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John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
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MacArthur explains "Popular Jewish superstition held that demons could perform earthly miracles but that only God could perform heavenly ones. From heaven indicates the desire to see a miraculous sign in the sky. The Pharisees and Sadducees demanded a miracle they thought was beyond Jesus, hoping to prove that His power, and therefore His message, were not divine. He would be publicly discredited, and they would be vindicated...As Abraham said of the brothers in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31). Like Pharaoh before Moses, the more they saw God's power demonstrated, the more they hardened their hearts against Him (Ex. 7-11). Heavenly signs would come in the future (Matt. 24:29-30; Luke 21:11, 25; Acts 2:19; Rev. 15:1), but they would signal the very end. (See Matthew Commentary) Albert Barnes on sign from heaven - Some miraculous appearance in the sky. Such appearances had been given by the prophets; and they supposed, if he was the Messiah, that his miracles would not all be confined to the earth, but that he was able to give some signal miracle from heaven. Samuel had caused it to thunder 1 Samuel 12:16-18; Isaiah had caused the shadow to go back ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz Isaiah 38:8; and Moses had sent manna from heaven, Exodus 16:4; John 6:31. It is proper to say, that though Christ did not choose then to show such wonders, yet far more stupendous signs from heaven than these were exhibited at his death. (See Miracles at Calvary in the Death of Jesus Christ ) The religious leaders were like Voltaire who said "Even if a miracle should be wrought in the open marketplace before a thousand sober witnesses, I would rather mistrust my senses than admit a miracle." Guess what? Voltaire believes in miracles today!!! See some of Voltaire's last words. As an aside, God would give the religious leaders and all of Israel a "sign" from Heaven when Jesus was crucified, and that "sign" would be darkening of the heavens in the middle of the day, as Jesus bore the sin of the world and the Father turned away! Mk 15:33+ says that "When the sixth hour (High Noon) came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour." (3PM, the time of the sacrifice of the lambs in the Temple!) This sign from Heaven would be followed by a sign on earth when He gave up His spirit, Mark recording that "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." (Mk 15:38) This "sign" signified the end of the Old Covenant and beginning of the New Covenant which provided access to God's Holy Place (cf Heb 10:19-20+). Sign (4592)(semeion akin to semaino = to give a sign; sema = a sign) is a distinguishing mark or symbol that carries a special meaning or like a simple sign points to something else. In Scripture when semeion used of God's miraculous works (that which is contrary to the usual course of nature) it points to spiritual truth. A sign directs attention away from its unusual nature to the meaning and the significance it points to. It speaks of outward compelling proof of divine authority. Twice in Matthew Jesus answered the Jews request for signs declaring "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet." (Mt 12:39, Mt 16:4) He was referring of course to His resurrection as the sign of Jonah. In the uses of semeion by His disciples in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 there of course was no rebuke for they were not asking out of a heart of unbelief but of belief. Ancient peoples often viewed signs in the sky, such as lightning or eclipses, as omens of terrible things to come (Mt. 16:3).
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MacArthur - Those sayings correspond to the age-old mariner's ditty, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning." From many years of observation men learned that a red sky in the evening is usually followed by good weather, whereas a red sky in the morning is often followed by a storm. The religious leaders who confronted Jesus accepted the reliability of that folk meteorology without question. (See MacArthur Commentary) Matthew 16:3 "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? O ye: Mt 7:5 15:7 22:18 23:13 Lu 11:44 13:15 the signs: Mt 4:23 11:5 1Ch 12:32 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries HIS OPPONENTS CANNOT INTERPRET SIGNS OF THE TIMES! And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' - As noted above, this was an common saying of the day. The threatening clouds in the sky were made red by the rays of the rising sun and this was a sign of a storm. Threatening is stugnazo (only here and Mk 10:22), used literally here of an overcast, threatening (dark, gloomy) sky, but in Mk 10:22+ of the appalled, shocked (having a state of intense dismay) face of the rich young ruler. Do you know how to discern (diakrino) the appearance of the sky - "The face of the sky you know how to discern." The religious leaders knew these weather "signs" and could discern natural storms but were unable to discern the coming spiritual storm (e.g., destruction of the Temple in 70 AD)! MacArthur - Their method of predicting the weather by looking to the color of the sky was primitive and crude. Yet, ironically, they were better meteorologists than theologians. They could recognize a coming storm from something as subtle as a ruddy morning hue, but they failed to recognize the coming of the Messiah in spite of the abundant evidence that was right in front of them. (See Mark Commentary) But cannot discern the signs (semeion) of the times (kairos)? - This alludes to the various indications the the Messianic age was at hand, including the fulfilment of Messianic prophecies, as well as the miracles wrought by Jesus and his followers, for such miracles were considered to be a sign of the Messianic Age (see Isaiah 35:5-6)..These spiritually blind religious leaders could make a weather forecast but could not make a "Messiah forecast!" Sadly they knew more about the weather than they did about the God Who caused the weather! Blind guides Jesus called them! Their "prophetic wrist watches" were broken and they had no clue that the signs of the times clearly showed it was the time fo the Messiah! Are not these ancient religious leaders still in our midst, men like Stephen Hawking who was brilliant and wrote a book by the pretentious title "A Brief History of Time." Indeed, our modern world has many who can predict various things but fall short of understanding God's plan for the ages which is consummated in His Son Jesus Christ!
