Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 16:28
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.
28. Taste of death ] Compare
The valiant never taste of death but once. Jul. Caes. Act. ii. 2.
St Matthew’s version of this “hard saying” indicates more plainly than the other Synoptic Gospels, the personal presence of Christ. St Mark has, “till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power;” St Luke, “till they see the kingdom of God;” but the meaning in each case is the same. Various solutions are given. The expression is referred to (1) the Transfiguration, (2) the Day of Pentecost, (3) the Fall of Jerusalem. The last best fulfils the conditions of interpretation a judicial coming a signal and visible event, and one that would happen in the lifetime of some, but not of all, who were present.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 28. There be some – which shall not taste of death] This verse seems to confirm the above explanation, as our Lord evidently speaks of the establishment of the Christian Church after the day of pentecost, and its final triumph after the destruction of the Jewish polity; as if he had said, “Some of you, my disciples, shall continue to live until these things take place.” The destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jewish economy, which our Lord here predicts, took place about forty-three years after this: and some of the persons now with him doubtless survived that period, and witnessed the extension of the Messiah’s kingdom; and our Lord told them these things before, that when they came to pass they might be confirmed in the faith, and expect an exact fulfilment of all the other promises and prophecies which concerned the extension and support of the kingdom of Christ.
To his kingdom, or in his kingdom. Instead of , kingdom, four MSS., later Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, Saxon, and one copy of the Itala, with several of the primitive fathers, read , glory: and to this is added, , of his Father, by three MSS. and the versions mentioned before. This makes the passage a little more conformable to the passage already quoted from Daniel; and it must appear, very clearly, that the whole passage speaks not of a future judgment, but of the destruction of the Jewish polity, and the glorious spread of Christianity in the earth, by the preaching of Christ crucified by the apostles and their immediate successors in the Christian Church.
1. THE disciples, by being constantly with their Master, were not only guarded against error, but were taught the whole truth: we should neglect no opportunity of waiting upon God; while Jesus continues to teach, our ear and heart should be open to receive his instructions. That what we have already received may be effectual, we must continue to hear and pray on. Let us beware of the error of the Pharisees! They minded only external performances, and those things by which they might acquire esteem and reputation among men; thus, humility and love, the very soul of religion, were neglected by them: they had their reward-the approbation of those who were as destitute of vital religion as themselves. Let us beware also of the error of the Sadducees, who, believing no other felicity but what depended on the good things of this world, became the flatterers and slaves of those who could bestow them, and so, like the Pharisees, had their portion only in this life. All false religions and false principles conduct to the same end, however contrary they appear to each other. No two sects could be more opposed to each other than the Sadducees and Pharisees, yet their doctrines lead to the same end – they are both wedded to this world, and separated from God in the next.
2. From the circumstance mentioned in the conclusion of this chapter, we may easily see the nature of the kingdom and reign of Christ: it is truly spiritual and Divine; having for its object the present holiness and future happiness of mankind. Worldly pomp, as well as worldly maxims, were to be excluded from it. Christianity forbids all worldly expectations, and promises blessedness to those alone who bear the cross, leading a life of mortification and self-denial. Jesus Christ has left us an example that we should follow his steps. How did he live? – What views did he entertain? – In what light did he view worldly pomp and splendour? These are questions which the most superficial reader may, without difficulty, answer to his immediate conviction. And has not Christ said that the disciple is not ABOVE the Master? If HE humbled himself, how can he look upon those who, professing faith in his name, are conformed to the world and mind earthly things? These disciples affect to be above their Lord; and as they neither bear his cross, nor follow him in the regeneration, they must look for another heaven than that in which he sits at the right hand of God. This is an awful subject; but how few of those called Christians lay it to heart!
