Matthew 16:24 ¶ 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.
Christ then lays out, after rebuking Peter, the most basic demands
made on His disciples. They were clearly looking at things from too temporal
and too worldly a perspective. The true Christian must deny himself; his sin,
his ungodliness, his worldliness, even his own righteousness.
1John 2:15 Love not the
world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. 16 For
all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
The Christian must not seek worldly wealth but focus on treasure
in heaven.
Matthew 6:19 ¶ Lay not up
for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves break through and steal: 20
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.
The Encyclopedia Britannica online notes that crucifixion, the
reference to the cross, was not used first by the Romans. But the Persians, the
Carthaginians, and the Seleucids also used that horrific form of execution.[1] The
point here is that the suffering and persecution Christ’s followers faced was
something they should embrace as a badge of their obedience to Him, following
their rejection of the demands that Self makes or rather putting God first over
Self. The third step after denying one’s self and taking up one’s cross of
persecution and suffering, is to openly follow Christ.
If a man or a woman tries to save themselves by pursuit of the
approval of mankind, the pursuit of sin, the pursuit of worldliness, the
exaltation of their self apart from God they will lose that life they hold most
precious in eternity. But whomever dies in the service of Christ will ensure
their life everlasting with Him in eternity.
Remember Matthew 10:38,39 as the disciples were sent out on a
perilous mission?
Matthew 10:38 And he that
taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and
he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Consider this in Revelation.
Revelation 12:11 And they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and
they loved not their lives unto the death.
What good would it do us get everything this world had to offer; pleasure,
success, wealth, and power and then lose our souls in eternity? What is
something so valuable in this world, in this finite life that is receding from
you every moment that is worth your eternal soul?
Verse 27 is one of those verses that gives a broad explanation of
something that is described elsewhere in more detail. Notice how the following
in Revelation depicts the end of history in general terms while the rest of
Revelation is more specific as to events.
Revelation 11:18 And the
nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the
prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Now notice these references later in Matthew;
Matthew 24:30 And then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 25:31 ¶ When the
Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith
unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven.
Verse 27 speaks of Christ’s return in the glory of God the Father
with His angels. Verse 28, though, speaks of those standing with Him who will
see Him coming in His kingdom, which is clearly a reference to what happens in
chapter 17. He says that He will return with His angels to judge the world and
that, truthfully, there are disciples standing there who will see Him in His
glorified state.
So, in chapter 16, Jesus begins at Caesarea Philippi with a
question for His disciples. Who do men say that I, the Messiah, am? Then He
expounds on His coming Crucifixion and Resurrection, which Peter objects to,
and which requires a rebuke from Christ. Christ then goes on to explain the
level of commitment a disciple of His will need in the coming years. He reveals
His inevitable return to judge the world and then says that selected disciples
will see Him as He is in His kingdom. This will happen next.
[1] Encyclopedia Britannica online,
“crucifixion; capital punishment,” https://www.britannica.com/topic/cross-religious-symbol (accessed 4.24.2023).
No comments:
Post a Comment