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MacArthur adds "They were better weathermen than biblical scholars (cf. Luke 12:54-56). They were "blind guides of the blind" (Matt. 15:14). In Matthew 23, Jesus labeled them blind guides (Mt 23:16, 24) and blind fools (Mt 23:17)." (See The MacArthur Commentary) MacArthur commenting on Jesus words on signs in Mt 24:3, 6, 7, 11, 12 wrote "signs that Jesus will return abound in our day. No period of history has experienced more wars or been so preoccupied with the prospect of war as our own. With unprecedented surpluses of food in some parts of the world, other parts still experience devastating famines. Cults and false religions of every sort are proliferating even in countries that have been nominally Christian for hundreds of years. The spirit of lawlessness and self-will is rampant....All of those signs that mark the end times are characteristic of our day. There can be no doubt that we live near the end of the age, and the concern of believers should be for what the Bible says rather than for what men say and for what God is doing rather than for what men are doing. (See The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) THOUGHT - Do you see the manifold signs around us today (I am writing in September, 2020)? Are you preparing to meet your God (Amos 4:12)? Do you know the Son of God by grace through faith so that you will not need to shrink back in shame at His coming? Are you looking for the Blessed Hope, so you are motivated to live for Him? (Titus 2:13+) John writes that "everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 Jn 3:3+) His return is Imminent so let us each, enabled by His Spirit, diligently seek to Redeem the Time for the days are evil (Eph 5:16+). Now is the time to "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal (Mt 6:20+) Matthew 16:4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away. evil: Mt 12:39,40 Mk 8:12,38 Ac 2:40 except: Jon 1:17 Lu 11:29,30 And he: Mt 15:14 Ge 6:3 Ho 4:17 9:12 Mk 5:17,18 Ac 18:6 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE LAST SIGN THE SIGN OF JONAH Mark 8:12+ adds that Jesus was "Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” The point is that when Jesus made this judgmental statement, He did not do so without a deep feeling, reflecting how deeply their continued perverseness and obstinacy affected Him. An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign - In the parallel account in Mark 8:11 we read that "The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him." Here Jesus "defines" these men seeking after a sign as "evil" and "adulterous." Jesus used this phrase evil and adulterous generation to describe the Pharisees in Mt 12:39 in their initial request for a sign. This description recalls the words of Deuteronomy 32... Dt 32:5+ “They have acted corruptly toward Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked generation. Dt 32:20+ “Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness. Evil (wicked, bad) (4190)(poneros from poneo = work or toil, cf poneria) means evil, malignant character, pernicious and denotes a determined, aggressive, and fervent evil that actively opposes what is good. Poneros is not just bad in character (like kakos - see below), but bad in effect (injurious), evil in active opposition to good. Poneros used to describe Satan (ho poneros = "Evil one"), the god of this age, who is corrupting man and dragging him to destruction. This denotes someone who is not content in being corrupt themselves. They seek to corrupt others and draw them into the same destruction! Adulterous (3428)(moichalis related to moichos = "married and impure", literally adulterer, "unlawful" lover, 1Co 6:9, He 13:4, Lk 18:11; Lxx = Job 24:15, Pr 6:32) pertains to being unfaithful to one to whom one should remain faithful and here is used literally of a wife who does not remain faithful to her husband. Figuratively moichalis is used to describe one who is unfaithful (in Lxx of His "wife" Israel [cp this idea in the OT [but these passages do not use moichalis] Je 2:2, Je 3:14, Je 3:14KJV, Je 3:14NIV, Je 31:32, Isa 54:5, Hos 2:16YLT] Ezek 16:38, 23:45) toward God even as an adulteress is unfaithful toward her husband (Mt 12:39, 16:4, Mk 8:38 - observe how Jesus links adulterous with evil and sinful and the serious consequences for this state of unfaithfulness!) Adulterous is especially interesting as
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MacArthur explains the concept of "adulterous generation" - The scribes and Pharisees (Mt 12:24, 38+) represented the nation of Israel, which had wandered far from God’s Word and fellowship and which had become enmeshed in the superficial, self-righteous, and legalistic religion those leaders epitomized. The unbelieving Jews were not only physically and mentally but spiritually adulterous because they had breached the vows of their unique covenant relationship with God, a relationship the Old Testament frequently speaks of in terms of marriage (see Ps. 73:27; Isa. 50:1; Jer. 3:6–10; 13:27; Hos. 9:1). Their idolatry, immorality, unbiblical traditions, and hardness of heart marked them as an evil people. During the Babylonian captivity Jews had forsaken formal