3. The term CHURCH in Greek , occurs for the first time in Mt 16:18. The word simply means an assembly or congregation, the nature of which is to be understood from connecting circumstances; for the word , as well as the terms congregation and assembly, may be applied to any concourse of people, good or bad; gathered together for lawful or unlawful purposes. Hence, it is used, Ac 19:32, for the mob, or confused rabble, gathered together against Paul, , which the town-clerk distinguished, Ac 19:39, from a lawful assembly, . The Greek word seems to be derived from , to call out of, or from, i.e. an assembly gathered out of a multitude; and must have some other word joined to it, to determine its nature: viz. the Church of God; the congregation collected by God, and devoted to his service. The Church of Christ: the whole company of Christians wheresoever found; because, by the preaching of the Gospel, they are called out of the spirit and maxims of the world, to live according to the precepts of the Christian religion. This is sometimes called the Catholic or universal Church, because constituted of all the professors of Christianity in the world, to whatever sects or parties they may belong: and hence the absurdity of applying the term Catholic, which signifies universal, to that very small portion of it, the Church of Rome. In primitive times, before Christians had any stated buildings, they worshipped in private houses; the people that had been converted to God meeting together in some one dwelling-house of a fellow-convert, more convenient and capacious than the rest; hence the Church that was in the house of Aquila and Priscilla, Ro 16:3; Ro 16:5, and 1Co 16:19, and the Church that was in the house of Nymphas, Col 4:15. Now, as these houses were dedicated to the worship of God, each was termed kuriou oikos, the house of the Lord; which word, in process of time, became contracted into kurioik, and , kuriake; and hence the kirk of our northern neighbours, and [Anglo-Saxon] kirik of our Saxon ancestors, from which, by corruption, changing the hard Saxon c into ch, we have made the word church. This term, though it be generally used to signify the people worshipping in a particular place, yet by a metonymy, the container being put for the contained, we apply it, as it was originally, to the building which contains the worshipping people.
In the proper use of this word there can be no such thing as THE church, exclusively; there may be A church, and the CHURCHES, signifying a particular congregation, or the different assemblies of religious people: and hence, the Church of Rome, by applying it exclusively to itself, abuses the term, and acts as ridiculously as it does absurdly. Church is very properly defined in the 19th article of the Church of England, to be “a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments duly administered, according to Christ’s ordinance.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Mark saith, Mar 9:1, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power; Luk 9:27, saith no more than till they see the kingdom of God. There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, that is, that shall not die. Heb 2:9. It is the same with not seeing death, Joh 8:51,52; Heb 11:5. The great question is, what is here meant by the
Son of man coming in his kingdom. It cannot be meant of his second coming to judgment, spoken of immediately before, for all who stood there have long since tasted of death, yet is not that day come. Some understand it of that sight of Christs glory which Peter, and James, and John had at Christs transfiguration, of which we shall read in the next chapter; and I should be very inclinable to this sense, (for there was a glimpse of the glory of the Father mentioned Mat 16:27) were it not for those words added by Mark,
till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. This inclineth others to think, that it is to be understood of Christs showing forth his power in the destruction of Jerusalem. But the most generally received opinion, and which seemeth to be best, is, that the coming of the Son of man here meant is, his resurrection from the dead. His ascension into heaven, and sending the Holy Spirit, after which the kingdom of grace came with a mighty power, subduing all nations to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was declared, (or determined), to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Rom 1:4. And when, after his resurrection from the dead, they asked him, Act 1:6, whether he would at that time restore the kingdom to Israel, he puts them off, and tells them for an answer, Act 1:8, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. And then, Act 1:9, he in their sight ascended up into heaven. Then did the kingdom of the Son of man come with power, Act 2:33-36, they knowing assuredly that the Son of man, whom the Jews had crucified, was made both Lord and Christ, as Act 2:36, and, as Act 2:34,35, set at Gods right hand, (according to the prophecy of David, Psa 90:1), until his enemies should be made his footstool.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. Verily I say unto you, There besome standing here“some of those standing here.”
which shall not taste ofdeath, fill they see the Son of man coming in his kingdomor,as in Mark (Mr 9:1), “tillthey see the kingdom of God come with power”; or, as in Luke (Lu9:27), more simply still, “till they see the kingdom ofGod.” The reference, beyond doubt, is to the firm establishmentand victorious progress, in the lifetime of some then present, ofthat new kingdom of Christ, which was destined to work the greatestof all changes on this earth, and be the grand pledge of His finalcoming in glory.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Verily I say unto you….. This is a strong asseveration, Christ puts his “Amen” to it; declaring it to be a certain truth, which may firmly be believed:
there be some standing here; meaning either his disciples, or some of the audience; for it is clear from Mr 8:34 that the people were called unto him with his disciples, when he said these words:
which shall not taste of death: that is, shall not die; a phrase frequently used by the Jewish doctors: they say y,
“All the children of the world, , “taste the taste of death”.”
