Matthew 16: 21 - 28
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. What does it practically mean to take up our cross and follow Him?
2. What does it mean that the Father is going to reward each person according to what they have done? I thought we are under grace and that works don't matter?
3. When did some of those see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom? Or are they still alive?
http://www.gotquestions.org/take-up-your-cross.html says:
ReplyDeleteLet’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean. Many people interpret “cross” as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness. With self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”
When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first-century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.
Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.
Therefore, “Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.
Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was—and what He would do—was distorted. They thought the Christ would usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Even Christ’s own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon (Luke 19:11). When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile overlords (Luke 9:22), His popularity sank. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him. Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and exchange them for His.
Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus assured us that trials will come to His followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost.
How many people would respond to an altar call that went, “Come follow Jesus, and you may face the loss of friends, family, reputation, career, and possibly even your life”? The number of false converts would likely decrease! Such a call is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”
If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions:
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?
In some places of the world, these consequences are reality. But notice the questions are phrased, “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but are you willing to take up your cross? If there comes a point in your life where you are faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose?
http://www.gospelway.com/topics/christian_life/deny_self-carry_cross.php says:
ReplyDeleteDenying self requires us to give up anything that we would want or seek that would hinder our doing the will of God. This does not mean that, if we want something, it is necessarily wrong. It means we must take our wants and desires down from the throne and place Jesus and His will as the governing power in our lives.
Many think this means bearing burdens and suffering hardships for the Lord. Surely such hardships will at times be required, but there is a fuller meaning if we consider the context.
Hence, "taking up your cross" refers to giving your whole life to God, as Jesus was about to give His life for us. This involves bearing burdens, but it is deeper than that. It is a total dedication of life. Our whole life is given to His service in anything He says. This will lead us to willingly deny self. Following Him then requires us to live as He lived His life (I Pet. 2:21; Matt. 10:34,35; I Cor. 11:1).
Luke adds "take up your cross daily" (Luke 9:23). There is a sense in which Christians must give their lives to God every day. This is not necessarily a physical death as Jesus died for us (though such might be required), but a daily total sacrifice of self to do the will of Jesus. Whatever He wants with my life is what must be done with it. What I want no longer matters, but I give myself for Him, just as He gave Himself for us despite the fact His human nature did not want to have to do it.
The determination to give our lives to God's service is called "repentance." In repenting we determine to turn away from our own will and live our lives to please God. We cannot be saved without this, and that is why repentance is so important in salvation. It also explains why so many people are not truly Jesus' disciples (whether or not they may claim to be His disciples): because they are not willing to make this total sacrifice.
If a person holds his life so dear to himself that he wants to use it to please himself, do his own will, and accomplish his own purposes, rather than denying self and serving God, that person will in the end lose his life eternally. But anyone who loses his life for Jesus' sake - gives it in service and sacrifice to God by denying himself, as described above - such a man will save his life by gaining eternal life.
There can be no greater or clearer teaching anywhere of the meaning of being a disciple. This is how our Master lived, so this is how His disciples must live. We must live lives of complete and total submission to the will of God.
http://www.biblelessons.com/rewards.html says about good works:
ReplyDeleteIf we are in Christ, then such will be evidenced by good works. Good works are the evidence of our justification and right relationship with God. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul spoke of his abundant work for the Lord; he said, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." Paul did not do the many good works that he did in an effort to gain salvation; rather it was the grace of God and salvation itself that led Paul to do what he did.
We are indeed to do good works, but it is God (through His Holy Spirit) who enables us to do these good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Acts 26:20 speaks of "performing deeds appropriate to repentance." In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptism similarly said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance." Galations 5:6 speaks of "faith working through love."
Paul said in Romans 4 that Abraham was not saved by works of the Law. But Jesus said in John 8:39, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham." If indeed they were his sons, then they would produce the natural fruits of sonship. Those who are sons of God will produce fruits of evidence showing that they do indeed belong to Him. Thus, in James 2:14ff, it is shown that Abraham's faith was evidenced by his works. Furthermore, without such works, he would not be justified. A faith that does not have such works is not a true saving faith (v14). As Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, [you will] keep my commandments."
Surely the Bible shows that genuine faith in Jesus Christ will exhibit itself in genuine acts of good deeds, godliness, and righteous living.
Since genuine saving faith produces genuine good works, we are therefore justified, not only by faith, but by our works. And thus, in a sense, we are judged by our deeds. Numerous passages of Scripture refer to this (in the apparent context of salvation in general)...