idolatry, in the sense of worshiping physical objects carved from wood, stone, or metal. But in its place they erected idols of man-made tradition in which they trusted and put their hope. They had abandoned the Canaanite gods for ones of their own making and in doing so were just as much in rebellion against the true God as when they offered sacrifices to Baal or Molech. A Jew who faithfully served God under the covenant given to Moses would accept His Son when He came, because anyone rightly related to the Father could not fail to recognize the Son-just as did the godly Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25–38), John the Baptist (Matt. 3:14), and the twelve disciples, except Judas (Carl Bloch's famous painting of Judas retiring from the Last Supper)(Mt 4:20–22; Mark 3:13; Luke 5:27–28; John 1:41, 49). Because they knew the Father, they knew the Son and did not need a sign to verify His identity. (See The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Miracles will give confirmation where there is faith, but not where there is willful unbelief. -- Warren Wiersbe And a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah (cf Mt 12:39, 40+) - So they would receive a "sign" and it would be His last sign to them, for it was the greatest sign, His resurrection from the dead, the sign that must be believed in order to enter the Kingdom of God, which these foolish men futilely sought by works and not by faith! "Sadly, even that (SIGN) would be knowingly rejected by the religious leaders, who bribed the Roman soldiers, instructing them to spread lies about what actually took place at the tomb (cf. Matt. 28:11–15)." (MacArthur)
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MacArthur - The Christian needs constant exposure to the Word of God and constant illumination by the Spirit of God. Only God’s Word and Spirit can raise him above the cares, concerns, perplexities, and confusion that are the inevitable heritage of life that is viewed and lived purely in the human dimension. (Matthew Commentary) POSB - Note: the danger was not in eating bread with false teachers, but in being misled by their teachings and behavior. Christ ate with them (Luke 7:36; Luke 11:37; Luke 14:1). (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible) Understand (3539)(noeo from nous = mind, the seat of moral reflection) has the basic meaning of direct one's mind to something and thus means more than just take a glance at. It means to perceive with the mind, to apprehend, to ponder (= weigh in one's mind, think especially quietly, soberly and deeply). It means to consider well, to reflect on with insight, or to think over a matter carefully. The idea is to grasp or comprehend something on the basis of careful thought. Used 4x in Matthew - Matt. 15:17; Matt. 16:9; Matt. 16:11; Matt. 24:15; Mk. 7:18; Mk. 8:17; Mk. 13:14; Jn. 12:40; Ro. 1:20; Eph. 3:4; Eph. 3:20; 1 Tim. 1:7; 2 Tim. 2:7; Heb. 11:3 Beware (pay or give attention) (4337)(prosecho from pros = before, toward + echo = hold) means literally to hold to, toward or before. Originally it was followed by the word "the mind" (nous) but at times "the mind" was omitted but still the idea of "the mind" was implied. To apply one’s self to. To attach one’s self to. Prosecho means to moor a ship, to tie it up. Prosecho was also used to mean “to remain on course”. Figuratively (see also below) the idea is to hold one's mind before then to take heed, to pay attention, to give heed, be in a state of alert, to watch out for or to be on guard. The word implies the giving one’s consent, as well as one’s attention. When used in this manner prosecho always warns of some type of danger (usually spiritual danger but occasionally physical)! Prosecho is not a call simply to notice or sense something, but to be on guard against it because it is so harmful (eg, the danger of practicing your righteousness for others to see, the danger of false prophets, false teachers and false teaching, the danger of the Pharisees and Sadducees). The idea is to turn one’s mind or attention to a thing by being on one’s guard against it. Matthew 16:12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. but: Mt 15:4-9 23:13-28 Ac 23:8 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE "LIGHT BULBS" FINALLY COME ON! Then - This is a marker of time. In this case finally it marked the time when the "lights went on" about Jesus' warnings concerning the Pharisees and Sadducees! They understood (suniemi) that He did not say to beware prosecho) of the leaven (zume) of bread, but of the teaching (didache) of the Pharisees and Sadducees - They finally understood that Jesus was not speaking of literal leaven, but was speaking of figurative leaven, the teaching of false doctrine. False doctrine is dangerous because it spreads like leaven. It does not take much until the whole body is "leavened!" False teachers are to be removed immediately and thrown out of the body of Christ. There is absolutely no room for compromise! Gilbrant - The evil leaven—the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees—stands in contrast to the pure, unleavened bread—the true words of Jesus. At the same time, the warning was a call to be separate from the Pharisees (Mt 15:6; 15:14). It