Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G079 The Lord Jesus Foretells His Suffering
The Conditions for Following the Lord
Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 8:31-38; 9:1; Luke 9:22-27

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All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 16:21-28

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

22 Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.

23 But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of *God, but those that be of men.

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Mark 8:31-38

31 And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And He spake that saying openly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him.

33 But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of *God, but the things that be of men.

34 And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it.

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

Mark 9:1

1 And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Luke 9:22-27

22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.

25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

In this lesson, we will study how the Lord Jesus prophesied about His suffering and, for the second time, presented the conditions for those who wish to follow Him.

Matthew 16:21

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Mark 8:31

31 And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Luke 9:22

22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

“From that time forth” refers to the moment when Peter confessed that the Lord Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the Lord Jesus announced that He would establish His Church. The period from that time until the Lord Jesus was crucified was about six months. Therefore, the Lord Jesus began to foretell His suffering to the disciples. Later, the Lord Jesus mentioned His suffering to the disciples three times, with the last time being two days before the Passover (Matthew 26:2). The place where the Lord Jesus would suffer was Jerusalem. Therefore, after completing His final preaching in Galilee, the Lord Jesus set out to return to Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesus indicated that He would suffer greatly at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes.

“The elders” refer to the elders of the people of Israel, members of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin was composed of 70 elders under the presidency of the high priest.

“The chief priests” mentioned by the Lord Jesus include Annas, the retired high priest, and Caiaphas, the current high priest.

Annas served as high priest from AD 6 to AD 15 before being deposed by the Roman authorities. Despite this, he retained significant influence among the people of Israel and within Judaism, as he was highly respected by many.

Caiaphas, who was Annas’s son-in-law, served as high priest from AD 18 to AD 36. However, the real power still resided with Annas. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus was arrested, the Temple guards first brought Him to Annas’s house before transferring Him to Caiaphas’s house (John 18:12-24).

“The scribes” were those who specialized in copying and interpreting the Scriptures, most of whom were Pharisees.

All three groups holding the highest authority among the people of Israel conspired to kill the Lord Jesus. This was because the teachings of the Lord Jesus were contrary to their own and were admired by the people. He was also renowned for the miracles of healing and exorcisms He performed. But perhaps what angered them the most was that He frequently exposed their hypocrisy and rebuked them in front of large crowds.

Mark and Luke both add a detail that Matthew omits: that the Lord Jesus was “rejected” (G593), meaning He was denied and not accepted.

Matthew and Luke record that the Lord Jesus would rise on the third day, while Mark states that He would rise “after three days.” It is possible that Matthew and Luke recorded the exact words of the Lord Jesus, while Mark might have recorded according to his own understanding or that of the storyteller.

The Lord Jesus died around 3 p.m. on a Passover day, which was the 14th of Nisan according to the Hebrew calendar. He was buried before sunset. The sunset is the marking of the end of a day. According to the Bible, a new day begins immediately after the sunset of the current day. The burial of the Lord Jesus was likely completed around 5 p.m., in time for everyone to go home before sunset, in preparation for the next day, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

• From around 5 p.m. on the 14th to around 5 p.m. on the 15th is a full day, the first day.

• From around 5 p.m. on the 15th to around 5 p.m. on the 16th is a full day, the second day.

• From around 5 p.m. on the 16th to around 5 p.m. on the 17th is a full day, the third day.

If the Lord Jesus rose around 5 p.m. on the 17th, it could be said that He was resurrected after a full three days. He was also in the earth for a full three days and three nights according to His own prophecy (Matthew 12:40). However, it could also be said that He rose on the third day after His death, since His resurrection occurred in the afternoon of the third day following His death.

When comparing details in the Bible with historical records, we know that the Lord Jesus was crucified and died on Passover, the 14th of Nisan, in the year 3787 according to the Hebrew Calendar. This date corresponds to Wednesday, April 9, AD 27, in the Julian Calendar; or Wednesday, April 7, AD 27, in the Gregorian Calendar, which we currently use. The Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the evening of the Sabbath, the 17th of Nisan, in the year 3787, according to the Hebrew Calendar. This date corresponds to Saturday, April 12, AD 27, in the Julian Calendar; or Saturday, April 10, AD 27, in the Gregorian Calendar. For further details, please refer to the article “The Day of the Lord’s Death and the Day of the Lord’s Resurrection” on the website preachingfromthebible.net [1].

