Matthew 16:20

Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. THEN CHARGED HE HIS DISCIPLES THAT THEY SHOULD TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS JESUS THE CHRIST. Now that He had been so explicit, they might naturally think the time had come for giving it out openly; but here they are told it had not. The occasion here is evidently the same....

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 h...

13-20 Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or firmness in professing the truth. The word translated "rock," is not the same word as Peter, but is of a similar meaning. Nothing can be more wrong than to suppose that Christ meant the person of Peter was the rock. Without doubt Christ himself is the Rock, the tried foundation of the church; and woe to him that attempts to lay any other! Peter's confession is this rock as to doctrine. If Jesus be not the Christ, those that own him are not of the church, but deceivers and deceived. Our Lord next declared the au...

Verse Matthew 16:20. _THEN CHARGED HE HIS DISCIPLES_] διεστειλατο, _he_ _strictly charged them_. Some very good MSS. have επετιμησεν, _he_ _severely charged-comminatus est,-he threatened_. These are the readings of the _Cod. Bezae_, both in the _Greek_ and _Latin_. _THE CHRIST._] The common text has _Jesus the Christ_; but the word _Jesus_ is omitted by fifty-four MSS., some of which are not only of the greatest _authority_, but also of the greatest _antiquity_. It is omitted also by the _Syriac_, later _Persic_, later _Arabic, Slavonic_, six copies of the _Itala_, and several of the fathers. The most eminent critics approve of this omission, and Griesbach has left it out of the text in both his editions. I believe the insertion of it here to be wholly superfluous and improper;

See also Mark 8:27, and Luke 9:18. CESAREA PHILIPPI - There were two cities in Judea called Caesarea. One was situated on the borders of the Mediterranean (See the notes at Acts 8:40), and the other was the one mentioned here. This city was greatly enlarged and ornamented by Philip the tetrarch, son of Herod, and called Caesarea in honor of the Roman emperor, Tiberius Caesar. To distinguish it from the other Caesarea the name of Philip was added to it, and it was called Caesarea Philippi, or Caesarea of Philippi. It was situated in the boundaries of the tribe of Naphtali, at the foot of Mount Hermon. It is now called Panias or Banias, and contains (circa 1880’s) about 200

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 16:1 _The Pharisees and Sadducees desire a sign. _(Mark 8:11.) MATTHEW 16:1 THE PHARISEES ALSO WITH THE SADDUEEES; rather, _and the Pharisees and Sadducees. _The scribes and Pharisees are often mentioned together as watching or attacking Jesus; but this is the first time that we hear of Pharisees combining with Sadducees for this purpose. The two sects were directly opposed to each other, the traditional belief of the former being antagonistic to the scepticism and materialism of the latter. But both were hostile to Christ, whose teaching, on the one hand interfered with rabbinism, and on the

THEN CHARGED HE HIS DISCIPLES,.... When Peter had so freely and fully confessed him to be the Messiah, and which was the sense of all the disciples; and when Christ had expressed his approbation of his confession, and had promised such great and excellent things upon it, he gave a strict charge unto his disciples, THAT THEY SHOULD TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS JESUS THE CHRIST. The word Jesus is not in some copies; and is left out in the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions; nor does it seem absolutely necessary; it was enough to charge them to tell no man that he was the Messiah: his reasons for it might be, lest his enemies, the Scribes and Pharisees, should be the more provoked and incensed against him, and seek his death before his time; and lest the jealousy of the Romans should be stirred up, who might fear he would set up himself against Caesar, as king of the Jews, which might lead the...

CHARGED The disciples had been proclaiming Jesus as the Christ, that is, the covenanted King of a kingdom promised to the Jews, and "at hand." The church, on the contrary, must be built upon testimony to Him as crucified, risen from the dead, ascended, and made "Head over all things to the church." (Ephesians 1:20). The former testimony was ended, the new testimony was not yet ready, because the blood of the new covenant had not yet been shed, but our Lord begins to speak of His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21). It is a turning-point of immense significance: JESUS Omit "Jesus....

MATTHEW 16:20 o` Cristo,j {B} To the shorter reading, which is supported by widely diversified ancient witnesses (a* B L D Q ¦1 ¦13 28 565 700 1010 1424 it syrc, p copsa Origen _al_), inattentive scribes added VIhsou/j either before o` Cristo,j (a2 C W lat syrh _al_) or after o` Cristo,j (Dgr itc). But since others knew and acknowledged Jesus’ personal name, it would have been useless to deny or affirm that he was Jesus; the point under discussion was whether he was the M...

4. THE GREAT ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE REJECTED KING CONCERNING HIMSELF. CHAPTER 16 1. Pharisees and Sadducees Asking a Sign. (Matthew 16:1 .) 2. Instructions Concerning the Leaven. (Matthew 16:5 .) 3. Peter's Confession. (Matthew 16:13 .) 4. The Future Building of the Church Announced. (Matthew 16:17 .) 5. The Announcement of His Death and Resurrection. (Matthew 16:21 .) 6. Peter's Rebuke and the Lord's Answer. (Matthew 16:22 .) 7. The Pa