There is obviously a direct correlation between a person's true character (whether in Christ or not) and his deeds. Thus to judge one according to his deeds is really to judge if he is truly in Christ! Doing such works, however, does not enable us to stand before God deserving of salvation and meriting eternal life. Being judged/justified by works does not mean that we will merit or deserve our eternal reward based on our own good deeds. Such works are merely indicative of our faithfulness to Him. And if faithful, then we are found to be "in Christ" at the Day of Judgment and thus granted eternal life, not on our merit, but on His!
Again, we are not saved by our own efforts at sanctification (even though true faith will result in a determined effort to become more Christ-like day by day); we are saved (and thus shall inherit eternal life) by justification through Jesus Christ. We indeed need to say (as Jesus taught), "We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done" (Luke 17:10).
My 2 cents on being rewarded for what we have done:
ReplyDeleteIt all comes together for me with this verse: John 6:29 - Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Believing in Jesus is the work of God. When we truly believe, we will be transformed. Out of this work comes all other of God's works (feeding the poor, loving others, etc).
http://www.gotquestions.org/not-taste-death.html says:
ReplyDeleteRather than interpreting Jesus' promise as referring to His coming to establish His kingdom on earth, the context indicates that Jesus was referring to the transfiguration. The Greek word translated “kingdom” can also be translated “royal splendor,” meaning that the three disciples standing there would see Christ as He really is—the King of heaven—which occurred in the transfiguration.
The “transfiguration” refers to the event described in the above cited passages when Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of the mountain, where He met with Moses and Elijah—representing the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament—and spoke with them. The disciples saw Jesus in all His glory and splendor, talking with a glorified Moses and Elijah. This is a glimpse of what will occur in Jesus' kingdom. The disciples were dumbstruck at the sight and “fell on their faces” (Matthew 17:6).
My two cents on not seeing death:
ReplyDeleteThe Message Bible says at the beginning of the next chapter, "Six days later, three of them saw that glory." Obviously, Peterson (the author of the Message) had this point of view. Although, we must remember that the Message is a paraphrase.
The next article has a another viewpoint . . .
http://www.meetingwithchrist.com/Some%20standing%20here%20shall%20not%20taste%20death%20-%20Mt%2016(27-28).htm says:
ReplyDeletethe following options have been suggested:
(1) Since in all three synoptic gospels this statement is followed by the transfiguration of Jesus, it has been argued that this is what was intended. But an event that was to happen in only six days is hardly compatible with the statement that some would live to see it.
(2) Others take this to refer to the resurrection or to Pentecost. Again the time interval (probably less than a year) seems too short to warrant the phrasing ‘some standing here who will not taste death.’
(3) Still others interpret this verse as referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The problem is that the context does not encourage this interpretation. The preceding verse, v. 27, clearly refers to Jesus’ final coming for judgment. The transition from Jesus’ second coming to the fall of Jerusalem seems too sudden.
When we study a passage like Matthew 16:28, it is important to keep in mind that the teaching of Jesus is spiritual in character. ‘My words,’ the Lord said in John 6, ‘they are spirit and they are life.’ In other words, we have to understand them spiritually. This is not to be confused with understanding them literally. There is a difference. Sometimes a literal understanding of Jesus’ words is not appropriate.
One of the main problems in understanding this passage is the interpretation of the word ‘until’. …There are some of those … who shall not taste death until they see… We tend to assume with this kind of phrase that there is a termination of the action or state of the first clause when the time of the ‘until’ clause has passed. If that is the case, it would mean that you will first see the Son of man coming in His kingdom, and after that, you will taste death.
(examples in the Bible explaining "until")
Therefore when the Lord Jesus says, There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom, we should not automatically assume that those standing there will necessarily die after they have seen Jesus and His kingdom.
He said to them, The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst (Luke 17:20-21).
‘The kingdom of God is among you. It is right in front of you. But you do not see it.’ Why? Because it is spiritual.
John 3:3. Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly (amen, amen, the same expression of strong affirmation), I say to you, unless one is born again (now notice those words), he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Now, to see the kingdom is to see life. Kingdom and life are parallel in the Lord’s teaching.
John 8:51. "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death."
You see, the meaning of Matthew 16:28 is not that you will see death after you see the kingdom. The whole point is that you will never see death.
By His death on the cross, Christ made it possible for us to live eternally with God.
Now the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:28 are clear. There are some of you who will not taste death. Why? Because they will have eternal life. The words ‘not taste death’ have to do with eternal life. They have to do with those who are regenerate, those who have God’s life. These are the people who will be able to see the kingdom of God.
My two cents:
DeleteI am not sure which version is correct (of not tasting death until you see the kingdom of God). I always thought it meant the transfiguration. But the last guy makes a lot of sense too, and used a lot of scripture to back up his point (not that that automatically make him right).