That is, die:
till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom; which is not to be understood of his personal coming in his kingdom in the last day, when he will judge quick and dead; for it cannot be thought, that any then present should live to that time, but all tasted of death long before, as they have done; for the story of John’s being alive, and to live till then, is fabulous, and grounded on a mistake which John himself has rectified at the close of his Gospel: nor of the glorious transfiguration of Christ, the account of which immediately follows; when he was seen by Peter, James, and John, persons now present; for that, at most, was but an emblem and a pledge of his future glory: rather, of the appearance of his kingdom, in greater glory and power, upon his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension to heaven; when the Spirit was poured down in an extraordinary manner, and the Gospel was preached all over the world; was confirmed by signs and wonders, and made effectual to the conversion and salvation of many souls; which many then present lived to see, and were concerned in: though it seems chiefly to have regard to his coming, to show his regal power and authority in the destruction of the Jews; when those his enemies that would not he should reign over them, were ordered to be brought and slain before him; and this the Apostle John, for one, lived to be a witness of.
y Zohar in Gen. fol. 27. 4. & 37. 1. & in Exod. fol. 19. 2. & in Num. fol. 50. 4. & 51. 2. 4. Vid. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 9. fol. 7. 3, 4. Midrash Kohelet, fol, 83. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Some of them that stand here ( ). A crux interpretum in reality. Does Jesus refer to the Transfiguration, the Resurrection of Jesus, the great Day of Pentecost, the Destruction of Jerusalem, the Second Coming and Judgment? We do not know, only that Jesus was certain of his final victory which would be typified and symbolized in various ways. The apocalyptic eschatological symbolism employed by Jesus here does not dominate his teaching. He used it at times to picture the triumph of the kingdom, not to set forth the full teaching about it. The kingdom of God was already in the hearts of men. There would be climaxes and consummations.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
28. Verily, I say to you. As the disciples might still hesitate and inquire when that day would be, our Lord animates them by the immediate assurance, that he will presently give them a proof of his future glory. We know the truth of the common proverb, that to one who is in expectation even speed looks like delay; but never does it hold more true, than when we are told to wait for our salvation till the coming of Christ. To support his disciples in the meantime, our Lord holds out to them, for confirmation, an intermediate period; as much as to say, “If it seem too long to wait for the day of my coming, I will provide against this in good time; for before you come to die, you will see with your eyes that kingdom of God, of which I bid you entertain a confident hope.” This is the natural import of the words; for the notion adopted by some, that they were intended to apply to John, is ridiculous.