is also a warning to stay away from teachings that have their roots in human thinking and human philosophy instead of in the Bible. All through the history of the Church too many have absorbed subtle teachings that had their source in heathenism. Even the Reformation did not bring a full return to the Bible as the standard. Too many continued to interpret the Bible through a mindset of human reasoning that disregards the place of the Holy Spirit and the Bible's exhortations to holiness. European philosophers, with their arguments against the supernatural, influenced many toward modernism or liberalism and, more recently, toward neoorthodoxy and existentialism. Oriental heathen philosophies have gained a great deal of popularity through so-called "new age" writings. All of these things are evil leaven. (Complete Biblical Library) Teach the Text Commentary – This specific understanding, however, does not allow us to attribute the trait of understanding to the disciples, since they will continue to misunderstand Jesus’ teachings (e.g., Mt 16:22; 19:10, 13).
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MacArthur explains that "it was on this occasion (Mark 8:29+; Mt. 16:16+; Luke 9:20+) that the apostles, through their spokesman Peter, stated that truth with greater conviction and confidence than ever before, doing so against the backdrop of widespread confusion among the crowds and increasing hostility from Israel’s religious leaders. That which began as a hope-filled expectation had become a heart-fixed certainty. Appropriately, this passage marks the climax of Mark’s gospel and the culmination of Jesus’ training of the Twelve. Their discipleship had been intensified over the previous few months, as the Lord increasingly withdrew from the Galilean multitudes to focus on mentoring His apostles. After weeks of concentrated instruction, this essentially constituted their final exam." (See Mark Commentary)
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MacArthur - Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah, God’s predicted and long-awaited deliverer of Israel, the supreme “Anointed One,” the coming High Priest, King, Prophet, and Savior. Without hesitation Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah, whereas the multitudes of Jews believed Him to be only the Messiah’s precursor. On first meeting Jesus, Andrew had excitedly proclaimed Him to be the Messiah, and Nathaniel had called Him “the Son of God … the King of Israel” (Jn 1:41, 49). The disciples knew that John the Baptist had borne witness that Jesus “is the Son of God” (Jn 1:34), and the longer they stayed with Jesus, the more evidence they had of His divine nature, power, and authority. Like their fellow Jews, however, they had been taught to expect a conquering and reigning Messiah who would deliver God’s people from their enemies and establish forever His righteous kingdom on earth. And when Jesus refused to use His miraculous power for His own benefit or to oppose the Roman oppressors, the disciples wondered if they were right about Jesus’ identity His humility, meekness, and subservience were in total contrast to their preconceived views of the Messiah. That the Messiah would be ridiculed with impunity, not to mention persecuted and executed, was inconceivable. When Jesus spoke of His going away and coming back, Thomas doubtlessly echoed the consternation of all the disciples when he said, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” (John 14:5). The Son of the living God: OT name for Jehovah (Dt 5:26; Jos 3:10; 1Sa 17:26, 36; 2Ki 19:4, 16; Ps 42:2; 84:2; Da 6:26; Hos 1:10) contrast the dead, dumb idols (Jer 10:8; 18:15; 1Co 12:2) and even the fact that Caesarea Philippi was a center of the worship of dead god Pan. The Son of Man (Mt 16:13) was also the Son of God, the Creator of the universe and all that is in it. He was the true and real God, not a mythological figment such as Pan or a mortal “deity” such as caesar-both of whom had shrines in Caesarea Philippi. The disciples’ Lord was Son of the living God. As evidenced by numerous things the Twelve later said and did, they did not at this time have a full comprehension of the Trinity or even of the full nature and work of Christ. But they knew Jesus was truly the Christ, the Messiah, and that He was truly divine, the Son of the living God. Son reflects the idea of oneness in essence, because a son is one in nature with his father. So Jesus Christ was one in nature with God the Father (cf. Jn 5:17,18; 10:30–33, Heb 1:3+). Albert
