(27) “AND Jesus went forth, and His disciples, into the villages of Cæsarea Philippi: and on the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Who do men say that I am? (28) And they told Him, saying, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, One of the prophets. (29) And He asked them, But who say ye that I am? Peter answereth and saith unto Him, Thou art the Christ. (30) And He charged them that they should tell no man of Him.
(31) “And He began to teach them, that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (32) And He spake the saying openly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him. (33) But He turning about, and seeing His disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith, Get thee behind Me, Satan; for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. (34) And He called unto Him the multitude with His disciples, and said unto them, If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up His cross, and follow Me. (35) For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel's shall save it. (36) For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? (37) For what should a man give in exchange for his life? (38) For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also shall be ashamed of him, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Golden Text.—“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matt. 16: 16.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) Into what region was Jesus going when the conversation here recorded took place? From what place was He going? What question did He ask the disciples by the way? Verse 27. Note 1. (2) What was the answer of the disciples? Verse 28. Note 2. (3) Then what personal question did Jesus ask? Which of the disciples answered? What was his frank reply? Verse 29. Note 3. (4) What charge did Jesus then give them all? Verse 30. Note 4. (5) Then what new lessons did He begin to teach them? Verse 31. Note 5. (6) What was His manner of teaching these things? How did Peter receive the new doctrine? Verse 32. Note 6. (7) How did Jesus receive this rebuke of Peter's? What did He say of Peter's attitude toward His teaching? What was the real cause of Peter's position? Verse 33. Note 7. (8) After this whom did Jesus call to Him? What condition of discipleship did He lay before them? Verse 34. Note 8. (9) What must be the result of man's own efforts to save his life? How alone can he save his life? Verse 35. Note 9. (10) With what questions did Jesus emphasize this life principle? Verses 36, 37. Note 10. (11) What incentive to courage in the Lord is then given? Verse 38. Note 11.
NOTES.
1. “On the way.”—Jesus had gone out from Bethsaida into the villages of Cæsarea Philippi, as shown by verses 22–26 of the lesson chapter, where He had healed a blind man. Luke says (ch. 9:18) that Jesus was “alone praying” when His disciples came to Him. This would indicate that, as Jesus journeyed, He was wont to stop by the way to pray. It was just after He had been in prayer that He had asked this question. It was a question that was calculated to test their observation as they mingled with the people in their journeys.
2. The answer.—Herod had thought Jesus was John the Baptist. Mark 6:14. The Jews understood that Elijah was to be the forerunner of the Messiah, according to Mal. 4:5, and supposed it would be Elijah in person, instead of one in the “spirit and power of Elijah.” Luke 1:17. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the Elijah that was to come. Matt. 11:14. Others said it was “one of the prophets,” and some specially designated Jeremiah. Matt. 16:14.
3. “Whom say ye that I am?” was a further test of the progress the disciples had made in the school of Christ. They were along in the last year of their course, and it was time for personal examination as to their knowledge of the fundamental truths of the Gospel. It is a vital question to every individual to-day, “What think ye of Christ?” Matt. 22:42.
4. “Tell no man.”—Why not?—The following verse tells. There were still other things for them to learn before they were fully prepared to make that proclamation.
5. “He began to teach,” etc., shows that He had not directly taught them these testing truths before. This was something entirely new to the traditional theology of the Jews.
6. The disciples had certainly been with Jesus long enough to be prepared to receive doctrine at His word, without question. But many disciples even at this late day are as slack in accepting the plain Word of God as were those of that early period. They are as closely wedded to their traditional doctrines as were the people of the olden time. “Peter began to rebuke Him.” In Matt. 16:22, we read that Peter said, “Be it far from Thee, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee.”
7. The word “satan” means adversary. Evidently the Lord would not charge His erring disciple with being the personal arch-adversary, but simply an opponent instead of a friend, as Peter professed to be, and really desired to be. This emphasizes why the Lord did not want the disciples to begin proclaiming that He was the Christ; they did not yet understand what it meant to be the Christ, or to be His followers in the world.
8. Self-denial is a leading characteristic of the true disciple of Christ, as it was of the Master, who left His home in glory, where He was a partner in the throne of the universe, and took upon Him the likeness of sinful flesh, in order to exalt sinful man to a glorious estate. So the exhortation, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:10. See, also, Phil. 2:5-9.
9. Whosoever would falter or turn back from any duty imposed upon him by the Gospel, altho his life might be endangered, is not deemed fit for the kingdom of God. See Luke 9:62.
10. “The whole world” that now is will not be of long duration. At best it is “reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7, 10. So it is not a very tempting bribe to the man of faith, and will not induce him to barter his birthright to obtain it. But even if it should remain eternally, what profit would it be to a man without eternal life in which to enjoy it?
11. The final separation between the righteous and the wicked will take place when Jesus comes in glory with all the holy angels, and whomsoever the Lord is ashamed of then will be beyond hope of ever gaining favor with the Creator and Judge of the world. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