Coming in his kingdom. By the coming of the kingdom of God we are to understand the manifestation of heavenly glory, which Christ began to make at his resurrection, and which he afterwards made more fully by sending the Holy Spirit, and by the performance of miracles; for by those beginnings he gave his people a taste of the newness of the heavenly life, when they perceived, by certain and undoubted proofs, that he was sitting at the right hand of the Father.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(28) There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death . . .The immediate sequence of the vision of the Son of Man transfigured from the low estate in which He then lived and moved, into the excellent glory which met the gaze of the three disciples, has led not a few interpreters to see in that vision the fulfilment of this prediction. A closer scrutiny of the words must, however, lead us to set aside that interpretation, except so far as the Transfiguration bore witness to what had till then been the latent possibilities of His greatness. To speak of something that was to take place within six days as to occur before some of those who heard the words should taste of death (comp. Joh. 8:52, Heb. 2:9, for the form of the expression) would hardly have been natural; nor does the vision, as such, satisfy the meaning of the words coming in His kingdom. The solution of the problem is to be found in the great prophecy of Matthew 24. In a sense which was real, though partial, the judgment which fell upon the Jewish Church, the destruction of the Holy City and the Temple, the onward march of the Church of Christ, was as the coming of the Son of Man in His kingdom. His people felt that He was not far off from every one of them. He had come to them in spirit and in power, and that advent was at once the earnest and the foreshadowing of the great far-off event, the day and hour of which were hidden from the angels of God, and even from the Son of Man Himself (Mar. 13:32). The words find their parallel in those that declared that This generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled (Mat. 24:34). That such words should have been recorded and published by the Evangelists is a proof either that they accepted that interpretation, if they wrote after the destruction of Jerusalem, or, if we assume that they were led by them to look for the end of all things as near at hand, that they wrote before the generation of those who then stood by had passed away; and so the very difficulty that has perplexed men becomes a proof of the early date of the three Gospels that contain the record.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Verily I say The accomplishment of the enterprise for which they toil and earn a martyr’s reward is now stated. Son of man coming Is parallel with Mat 10:23; both are fulfilled at Christ’s resurrection. As the Son of man would be come before the apostles had gone over the cities of Israel, so these same apostles standing here should see the Son of man coming. Some standing here would refer to the eleven apostles, excluding Judas, who did not behold Christ in his resurrection power.
These eleven were only some, not all, of those standing here; for it appears by Mar 8:34, that Jesus had called the people to be present at this discourse with his disciples. The declaration that they should see the Son of man at that time is too plainly literal for any fulfilment at the destruction of Jerusalem.
Instead of the phrase “Son of man coming in his kingdom,” Saint Mark has, (Mat 9:1🙂 “Until they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” Luke has: “Until they see the kingdom of God.” We may fairly suppose that our Lord used the expressions given both by Matthew and Mark, which include that of Luke. It would then be that some there standing should not taste of death until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom; and the kingdom itself come with power. These two phrases express the commencing and continuative points of the same thing. The coming in his kingdom was at his resurrection; the coming of the kingdom of God with power was the consequent miraculous establishment of Christianity on earth. The latest surviving apostles saw both of these before their death. Our Lord’s “coming in his kingdom,” was when he came from Paradise to resume his body, now glorified, and was invested, as prophetically seen by Daniel, (Dan 7:13-14,) with “a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him.” He then declared that “ALL POWER” was given into his hands, and commissioned his disciples to go and disciple all nations. The keys of the kingdom of heaven were put into their hands, and they were to open the doors to the believers of all peoples. Compare on Mat 28:18.
It has been objected that the “phrase shall not taste of death until,” implies a considerable distance of time. This objection is correct, and it refutes the application of the passage, which some commentators have made, to the transfiguration, and even its exclusive application to the resurrection of the Lord. But of the whole then present, including the people, none but the eleven disciples saw the resurrection, which was the Son of man coming in his kingdom; and some of these same eleven lived until they saw the kingdom of God come with power by the complete miraculous establishment of Christianity in the earth, as well as the disappearance of the old dispensation before it. To this interpretation, therefore, of both phrases taken together, the implied length of time is no objection.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Heavenly Glory Of Jesus Is Revealed (16:28-17:8).
His disciples having acknowledged Him as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and He Himself having spoken of His future appearing in glory, He now determines to reveal something of His glory to His three chosen disciples, so that after His resurrection they will be able to tell all His disciples what they experienced. By this Peter, James and John are to some extent set off from the remainder, and seen as especially fit to be trusted with the secret. And on a high mountain He is then transfigured in front of them, and is seen to be talking with Moses and Elijah. This would appear to indicate very vividly (among other things) that the Law and the Prophets both point to Him. But central to all is the Voice that speaks, and what it says, ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased, listen to Him’.
His feeding of the crowds had twice manifested His divine creative power, now He would reveal His divine glory. In the Old Testament both had occurred together. Thus the Transfiguration caps off the picture that has already been given. It reveals that He is the Son of the living God indeed.