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MacArthur says "Hades is the place of punishment for the spirits of dead unbelievers. The point of entry for such is death. This, then, is a Jewish phrase referring to death. Even death, the ultimate weapon of Satan (cf. Heb 2:14, 15+), has no power to stop the church. The blood of martyrs, in fact, has sped the growth of the church in size and spiritual power." (Borrow MacArthur Study Bible). By His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ conquered death, and so gave victory over death to any who have built their future upon the Rock. Jesus was thus telling the disciples His death would not prevent His work of building the church. Later (Mt 16:21) He spoke of His imminent death. He was therefore anticipating His death and His victory over death through the Resurrection. Michael Andrus on gates of Hades - The church which Christ will build will not be overcome by the gates of Hades, meaning “the place of the dead.” We have often misunderstood this to mean that Satan and His forces will attack the Church but will not prevail because God will defend his Church. But please realize that gates are not offensive weapons but defensive ones. The picture is not of Satan attacking the church but rather Christ’s church literally banging down the gates of Hades. Its gates are not strong enough to withstand the church. It seems to me that the point is that sin and death have been conquered by Christ, that He will raid the place of the dead and raise up His saints to be with Himself. (Sermon) Gates (4439)(pule derivative is pulon = magnificent gate) is a leaf or wing of a folding entrance and here describes a door or gate. Note that there are only 2 gates and every person will enter one or the other. To not choose to enter the narrow gate is in fact a choice to enter the wide gate and subsequent destruction. Pule i - Matt. 7:13; Matt. 7:14; Matt. 16:18; Lk. 7:12; Acts 3:10; Acts 9:24; Acts 12:10; Acts 16:13; Heb. 13:12 Overpower (2729)(katischuo from kata = against + ischuo = to prevail) means to be strong against someone or something and so to prevail over. In a hostile sense (Mt 16:18) it means to overcome or vanquish, getting the upper hand, so to speak. Used only 3 times in the NT - Mt 16:18, Lk 21:36. Katischuo is used to describe the cry to crucify Jesus in Lk 23:23+, which was so loud and persistent by the Jews, that they prevailed with Pilate. O, the difference a few days can make in one's heart response -- they hailed Him and wanted to crown Him King on His Triumphal Entry (Lk 19:38+) and now they cry for His crucifixion like a criminal. But Jesus always gets the last word for He uses katischuo in His prophecy "“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower (katischuo) it." Hades (86)(hades is the transliteration of the Greek word Hades from a = negative + eido = to see) literally means "not seen" or "unseen". As noted the understanding of Hades is somewhat confusing, as it changes meaning somewhat as one moves from the uses in the Old Testament into the uses in the New Testament. That said, in the OT Hades was used most often to describe the region of ALL departed souls. Everyone who die, whether righteous or unrighteous, is described as departing to Hades. But as we move into the NT, we see the progressive revelation of the term, so that Hades gains a more restricted sense and refers not to the place of ALL who die (believers and unbelievers as in the OT) but only to the abode of unbelievers. In other words, in the NT Hades comes to be synonymous with what we refer to as Hell. But to confuse the picture a little, you must realize that even in this sense of meaning "Hell" Hades is only a "temporary holding tank" so to speak, because as shown in Rev 20:14+ Hades ceases to exist for it is thrown into the Lake of fire. Don't be confused. Hell is permanent and in Scripture is clearly described as such. The unrighteous dead will be resurrected in their bodies (The "Second Resurrection" - see Births, Deaths, and Resurrections) at the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15+ and after being judged for their deeds in the body (to determine the degree of punishment in Hell), they are thrown into the Lake of fire which is synonymous with Gehenna. And Hades is also thrown into the Lake of fire (thus the reason Hades is referred to as temporary) and is never again described in Scripture. QUESTION - What is the rock in Matthew 16:18? ANSWER - The debate rages over whether “the rock” on which Christ will build His church is Peter, or Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). In all honesty, there is no way for us to be 100% sure which view is correct. The grammatical construction allows for either view. The first view is that Jesus was declaring that Peter would be the “rock” on which He would build His church. Jesus appears to be using a play on words. “You are Peter (petros) and on this rock (petra) I will build my church.” Since Peter’s name means rock, and Jesus is going to build His church on a rock – it appears that Christ is linking the two together. God used Peter greatly in the foundation of the church. It was Peter who first proclaimed the Gospel on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-47). Peter was also the first to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48). In a sense, Peter was the rock “foundation” of the church. The other popular interpretation of the rock is that Jesus was referring not to Peter, but to Peter’s confession of faith in verse 16: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Jesus had never explicitly taught Peter and the other disciples the fullness of His identity, and He recognized that God had sovereignly opened Peter’s eyes and revealed to him who Jesus really was. His confession of Christ as Messiah poured forth from him, a heartfelt declaration of Peter’s personal faith in Jesus. It is this personal faith