LUKE 9:21-27
Luke 9:21-27 Mark 8:30-37 Matthew 16:20-28
21. And he threatening
charged them not to tell this to30. And he threatened, and
forbade them to tell any one20. Then he charged his
disciples 451 not to tell any one
any one, 45622. Saying, The Son concerning him. 45431. And he that he was Jesus the Christ.
21. From that time Jesus began of man must suffer many things began to teach them, that the
to make known to his disciples, and be rejected by the elders, Son of man must suffer many
that he must go to Jerusalem and and the chief priests, and the things, and be rejected by the
suffer many things from the scribes, and rise again on the elders, and the chief priests, and
elders, and the chief priests, and third day. 23. And he said to all, the scribes, and be killed, and
the scribes, and be killed, and be If any man would come after after three days rise again.
raised again on the third day. me, let him deny himself, and 32. And he spoke that saying
22. And Peter, taking him aside, take up hi cross daily, 457 and openly, and Peter took him, and
452 began to rebuke him, saying, follow me. 24. For whosoever began to rebuke him. 33. But he
would save his life shall lose it; turning and looking upon his Lord, spare thyself; 453 this shall
and whosoever shall lose his life disciples, rebuked Peter, saying, not happen to thee. 23. But he
on my account shall save it. Get thee behind me, Satan; for turning said to Peter, Get thee
25. For what doth it profit a thou relishest not the things that behind me, Satan, thou art an
man, if he gain the whole world, are of God, but those that are of offense to me; for thou relishest
and be ruined and lost? 26. For men. 34. And when he had not those things which are of
whosoever shall be ashamed of called the multitude to him along God, but those which are of
me and of my saying, of him with his disciples, he said to men. 24. Then Jesus said to his
likewise will the Son of man be them, Whosoever would follow disciples, If any man chooses to
451 “Lors il commanda expressement a ses disciples ;” — “then he expressly commanded his disciples.”
456 “Adonc usant de menaces il leur commanda qu’ils ne le dissent a personne ;” — “Then employing threatenings, he commanded
them not to tell it to any one.”
454 “Et il leur defendit avec menace qu’ils ne dissent [cela] de luy a personne ;” — “and he forbade them with threatening to
tell [this] concerning him to any one.”
457 “De iour en iour ;” — “day by day.”
452 “L’ayant prins a part ;” — “have taken him aside.”
453 “Seigneur, aye pitie de toy ;” — “Lord, have pity on thyself.”
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come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross,ashamed, when he shall come in
his own majesty, and in theme, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow me.
and follow me. 25. For majesty of his Father, and of the 35. For whosoever would save
whosoever would save his life holy angels. 27. And I say to his life shall lose it; and
shall lose it; and on the other you, There truly are some whosoever shall lose his life for
hand, whosoever shall lose his standing here who will not taste my sake, and for the sake of the
life on my account shall find it. death, till they see the kingdom
of God. 458gospel, shall save it, 36. For
what will it profit a man, if he 26. For what doth it profit a
shall gain the whole world, and man, if he shall gain the whole
lose his soul? 37. Or what shall world, and lose his own soul? or
a man give as a ransom for his what shall a man give, that, in
soul? 38. For whosoever shall exchange for it, he may redeem
be ashamed of me and of my his soul? 27. For the Son of man
words in this adulterous and will come in the glory of his
sinful generation, of him Father with his angels: and then
likewise will the Son of man be will he render to every one
ashamed, when he shall come in according to his actions.
the glory of his Father with the
holy angels.28. Verily I say to you, There
are some standing here, who will
Mark 9:1 not taste death till they have seen
the Son of man coming in his
kingdom.1. And he said to them,
Verily, I say to you, There are
some among those who stand
here 455 that will not taste death,
till they have seen the kingdom
of God come with power.
Having given a proof of his future glory, Christ reminds his disciples of what he must suffer ,
that they also may be prepared to bear the cross; for the time was at hand when they must enter
into the contest, to which he knew them to be altogether unequal, if they had not been fortified by
fresh courage. And first of all, it was necessary to inform them that Christ must commence his
reign, not with gaudy display, not with the magnificence of riches, not with the loud applause of
the world, but with an ignominious death. But nothing was harder than to rise superior to such an
offense; particularly if we consider the opinion which they firmly entertained respecting their
Master; for they imagined that he would procure for them earthly happiness. This unfounded
expectation held them in suspense, and they eagerly looked forward to the hour when Christ would
suddenly reveal the glory of his reign. So far were they from having ever adverted to the ignominy
of the cross, that they considered it to be utterly unsuitable that he should be placed in any
circumstances from which he did not receive honor. 459 To them it was a distressing occurrence that
458 “Iusqu’a taut qu’ils ayent veu le regne de Dieu ;” — “till they have seen the kingdom of God.”