Analysis.
a
b And after six days Jesus takes with Him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and brings them up into a high mountain apart’ (Mat 17:1).
c And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as the light (Mat 17:2).
d And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him (Mat 17:3).
e And Peter answered, and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here (Mat 17:4 a).
d If it is your will I will make here three dwellingplaces, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mat 17:4 b).
c While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear you him” (Mat 17:5).
b And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were very much afraid (Mat 17:6).
a And Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only (Mat 17:7-8).
Note that in ‘a’ they will see the Son of Man coming in His Kingly Rule and in the parallel they see no one but Jesus only. In ‘b’ the three are taken ‘into a high mountain’ apart, and in the parallel they fall on their faces very much afraid. In ‘c’ He is transfigured and His glory shines out, and in the parallel a bright cloud overshadows them and they hear a voice from Heaven. In ‘d’ Moses and Elijah appear, and in the parallel Peter offers to erect tents for them. Centrally in ‘e’ Peter says it is good for him and his fellow disciples to be there. Nothing could have been truer.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Note on Mat 16:28 .
Before we consider this whole passage we should perhaps consider the meaning of Mat 16:28 which has been the subject of much controversy. And in order to consider it we need to see the three versions of it, as found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, side by side.
16. 28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who stand here, who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of man coming in His kingly rule.”
Mar 9:1 ‘And he said to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some here of those who stand by who will in no way taste of death until they see the Kingly Rule of God come with power.” ’
Luk 9:27 “But I tell you of a truth, There are some of them who stand here, who will in no wise taste of death, until they see the Kingly Rule of God.”
Note that all the versions emphasise the certainty of the truth of the statement, all speak of those who stand there, all refer to their not all tasting death until what follows occurs, the difference therefore lies in the final words. ‘Until they see’ 1) the Son of Man coming in His Kingly Rule, 2) the Kingly Rule of God come with power, 3) the Kingly Rule of God, and even here the emphasis in each case is on God’s Kingly Rule, in Matthew’s case as exercised through the Son of Man.
It is noteworthy also that all the statements follow the idea of the Son of Man coming in glory, either His own or His Father’s, something which is emphasised. Yet one striking consideration here is that, although all differ, none of the three versions of this verse refer to that glory. Their emphasis is on their ‘seeing the Kingly Rule of God’, in Mark’s case ‘with power’, and the glory appears to be avoided. Contrast how in Mat 24:27; Mat 24:30; Mat 25:31 we find the repetition of the idea of glory. And this is especially interesting in the light of the fact that His coming in glory is never spoken of as introducing His Kingly Rule. Its emphasis is on His being the Judge as a result of possessing that Kingly Rule.
This suggests strongly that this verse is intended to refer to the fact that He is seen first as coming in His Kingly Rule (with power), in order to establish it, but not in glory. Luke’s phrase especially is quite basic. In view of Jesus’ words concerning the presence of the Kingly Rule of God as already being on earth (Mat 17:21) and as something that is spreading (Mat 16:16) this would suggest that Luke at least is talking about the Kingly Rule of God as being ‘seen’ in its establishment on a wide basis on earth (Act 1:3; Act 1:8; Act 28:23; Act 28:31). Mark’s addition of ‘with power’ tends to confirm this, rather than otherwise. The idea is of the invasion first, and then the taking up of His throne in glory follows. What then does Matthew’s ‘the Son of Man coming in His Kingly Rule’ refer to? One reply to that question could be that he answers the question himself in Mat 28:18-20. For there Matthew is indicating that he sees Jesus as returning after receiving all authority in Heaven and on earth, in order to go forward personally with His disciples to establish His Kingly Rule among the nations. He is to be seen as ‘coming in His Kingly Rule’ as with them He goes forward to establish that Kingly Rule. The doubt that may be raised is that in those verses there is no mention of the Son of Man. But countering that is the fact that calling Jesus the Son of Man after His resurrection, in a context where He is called the Son, might not be seen as fitting. He is no longer the Son of Man, He is the Son. Another alternative possibility is that ‘coming in His Kingly Rule’ refers to His approach to the throne of God ‘in royal power’ so as to establish His dominion and glory with God’s help (Dan 7:13; compare Mat 26:64 where that idea is also probably in mind). That being so the most reasonable interpretation of these words in all three versions is that they refer to Jesus’ coming work of establishing the Kingly Rule of God on earth in its expanded manifestation as it reaches out to ‘all nations’, in Matthew’s case by the fact of His very presence with them, having received His Kingly Rule, and in the case of Mark and Luke by the Holy Spirit revealing God’s Kingly Rule and bringing it about and extending it in Acts.