in Christ which is the hallmark of the true Christian. Those who have placed their faith in Christ, as Peter did, are the church. Peter expresses this in 1 Peter 2:4 when he addressed the believers who had been dispersed around the ancient world: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” At this point, Jesus declares that God had revealed this truth to Peter. The word for “Peter,” Petros, means a small stone (John 1:42). Jesus used a play on words here with petra (“on this rock”) which means a foundation boulder, as in Matthew 7:24, 25 when He described the rock upon which the wise man builds his house. Peter himself uses the same imagery in his first epistle: the church is built of numerous small petros “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5) who, like Peter, confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and those confessions of faith are the bedrock of the church. In addition, the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that Christ is both the foundation (Acts 4:11, 12; 1 Corinthians 3:11) and the head (Ephesians 5:23) of the church. It is a mistake to think that here He is giving either of those roles to Peter. There is a sense in which the apostles played a foundational role in the building of the church (Ephesians 2:20), but the role of primacy is reserved for Christ alone, not assigned to Peter. So, Jesus’ words here are best interpreted as a simple play on words in that a boulder-like truth came from the mouth of one who was called a small stone. And Christ Himself is called the “chief cornerstone” (1 Peter 2:6, 7). The chief cornerstone of any building was that upon which the building was anchored. If Christ declared Himself to be the cornerstone, how could Peter be the rock upon which the church was built? It is more likely that the believers, of which Peter is one, are the stones which make up the church, anchored upon the Cornerstone, “and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6). The Roman Catholic Church uses the argument that Peter is the rock to which Jesus referred as evidence that it is the one true church. As we have seen, Peter’s being the rock is not the only valid interpretation of this verse. Even if Peter is the rock in Matthew 16:18, this is meaningless in giving the Roman Catholic Church any authority. Scripture nowhere records Peter being in Rome. Scripture nowhere describes Peter as being supreme over the other apostles. The New Testament does not describe Peter as being the “all authoritative leader” of the early Christian church. Peter was not the first pope, and Peter did not start the Roman Catholic Church. The origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Peter or any other apostle. If Peter truly was the founder of the Roman Catholic Church, it would be in full agreement with what Peter taught (Acts 2, 1 Peter, 2 Peter).GotQuestions.org Related Resources: What is the difference between Sheol, Hades, Hell, the lake of fire, Paradise, and Abraham’s bosom? Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection? What are the gates of hell? Where did Old Testament believers/saints go when they died? Did God create hell? Where was Jesus for the three days between His death and resurrection? What is Tartarus? What does the Bible say about soul sleep? What is Abraham’s bosom? What are the keys of death (Revelation 1:18)? Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." give: Ac 2:14-42 10:34-43 15:7 the keys: Isa 22:22 Rev 1:18 3:7 9:1 20:1-3 and whatever: Mt 18:18 Joh 20:23 1Co 5:4,5 2Co 2:10 1Th 4:8 Rev 11:6 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Matthew 16 Binding and Loosing Satan, Sin, or Sinners? - Q&A John MacArthur Related Passages: Mark has no parallel Luke has no parallel I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven Though verse 18 is difficult, verse 19 has been even more fiercely debated. However, nothing in either verse suggests the possibility that Peter was given authority to forgive men of their sins (see note below). See Wuest expanded translation below to help get the sense of this difficult passage. The keys are Jesus' keys to give to whom He wills. Michael Andrus on keys of the kingdom of Heaven - Peter is given the keys to the kingdom here in this passage. Jesus uses the second person singular pronoun, “I will give you the keys . . .” And historically Peter was given the privilege of opening the way for many into the Kingdom. In Acts 2 and 3 his preaching resulted in thousands of new converts. In Acts 10 he shared the Gospel with the Gentile Cornelius and introduced the Gentile world to baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8 we find Peter excluding, i.e. locking the door, to an unrepentant sinner named Simon the Sorcerer. (Sermon) Allen on keys - If you have been entrusted with the "keys" to something, it may not be yours to own or to use as you will; but it is yours to exercise authority over in the name of the one who entrusted the keys to you. You have the owner's authority given to you to open it or close it. You have their authority entrusted to you to let someone in, or to lock someone out....In the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah, for example, God promises to remove an