455 “Il y en d’aucuns de ceux qui sont ici presens ;” — “there are some of those who are here present.”
459 “Que rien luy peust advenir qui ne fust honorable et magnifique ;” — “that any thing should happen to him which was not
honorable and magnificent.”
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he should be rejected by the elders and the scribes , who held the government of the Church; and
hence we may readily conclude that this admonition was highly necessary. But as the bare mention
of the cross must, of necessity, have occasioned heavy distress to their weak minds, he presently
heals the wound by saying, that on the third day he will rise again from the dead. And certainly,
as there is nothing to be seen in the cross but the weakness of the flesh, till we come to his
resurrection, in which the power of the Spirit shines brightly, our faith will find no encouragement
or support. In like manner, all ministers of the Word, who desire that their preaching may be
profitable, ought to be exceedingly careful that the glory of his resurrection should be always
exhibited by them in connection with the ignominy of his death.
But we naturally wonder why Christ refuses to accept as witnesses the Apostles, whom he had
already appointed to that office; for why were they sent but to be the heralds of that redemption
which depended on the coming of Christ? The answer is not difficult, if we keep in mind the
explanations which I have given on this subject: first, that they were not appointed teachers for the
purpose of bearing full and certain testimony to Christ, but only to procure disciples for their Master;
that is, to induce those who were too much the victims of sloth to become teachable and attentive;
and; secondly, that their commission was temporary, for it ended when Christ himself began to
preach. As the time of his death was now at hand, and as they were not yet fully prepared to testify
their faith, but, on the contrary, were so weak in faith, that their confession of it would have exposed
them to ridicule, the Lord enjoins them to remain silent till others shall have acknowledged him to
be the conqueror of death, and till he shall have endued them with increased firmness.
Matthew 16:22 . And Peter, taking him aside, began to rebuke him. It is a proof of the excessive
zeal of Peter, that he reproves his Master; though it would appear that the respect he entertained
for him was his reason for taking him aside, because he did not venture to reprove him in presence
of others. Still, it was highly presumptuous in Peter to advise our Lord to spare himself , as if he
had been deficient in prudence or self-command. But so completely are men hurried on and driven
headlong by inconsiderate zeal, that they do not hesitate to pass judgment on God himself, according
to their own fancy. Peter views it as absurd, that the Son of God, who was to be the Redeemer of
the nation, should be crucified by the elders , and that he who was the Author of life should be
condemned to die. He therefore endeavors to restrain Christ from exposing himself to death. The
reasoning is plausible; but we ought without hesitation to yield greater deference to the opinion of
Christ than to the zeal of Peter, whatever excuse he may plead.
And here we learn what estimation in the sight of God belongs to what are called good intentions .
So deeply is pride rooted in the hearts of men, that they think wrong is done them, and complain,
if God does not comply with every thing that they consider to be right. With what obstinacy do we
see the Papists boasting of their devotions! But while they applaud themselves in this daring manner,
God not only rejects what they believe to be worthy of the highest praise, but even pronounces a
severe censure on its folly and wickedness. Certainly, if the feeling and judgment of the flesh be
admitted, Peter’s intention was pious, or at least it looked well. And yet Christ could not have
conveyed his censure in harsher or more disdainful language. Tell me, what is the meaning of that
stern reply? How comes it that he who so mildly on all occasions guarded against breaking even
a bruised reed , (Isaiah 42:3 ,) thunders so dismally against a chosen disciple? The reason is obvious,
that in the person of one man he intended to restrain all from gratifying their own passions. Though
the lusts of the flesh, as they resemble wild beasts, are difficult to be restrained, yet there is no beast
more furious than the wisdom of the flesh. It is on this account that Christ reproves it so sharply,
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and bruises it, as it were, with an iron hammer, to teach us that it is only from the word of God that
we ought to be wise.
- Get thee behind me, Satan. It is idle to speculate, as some have done, about the word ( ὀπίσω )
behind; as if Peter were ordered to follow, and not to go before; for, in a passage which we have
already considered, Luke ( 4:8) informs us that our Lord used those very words in repelling the
attacks of Satan, and the verb ὕπαγε (from which the Latin word Apage is derived) signifies to
withdraw460Christ therefore throws his disciple to a distance from him, because, in his inconsiderate
zeal, he acted the part of Satan; for he does not simply call him adversary ,but gives him the name
of the devil, as an expression of the greatest abhorrence.