Other suggestions include that it refers to the Transfiguration (see below), to the Kingly Rule as having already come and needing to be appreciated, to Pentecost, to the Destruction of Jerusalem and to the Parousia. All are of course undoubtedly manifestations of His Kingly Rule, but in our view none of these quite fit comfortably in with Jesus’ way of expressing it
End of note.
Mat 16:28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who stand here, who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of man coming in His kingly rule.”
Following what we have seen in the note this is Jesus’ firmly declared confirmation to His disciples that within the possible lifetimes of the youngest present (the some who will not taste of death) they will see the Son of Man coming in His Kingly Rule, that is, His Kingly authority.
Looking at the chiasmus there may well be the indication that this verse is partly fulfilled in the Transfiguration, for ‘seeing the Son of Man coming in His Kingly Rule’ is there paralleled with ‘seeing no one but Jesus only’, and the Son of Man certainly appears in the Transfiguration in glory. They could thus be said to have seen in His transfiguration His manifestation as the King in His glory (Dan 7:14), and as the manifestation of the One Who has come in His Kingly Rule, a preview of the greater manifestation in Mat 25:31. And this ties in with the fact that in each Gospel the Transfiguration scene is firmly attached to these words. Taking the words strictly literally the Transfiguration fulfils all the requirements of the verse. And this suggestion is further backed up in that 2Pe 1:16 can be interpreted as describing the Transfiguration in terms of revealing ‘the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’, where the revelation of His power and His coming are seen as synonymous and as being revealed at that time.
But it is argued that the Transfiguration probably cannot be seen as the full fulfilment of these words, because that would appear to make nonsense of the words ‘some standing here’, which seem to indicate that a good number will taste of death before this ‘coming of the Son of Man in His Kingly Rule’. On the other hand that is not what He said. He did not say that many would taste of death, only that some would not until they had seen what He is speaking about. We can thus argue that Jesus deliberately did not want to be too specific about what He was planning, and knew that only some would see the Transfiguration. It is all thus very much a matter of interpretation. It could be argued that all that Jesus was wanting to get over was that only some would see it and that it would happen ‘shortly’, certainly within their lifetime. On the other hand, as we have seen, the total lack of the thought of ‘glory’ which has so prominent a part in descriptions of His second coming (Mat 16:27; Mat 24:27; Mat 24:30; Mat 25:31 twice), and of the Transfiguration, militates against Mat 16:28 signifying either the Transfiguration or the return in glory. If that is so it therefore rather appears to point to the establishment of His Kingly Rule on earth in powerful fashion (as in mind in, for example, Mat 11:12; Mat 13:38; Mat 13:52), prior to His glorious appearing, and as something that will take a good number of years to achieve (enough time to see the deaths of a good many present). It is by this process therefore that the Son of Man’s coming in His Kingly Rule is to be manifested (see Mat 28:18-20 and compare Mat 26:64). So all in all we may see this as Jesus’ assurance to His disciples that even though He is to suffer in the future, they are to recognise that this will not prevent the coming in of God’s Kingly Rule in the power of God, which is the purpose of His coming.