evil high priest named Shebna from service to the Jewish temple; and to replace him with a good, godly, faithful priest named Eliakim. God speaks to that wicked high priest concerning his replacement—and of the authority and responsibility God would entrust to him—when He says, "I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open" (Isaiah 22:21-22). And did you know that the Lord Jesus—our great High Priest—later claimed that same authority to Himself? In the Lord's seven letters to the seven churches, found in the Book of the Revelation, He introduced Himself to the church at ancient Philadelphia with these words: "These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens . . ." (Revelation 3:7). In saying that He had possession of the keys of David, He was affirming that He possessed full authority over the covenant people of God. I believe that the greatest expression of the authority that came from possessing "keys" is found in Revelation 1:17-18. There, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ appears in a vision to the apostle John. It was a heavenly vision of our Lord in His resurrected glory and majesty. John was terrified at the glory of our Savior; but Jesus said, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death" (Revelation 1:17-18). Clearly, this meant that our risen Savior had utterly conquered death and hell through His cross; and now holds full authority over them. And so, it is greatly significant that, in our passage this morning, our Lord tells Peter, who is the church's representative 'confessor' and 'testifier' of Christ—and through Peter, also tells the whole church—that He entrusts a set of keys to him. They are the keys, He says, "of the kingdom of heaven"; that is, the kingdom that Jesus Himself taught about in great detail in various parables in Chapter 13; that spiritual kingdom over which He Himself reigns as King, and which will one day be fully realized in His physical reign on the earth upon His return. In our passage this morning, Jesus is about to go to the cross, die in our place for our sins, be raised on the third day, and then ascend to His Father—from where He will await the day of His glorious return to receive His church to Himself. He is about to leave His disciples and return to His heavenly home. And if I may put it this way, it's as if He turns to Peter and says, "The work of the kingdom has been started; and I'm about to go now. Until I return for you, you—and all of the people who believe on Me because of your testimony—are going to be here while the work of the spread of the kingdom goes on. Here are the keys." Think of it! The very keys of the kingdom of heaven! What great authority it is that our Savior and Lord has entrusted to His church on earth! (Sermon) Keys represent authority, and here Christ gives Peter authority to declare what was bound or loosed in heaven. The sum of it all means that any duly constituted body of believers, acting in accord with God’s Word, has the authority to declare if someone is forgiven or unforgiven. The church’s authority is not to determine these things, but to declare the judgment of heaven based on the principles of the Word. When they make such judgments on the basis of God’s Word, they can be sure heaven is in accord. In other words, whatever they “bind” or “loose” on earth is already “bound” or “loosed” in heaven. When the church says the unrepentant person is bound in sin, the church is saying what God says about that person. When the church acknowledges that a repentant person has been loosed from that sin, God agrees.
Mateus 16
MacArthur adds - When Jesus spoke of going to Jerusalem, He was in Caesarea Philippi, as far from Jerusalem as He could be and still remain in Palestine. After a brief stay in that remote northern city, He and the disciples would move down again through Galilee and Samaria to Jerusalem, where the Twelve began to fear that death by stoning at the hands of the hostile Jewish leaders awaited Jesus and probably them as well (John 11:16). At that point the disciples saw such a possibility not as the fulfilling of the plan of God but as the hindrance or even destruction of it. A T
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MacArthur writes: This passage sets forth the heart of Christian discipleship and it strikes a death blow to the self-centered false gospels that are so popular in contemporary Christianity. It leaves no room for the gospel of getting, in which God is considered a type of utilitarian genie who jumps to provide a believer’s every whim. It closes the door to the gospel of health and wealth, which asserts that if a believer is not healthy and prosperous he has simply not exercised his divine rights or else does not have enough faith to claim his blessings. It undermines the gospel of self-esteem, self-love, and high self-image, which appeals to man’s natural narcissism and prostitutes the spirit of humble brokenness and repentance that marks the gospel of the cross. Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea; day by day his sweet voice soundeth, saying "Christian, follow me." As, of old, apostles heard it by the Galilean lake, turned from home and toil and kindred, leaving all for his dear sake.