Thou art an offense to me; for thou relishest not those things which are of God, but those which
are of men. We must attend to this as the reason assigned by our Lord for sending Peter away from
him. Peter was an offense to Christ, so long as he opposed his calling; for, when Peter attempted
to stop the course of his Master, it was not owing to him that he did not deprive himself and all
mankind of eternal salvation. This single word, therefore, shows with what care we ought to avoid
every thing that withdraws us from obedience to God. And Christ opens up the original source of
the whole evil, when he says that Peter relishes those things which are of men.461 Lest we and our
intentions should be sent away by our heavenly Judge to the devil, 462 let us learn not to be too much
attached to our own views, but submissively to embrace whatever the Lord approves. Let the Papists
now go and extol their notions to the skies. They will one day learn, when they appear before the
judgment-seat of God, what is the value of their boasting, which Christ declares to be from Satan
And with regard to ourselves, if we do not, of our own accord, resolve to shut ourselves out from
the way of salvation by deadly obstacles, let us not desire to be wise in any other manner than from
the mouth of God.
- Then Jesus said to his disciples. As Christ saw that Peter had a dread of the cross , and that
all the rest were affected in the same way, he enters into a general discourse about bearing the
cross , and does not limit his address to the twelve apostles, but lays down the same law for all the
godly. 463 We have already met with a statement nearly similar, ( Matthew 10:38 .) 464 But in that
passage the apostles were only reminded of the persecution which awaited them, as soon as they
should begin to discharge their office; while a general instruction is here conveyed, and the initiatory
lessons, so to speak, inculcated on all who profess to believe the Gospel.
If any man will come after me. These words are used for the express purpose of refuting the
false views of Peter 465 Presenting himself to every one as an example of self-denial and of patience,
he first shows that it was necessary for him to endure what Peter reckoned to be inconsistent with
his character, and next invites every member of his body to imitate him. The words must be explained
in this manner: “If any man would be my disciple, let him follow me by denying himself and taking
up his cross , or, let him conform himself to my example.” The meaning is, that none can be reckoned
460 “Le mot Grec signifie simplement se reculer et s’en aller ;” — “the Greek word simply means to withdraw and go away .”
461 “Que Pierre s’arreste a la sagesse de l’homme ;” — “that Peter rests satisfied with the wisdom of man.”
462 “Et pourtant de peur que le Iuge celeste ne nous renvoye au diable avec nos bonnes affections et intentions ;” — “and then
lest our heavenly Judge should send us away to the devil with our good feelings and intentions.”
463 “A tous fideles ;” — “to all believers.”
464 Harmony, vol. 1 p. 472 .
465 “Pour refuter l’imagination que Pierre avoit en son corveau ;” — “to refute the imagination which Peter had in his brain.”
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to be the disciples of Christ unless they are true imitators of him, and are willing to pursue the same
course.
He lays down a brief rule for our imitation, in order to make us acquainted with the chief points
in which he wishes us to resemble him. It consists of two parts, self-denial and a voluntary bearing
of the cross. Let him deny himself. This self-denial is very extensive, and implies that we ought to
give up our natural inclinations, and part with all the affections of the flesh, and thus give our
consent to be reduced to nothing, provided that God lives and reigns in us. We know with what
blind love men naturally regard themselves, how much they are devoted to themselves, how highly
they estimate themselves. But if we desire to enter into the school of Christ, we must begin with
that folly to which Paul ( 1 Corinthians 3:18 ) exhorts us, becoming fools , that we may be wise; and
next we must control and subdue all our affections.
And let him take up his cross. He lays down this injunction, because, though there are common
miseries to which the life of men is indiscriminately subjected, yet as God trains his people in a
peculiar manner, in order that they may be conformed to the image of his Son, we need not wonder
that this rule is strictly addressed to them. It may be added that, though God lays both on good and
bad men the burden of the cross, yet unless they willingly bend their shoulders to it, they are not
said to bear the cross; for a wild and refractory horse cannot be said to admit his rider, though he
carries him. The patience of the saints, therefore, consists in bearing willingly the cross which has
been laid on them. 466 Luke adds the word daily — let him take up his cross Daily — which is very
emphatic; for Christ’s meaning is, that there will be no end to our warfare till we leave the world.
Let it be the uninterrupted exercise of the godly, that when many afflictions have run their course,
they may be prepared to endure fresh afflictions.