“Be raised” means to be brought back to life by *God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.” (Acts 2:24)

“Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from His iniquities.” (Acts 3:26)

“Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.” (1 Corinthians 15:15)

“But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:11)

From the moment the Lord Jesus was resurrected, His resurrected physical body acted entirely as God. In other words, from that point onward, God the Word has always manifested through the physical body under the title of the Lamb. Revelation 21 and 22 prophesy about the new heaven, new earth, and the Eternal Kingdom, using the title of the Lamb to refer to God the Word. This title will forever remind all creation of the love and salvation that God gave to humanity through the sacrifice of God the Word.

Matthew 16:22-23

22 Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.

23 But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of *God, but those that be of men.

Mark 8:32-33

32 And He spake that saying openly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him.

33 But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of *God, but the things that be of men.

The term “Satan” in the original Hebrew of the Old Testament (H7854) and in the original Greek of the New Testament (G4566) both mean “enemy” or “adversary.” This term is used in the Bible to refer to an angel who sinned and became the leader of the angels who rebelled against God. There is one instance in the New Testament where this term was used by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16:33 to call Peter an adversary.

Although Peter’s intention in advising the Lord Jesus was good, as he did not want the Lord to suffer, Peter’s advice went against the will and work of *God. For this reason, the Lord Jesus used the term “Satan” to address Peter, emphasizing the opposition to *God’s will, in order to help Peter quickly realize his mistake.

The Lord Jesus said that Peter “savourest not the things that be of *God, but those that be of men.” This means that Peter did not think about the fact that the Lord Jesus had to suffer and die as a sacrifice to atone for humanity’s sins, according to *God’s will and plan. Instead, Peter hoped that *God would not allow the Lord Jesus to suffer and die. By doing so, Peter placed his own desires above *God’s will. It is very likely that Peter did not intend to do this, but his impulsive actions driven by emotions led him to oppose *God. Peter should have asked the Lord Jesus why He had to endure suffering so that the Lord could explain it to him in detail.

In reality, many words and actions may seem good, but they go against the will and work of *God. God’s people must carefully compare their feelings, desires, and decisions with God’s Word to ensure that their words and actions do not oppose *God.

Today, there are many who profess to be disciples of Christ but do not accept certain Bible verses that do not align with their feelings and desires. They choose to act according to their own will. They become like Satan. There are also those who interpret Bible verses according to their own understanding, not acknowledging the teachings that come from those whom *God has appointed to teach His Word within the Church. They too become opponents of *God, as they distort the meaning of God’s Word. They bring destruction upon themselves, as written in 2 Peter 3:16.

Peter’s advice became a stumbling block to the Lord Jesus because, had the Lord Jesus followed that advice, He too would have become an opponent of *God. Any words from God’s people that do not align with the truths of the Bible can be stumbling blocks to others. And the one who speaks will be held accountable if someone sins because of their words. God’s people must be careful when offering advice to others. Do not give advice based on emotions or worldly wisdom, but ensure that what you want to say aligns with God’s Word.

Matthew 16:24-25

24 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.

Mark 8:34-35

34 And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it.

Luke 9:23-24

23 And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.

Peter’s advice came from his own will, aimed at preventing the Lord Jesus from suffering and dying according to *God’s will. Perhaps for this reason, the Lord Jesus took the opportunity to once again teach His disciples, along with the crowd, about the conditions for following Him. That condition is self-denial and suffering for His sake. This is something that is required for anyone who wishes to follow the Lord Jesus.

Self-denial means no longer living for oneself but living for the Lord and following *God’s commandments, even if it involves suffering. It is a way of life that places *God above all else and loves others as oneself. When necessary, it includes sacrificing one’s reputation, possessions, and even life to act according to God’s Word. For example, someone who denies themselves may give up a job that does not align with God’s Word, end a relationship that is not in accordance with God’s Word, abandon a life of luxury and wastefulness, and renounce superstitious customs, bad habits, or addictions.

Taking up one’s cross means enduring the suffering and injustice that come one’s way because that person lives according to God’s Word. The cross was a common instrument of execution used by the Roman Empire for criminals. Typically, the criminal would have to carry the horizontal beam of the cross to the place of execution. The cross symbolizes humiliation, suffering, and death. Carrying the cross is accepting these things, even when they are unjustly imposed.

Luke added the words “daily.” It is possible that the Lord Jesus did not originally say these two words, but this was how the narrator for Luke understood it. This understanding does not contradict the Lord Jesus’ message. We believe that the Holy Spirit allowed Luke to include this word so that God’s people could understand clearly and correctly what the Lord Jesus meant. Indeed, the life of God’s people is one of daily suffering for the sake of the Lord’s name, for the world continually persecutes those who are disciples of Christ.

