about God's renewed reign upon the earth (Isa. 52:13–53:12).
Get behind me, Satan! - Matthew 16:23
Get behind me,
Satan! Peter and the other disciples have come to believe fully in Jesus as the Messiah and God's Son (Matt. 16:16). However, they did not yet understand that to complete God's work Jesus the Messiah and Son must endure suffering, death, and then resurrection (Matt. 16:21). Peter represents this imperfect understanding of the Messiah's role in the world and gets reproved by Jesus, seeing behind Peter's words the temptation of Satan (4:1-11) for Jesus to take glory upon himself without first obediently suffering.
His cross – Matthew 16:24
Take up
his cross. This looks ahead to how Jesus will die, crucified on a Roman cross. This becomes an important Christian image for following Jesus faithfully in the midst all different kinds of suffering.
Rewards according to deeds – Matthew 16:27
Reward every
person according to what he has
done. Jesus' teaching here is part of a repeated theme of reward and recompense in Matthew (5:12, 46; 6:1-21; 10:41-42; 20:8). This theme is part of the same message of discipleship that Jesus has been teaching, that Christians are the ones who do God's will (Matt. 12:50) and thus will be honored according to their faithfulness. See also the teachings about faithful and wise servants (Matt. 24:45-51) and the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30).
A taste of his glory – Matthew 16:28
Will
not taste death until they
see ... This does not mean that Jesus' final return would happen in that generation. Rather, the following story of Jesus' Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8) is a taste of the Son of Man (Jesus) coming in his glory.
Transfigured - Matthew 17:2
Transfigured ...
face shone like the
sun. These moments of transfiguration communicated Jesus' true identity and nature; he shares in God's radiant glory. This indicates Jesus divine nature. He is like Moses but greater (2 Cor. 3:7-18).
Moses and Elijah – Matthew 17:3
Moses and
Elijah. Moses and Elijah are two of the most important figures of the Old Testament, both of whom saw a glimpse of God's glory (Exod. 33:18-34:7; 1 Kgs. 19:5-18). Here they met with Jesus who shined forth God's glory. Moses and Elijah also represent two key aspects of the Jewish Scriptures, the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 22:40).
Three shelters – Matthew 17:4
Three shelters. Peter's suggestion that they build three shelters referred to the time of the Exodus when the Israelites lived in tents in the wilderness. This came to be remembered as the Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot (Lev. 23:33-43). Peter must have believed that the kingdom of heaven was coming to the earth at that moment and thus the expectant Jews would celebrate with this appropriate feast (Zech. 14:16).
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