‘Until they see the Son of man coming in His kingly rule.’ The natural reading of ‘until’ would be that in the end all would taste of death. This would then confirm that it does not refer to the Parousia (for no believers could die after the Parousia when all had been gathered in) and would suggest therefore that the Parousia would not take place within the lifetime of any of them. It suggests that they will see the Kingly Rule beginning to be established by Him but will in the end die leaving that establishment to be carried on, until the Parousia finally arrives.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 16:28. Verily I say unto you Because the doctrine of Christ’s being constituted universal judge might appear to the disciples incredible at that time, on account of his humiliation, he told them, that some of them should not taste of death till they saw him coming in his kingdom; and by that should have not only a proof of his being the judge, but an example of the judgment which he was to execute: “Do not doubt that there shall be a day of judgment, when I shall come clothed with Divine Majesty, and attended by millions of angels, to render unto men according as their actions in this life have been good or bad: there are some here present who shall not die till they have seen a faint representation of the glory in which I will come, and an eminent example of this my power, exercised on the men of the present generation.” Accordingly, the disciples saw their Master coming in his kingdom, when they were witnesses of his transfiguration, resurrection and ascension, had the miraculous gifts of the spirit conferred upon them, and lived to see Jerusalem with the Jewish state destroyed, and the Gospel propagated through the greatest part of the then known world. Raphelius, Albert, and some other critics, would have the latter part of the verse translated, till they shall see the Son of man going into his kingdom; understanding it to be the disciples beholding Christ’s ascension into heaven, where he took possession of his mediatorial kingdom, and which without doubt was a very proper proof of his coming again to judge the world; but the common translation appears much more natural and just, as well as the sense above given; especially as our Lord’s manner of speaking intimates, that most of these present should be dead before the event referred to; but his ascension happened a few months after this. This verse, says a commentator, which imports the dominion that some there present should see him exercise over the nation of the Jews, was so covered by being annexed to Mat 16:27.where Christ speaks of the manifestation and glory of his kingdom at the day of judgment,that though his plain meaning be, that the appearance and visible exercise of his kingly power was so near, that some there should live to see it; yet if the foregoing words had not cast a shadow on these latter, but had been left plainly to be understood, as they plainly signified that he should be a king, and that it was so near, that some there should see him in his kingdom,this might have been laid hold on, and made the matter of a plausible and seemingly just accusation against him by the Jews before Pilate. This seems to be the reason of our Saviour’s inverting here the order of the two solemn manifestations to the world of his rule and power, thereby perplexing at present his meaning, and securing himself, as was necessary, from the malice of the Jews, which always lay ready to entrap him, and accuse him to the Roman governor: and they would no doubt have been ready to allege these words,Some here shall not taste, &c. against him, as criminal, had not their meaning been, by the former verse, perplexed, and the sense at thattime rendered unintelligible, and not applicable by any of his auditors to a sense that might have been prejudicial to him before Pontius Pilate: for how well the chief of the Jews were disposed towards him, St. Luke tells us, Luk 11:4 which may be a reason to satisfy us respecting the seemingly doubtful and obscure way of speaking used by our Saviour in other places;his circumstances being such, that without such a prudent carriage and reserve, he could not have gone through his work in the way that it pleased the Father and him, nor have performed all the parts of it in a way correspondent to the descriptions given of the Messiah, and which would be afterwards fully understood to belong to him when he had left the world.
Inferences.How aweful an event does our great Redeemer here offer to the serious contemplation of all mankind! In the glory of his Father, accompanied with a mighty hope of holy angels, he shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, making all heaven, earth, and hell to resound. The dead of all countries and times hear the tremendous call. Hark! the living, filled with joy, exult at the approach of God; or, seized with inexpressible terror, send up doleful cries, and are all changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Behold; the dead press forth from their graves, following each other in close procession, the earth seems quick, and the sea gives up its dead. Mark the beauty, the boldness, and the gladness of some, springing up to honour; but the ghastly countenances, the trembling, the despair of others, arising to shame and everlasting contempt. See how amazed and terrified they look! with what vehemence they wish the extinction of their being! fain would they fly, but cannot: impelled by a force as strong as necessity, they hasten to the place of judgment. As they advance, the sight of the tribunal from afar strikes new terror: they come on in the deepest silence, and gather round the throne by thousands of thousands. In the mean time the angels, having brought up their bands from the uttermost parts of the earth, fly round the numberless multitudes, ringing melodiously with loud voices, for joy that the day of general retribution is come, when vice shall be thrown from its usurpation, holiness exalted from its debasement to a superior station, the intricacies of Providence unravelled, the perfections of God vindicated, the church of God, purchased with his blood, cleared of them that do iniquity and of every thing that offendeth, and established impeccable for ever. Let God arise! let his enemies be scattered! as smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad! let them rejoice before God! yea, let them exceedingly rejoice! Psa 68:1; Psa 68:35. For strong is the Lord God who judgeth. Rev 18:8.