Matthew 16:25 is similar to Matthew 10:39. We will quote the commentary on Matthew 10:39 below:

[Quote:]

A person who seeks to save their life is someone who strives in every way to preserve their life, from working for a living to avoiding danger and persecution. This is the survival instinct that God has given to every creature. There is nothing wrong with following this survival instinct. However, if someone seeks to save their life by denying the Lord or violating God’s commandments, they will lose their life, both in this life and the next. Losing life in this life means that the physical body will be separated from the spirit and soul, returning to dust. Losing life in the afterlife means that the resurrected body will be reunited with the soul but will be eternally separated from God, suffering in hell. But whoever loves the Lord Jesus more than their own life, choosing death over forsaking their faith in Jesus, honoring God’s name, and keeping His commandments, will have their physical body resurrected and live eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven.

[End of quote.]

The Bible verses below help us understand what it means to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow the Lord.

“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:7-8)

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Every child of God should memorize these Bible verses and regularly meditate on them, comparing them with their thoughts, words, and actions.

Matthew 16:26

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Mark 8:36-37

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Luke 9:25

25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

During Satan’s temptation of the Lord Jesus, he promised to give Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:8-9). However, worshiping Satan is a grave sin that leads to eternal destruction in hell. What benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world for a few decades, only to die and be eternally lost in hell? The soul, that is, the person, is a being created by God to enjoy His love, but any soul that sins will die, meaning it will be eternally separated from God and suffer in hell.

There is nothing a person can offer to redeem their soul, meaning their very self. A person can only be redeemed by the atoning death of Christ. However, if someone chooses to continue living in sin, they will not receive Christ’s salvation.

Matthew 16:27-28

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.

Mark 8:38

38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

Mark 9:1

1 And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Luke 9:26-27

26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

The Bible frequently speaks of the event where the Lord Jesus will reward each of His people according to their deeds on the day He returns to take the Church out of the world. We understand that this reward will be announced in the midst of the air, when the people of God are caught up from the earth and meet the Lord Jesus Christ on the clouds.

This reward is, first and foremost, the glory that will be given to the resurrected or transformed physical bodies of God’s people. Revelation 19:8 refers to this as being clothed with fine linen, bright and clean, symbolizing the glory given to each believer according to their righteous deeds. Each person will have a different measure of glory, which we understand as the beauty and radiance of their physical bodies. Next, the authority to rule in the Kingdom of God will be given to each person. The level of authority will differ from one individual to another, but each person will have a significant role in ruling. The Kingdom of God includes both the physical and spiritual realms. In the physical realm alone, the innumerable planets and stars that God has given to mankind may be entrusted to the Church to govern (Deuteronomy 4:19).

Mark and Luke both add details about those who are ashamed of Christ and His teachings being met with His shame in return. Mark also adds that Jesus called that generation an “adulterous and sinful generation,” implying that it was a spiritually adulterous generation of Israel that rejected God through a lifestyle that violated His commandments.

When the Lord Jesus comes to take the Church out of the world, He will naturally come in His glorious, immortal physical body. However, He will also come in the glory of God, meaning the external brilliance of God’s glory will envelop both the physical body of Christ and the surrounding space. At the same time, the angels accompanying Jesus will also shine with their own glory. When the Church is caught up in the air, each individual will also radiate their own glory.

We believe that, in that sacred moment, even though the world that does not belong to the Lord will not be able to see the Lord Jesus, the angels, or the Church, they will be able to see the glory that covers the heavens. They might see an unusually bright sky. This extraordinary phenomenon might serve as the basis for authorities to explain the disappearance of God’s people as a result of abductions by extraterrestrials.

Matthew records that some standing with the Lord will not taste death until they see Him coming in His kingdom. Mark and Luke both record that some standing with the Lord will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of *God.

Tasting death refers to experiencing death but being resurrected. This phrase implies that at the moment the soul and spirit leave the physical body, a person becomes aware of the death of the physical body. For those who do not belong to the Lord, this might be the most terrifying moment, as they realize that they have been eternally lost, with no opportunity to accept God’s salvation. For those who belong to the Lord, they will see Christ welcoming them, as experienced by Stephen the Deacon (Acts 7:55-56).

The Kingdom of *God is given to the Lord Jesus Christ and is therefore also called the Kingdom of Christ.

We believe that the transfiguration of the physical body of the Lord Jesus, along with the presence of Moses and Elijah, is what Jesus referred to as His coming in His kingdom and the coming of the Kingdom of *God. We will discuss this in detail in the next lesson.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
09/14/2024

Notes:

[1] https://preachingfromthebible.net/the-day-of-the-lords-death-and-the-day-of-the-lords-resurrection/

About Using “*God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible uses a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.