- For he that would save his life shall lose it. It is a most appropriate consolation, that they
who willingly suffer death for the sake of Christ 467 do actually obtain life; for Mark expressly states
this as the motive to believers in dying — for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel — and in the
words of Matthew the same thing must be understood. It frequently happens that irreligious men
are prompted by ambition or despair to despise life; and to such persons it will be no advantage
that they are courageous in meeting death. The threatening, which is contrasted with the promise,
has also a powerful tendency to shake off carnal sloth, when he reminds men who are desirous of
the present life, that the only advantage which they reap is, to lose life. There is a contrast intended
here between temporal and eternal death, as we have explained under Matthew 10:39 , where the
reader will find the rest of this subject. 468
- For what doth it profit a man? The word soul is here used in the strictest sense. Christ
reminds them that the soul of man was not created merely to enjoy the world for a few days, but
to obtain at length its immortality in heaven. What carelessness and what brutal stupidity is this,
that men are so strongly attached to the world, and so much occupied with its affairs, as not to
consider why they were born, and that God gave them an immortal soul, in order that, when the
course of the earthly life was finished, they might live eternally in heaven! And, indeed, it is
universally acknowledged, that the soul is of higher value than all the riches and enjoyments of the
world; but yet men are so blinded by carnal views, that they knowingly and willfully abandon their
466 “A porter la croix qua Dieu leur met sur les epaules ;” — “in bearing the cross which God lays on their shoulders.”
467 “Ceux qui meurent alaigrement pour Christ ;” — “those who die cheerfully for Christ.”
468 Harmony, vol. 1 p. 472 .
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souls to destruction. That the world may not fascinate us by its allurements, let us remember the
surpassing worth of our soul; for if this be seriously considered, it will easily dispel the vain
imaginations of earthly happiness.
- For the Son of man will come. That the doctrine which has just been laid down may more
deeply affect our minds, Christ places before our eyes the future judgment; for if we would perceive
the worthlessness of this fading life, we must be deeply affected by the view of the heavenly life.
So tardy and sluggish is our mind, that it needs to be aided by looking towards heaven. Christ
summons believers to his judgment-seat, to lead them to reflect at all times that they lived for no
other object than to long after that blessed redemption, which will be revealed at the proper time.
The admonition is intended to inform us, that they do not strive in vain who set a higher value on
the confession of faith than on their own life. “Place your lives fearlessly,” says he, “in my hand,
and under my protection; for I will at length appear as your avenger, and will fully restore you,
though for the time you may seem to have perished.”
In the glory of the Father, with his angels. These are mentioned to guard his disciples against
judging of his kingdom from present appearances; for hitherto he was unknown and despised, being
concealed under the form and condition of a servant. He assures them that it will be far otherwise
when he shall appear as the Judge of the world. As to the remaining part of the passage in Mark
and Luke, the reader will find it explained under the tenth chapter of Matthew. 469
And then will he render to every one according to his actions. The reward of works has been
treated by me as fully as was necessary under another passage. 470 It amounts to this: When a reward
is promised to good works, their merit is not contrasted with the justification which is freely bestowed
on us through faith; nor is it pointed out as the cause of our salvation, but is only held out to excite
believers to aim at doing what is right, 471 by assuring them that their labor will not be lost. There
is a perfect agreement, therefore, between these two statements, that we are justified freely , (Romans
3:24,) because we are received into God’s favor without any merit; 472 and yet that God, of his own
good pleasure, bestows on our works a reward which we did not deserve.
- Verily, I say to you. As the disciples might still hesitate and inquire when that day would
be, our Lord animates them by the immediate assurance, that he will presently give them a proof
of his future glory. We know the truth of the common proverb, that to one who is in expectation
even speed looks like delay; but never does it hold more true, than when we are told to wait for our
salvation till the coming of Christ. To support his disciples in the meantime, our Lord holds out to
them, for confirmation, an intermediate period; as much as to say, “If it seem too long to wait for
the day of my coming, I will provide against this in good time; for before you come to die, you will
see with your eyes that kingdom of God, of which I bid you entertain a confident hope.” This is
the natural import of the words; for the notion adopted by some, that they were intended to apply
to John, is ridiculous.
Coming in his kingdom. By the coming of the kingdom of God we are to understand the
manifestation of heavenly glory, which Christ began to make at his resurrection, and which he
469 Harmony, vol. 1 p. 466 .
470 “Alibi is a general reference, but en un autre passage is more specific; and the passage to which he probably refers the
reader for a distinct exhibition of his views, and in which, so far as I remember, he handles this subject more fully than in any
other part of the Gospels, is John 4:36 .” — Ed.
471 “A faire bonnes oeuvres ;” — “to do good works.”
472 “Sans que nous en soyons dignes, ou l’ayons meritd ;” — “without being worthy of it, or having deserved it.”
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afterwards made more fully by sending the Holy Spirit, and by the performance of miracles; for
by those beginnings he gave his people a taste of the newness of the heavenly life, when they
perceived, by certain and undoubted proofs, that he was sitting at the right hand of the Father.