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MacArthur - The Lord is saying that whoever lives only to save his earthly, physical life, his ease and comfort and acceptance by the world, will lose his opportunity for eternal life. But whoever is willing to give up his earthly, worldly life and to suffer and die, if necessary, for Christ’s sake, will find eternal life. Every person has a choice. He can “go for it” now and lose it forever; or he can forsake it now and gain it forever. Jesus also identified the false believer who makes initial gestures of following the gospel, but will not let go of the world and all its trinkets, as bad soil full of weeds that choke out true spiritual life (Matt. 13:22). The true disciple is willing to pay whatever price faithfulness to the Lord requires. The price may mean suffering martyrdom as Paul did or enduring physical exhaustion and illness in Christ’s service as Epaphroditus did. Whatever the particulars of a believer’s cross-bearing may be, it requires the willingness to abandon safety, security, personal resources, health, friends, job, and even life. The story is told of a plantation slave in the old South who was always happy and singing. No matter what happened to him, his joy was always abounding. One day his master asked him, “What have you got that makes you so happy?” The slave replied, “I love the Lord Jesus Christ. He has forgiven my sin and put a song in my heart.” “Well, how do I get what you have?” his master asked. “You go and put on your best Sunday suit and you come down here and work in the mud with us and you can have it,” came the reply. “I would never do that,” the owner retorted indignantly as he rode off in a huff. Some weeks later, the master asked the same question and was given the same answer. A few weeks later, he came a third time and said, “Now be straight with me. What do I have to do to have what you have?” “Just what I’ve told you the other times,” came the answer. In desperation, the owner said, “All right, I’ll do it.” “Now you don’t have to do it,” the slave said. “You only had to be willing.” It is not that a disciple has to be a martyr, but that he is willing to be a martyr if faithfulness to Christ demands it. (See Matthew Commentary) David Turner has an interesting analysis of Mt 16:25-27 - Three reasons support the point in 16:24 about Christlike self-denial. All three focus on the prospect of final judgment, although the first two do so implicitly. The first is a parallel oxymoron stating that self-preservation in the present life leads to ultimate self-destruction, and self-denial leads to ultimate self-fulfillment (16:25; cf. 10:39). Those who think they may avoid the cross and save their lives will in the end lose their lives, but those who accept the cross will find their lives after all. The second reason for self-denial speaks of the folly of gaining material wealth in the present life and ultimately losing one’s own soul (16:26; cf. 4:8; 6:19–24; Ps. 49:7–9; Eccles. 1:3; Luke 12:13–21; 1 Tim. 6:6–19; Rev. 3:17–18; m. ʾAbot 4.17; 2 Bar. 51.15; Sir. 11:18–19; 1 En. 108.10). The implication is that one does not experience true humanness in the present life or find ultimate acceptance with God by acquiring goods but by sacrificing one’s own interests while serving others. The stress on self-denial here should be contrasted with its polar opposite, the denial of Jesus, in Matt. 10:33; 26:34–35, 70–75. The third reason for taking up one’s cross is the near prospect of future reward at the glorious return of Jesus with his angels (13:40–41; 24:30–31; 25:31; 26:64; cf. Zech. 14:5). The language of Matt. 16:27b echoes several OT passages, including Pss. 28:4; 62:12; Prov. 24:12 (cf. Rom. 2:6; 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:10–15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 11:15; 2 Tim. 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 20:12; 22:12; Sir. 35:24; Ps. Sol. 2.16; 17.8–10; T. Job 17.3; L.A.B. 3.10). (BECNT-Mt) J C
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MacArthur - As the Lord reviews the life of each person who has ever lived, He will say, as it were, “There is a believer. I can tell by his works, because they are the product of My Holy Spirit. There is an unbeliever, as I can also tell by his works, because they are the product of the flesh.” It is not that works save, but that they are the product of salvation. James teaches that the only kind of faith that saves is the kind that results in righteous behavior (James 2:14–26+; cf. Eph. 2:10+). Those whose works are pleasing to the Lord are those who, by God’s sovereign grace and power, have trusted in Christ as saving Lord, while denying self, taking up their crosses, and following Him. They will receive everlasting life and all the blessings of heaven. Those whose works are rejected by the Lord are those who put their hope and trust in the ephemeral things of this life. They will receive eternal damnation and all the torments of hell. The call to salvation is a call to discipleship as described in this passage. When God saves, He produces this kind of follower. (See MacArthur Commentary) Jesus has much to say about rewards in Matthew - see Mt 5:12, Mt 6:2, 4, Mt 10:41, Mt 16:27, Mt 19:29, Mt 20:15, Mt 25:34. Broadus - The fact of this coming retribution shows the importance of saving the soul; but there is special reference to the thought of reward for doing and suffering in his service (Mt 16:24f.). Mark 8:38+ and Luke 9:26+, give the additional point that when he comes he will be ashamed of every one that has been ashamed of him. Matthew has before recorded this thought as uttered on a different occasion (Mt 10:33+), and so he omits it here. Barton - Jesus Christ will judge each person’s life. As we are reviewed and evaluated for how we utilized the resources God has given us, we will be rewarded. This is not something we can earn, but a by-product of faithful obedience. (Borrow Life Application Commentary) Albert