And now the Son of man appears on the throne of his glory; and all nations, princes, warriors, nobles, the rich, the poor, all intirely stripped of their attendance, and every external distinction, stand naked and equal before him, silently waiting to be sentenced to their unchangeable state; and every individual is filled with an aweful consciousness that he in particular is the object of the observation of Almighty God, manifest in his sight, and actually under his eye, so that there is not one single person concealed in the immensity of the crowd. The judge, who can be biassed by no bribe, softened by no subtle insinuations, imposed upon by no feigned excuses, having been himself privy to the most secret actions of each, needs no evidence, but distinguishes with an unerring certainty.
He speaks! Come from among them, my people, that ye receive not of their plagues. They separate; they feel their judge within them, and hasten to their proper places, the righteous on the one hand of the throne, and the wicked on the other; not so much as one of the wicked daring to join himself with the just. Here the righteous, most beautiful with the brightness of holiness, stand serene in their looks, and full of hope at the bar of God,a glad company! while the wicked, confounded at the remembrance of their lives, and terrified at the thought of what is to come, hang down their heads, inwardly cursing the day of their birth, and wishing, a thousand and a thousand times, that the rocks would fall on them, and the mountains cover them: but in vain; for there is no escaping nor appealing from this tribunal.
Behold, with mercy shining in his countenance and mild majesty, the king invites the righteous to take possession of the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world: but with angry frowns he drives the wicked away, into punishment that shall have no end, no refreshment, no alleviation, everlasting punishment!O the rejoicing! O the lamenting! the triumphant shouting of ascending saints, caught up in the clouds, to be ever with the Lord! the horror, the despair, the hideous shrieking of the damned, when they see hell gaping, hear the devils roaring, and feel the unspeakable torment of an awakened conscience!
Now they bitterly cry for death;but death flies from them. Now they envy the righteous, and gladly would be such;but all too late! Lo! the Son of God bows his head,the signal for his servants;the heavens and the earth depart, their works being at an end. See and hearwith what a terrible thundering noise the heavens pass away,the elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth, and all the works that are therein, are burnt up! the frame of nature dissolves! earth, seas, skies, all vanish together, making way for the new heaven and the new earth.It appears!the happy land of Promise, formed by the hand of God, large, beautiful, and pleasant, a fit habitation for his glorified saints, and long expected by them as their country. Here all the righteous, great and small, are assembled, making one vast blest society, even the kingdom and city of God. Here God manifests himself in a peculiar manner to his servants, wipes away all tears from off their faces, and adorns them with the beauties of immortality, glorious to behold. Here they drink fulness of joys, from the crystal river proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, and eat of the tree of life; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; but every one, happy in himself, imparts the blessing to his fellows: for mutual love warms every breast; love like that which subsists between the Father and the Son; mutual conference on the sublimest subjects refreshes every spirit with a divine repast of wisdom, and joys flowing from the tenderest friendship, fixed on the stable foundation of an immoveable virtue, gladden every heart. All the servants of God serve him in perfect holiness, see his face, feel transports of joy, and, by the reflection of his glory, shine as the sun in the firmament for ever and ever. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither the light of the sun; for the Lord God hath given them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Happy day! happy place and happy people! O blessed hope of joining that glorious society!All the servants of God shall serve him, and see his face.Serve God, and see his face!What an immensity of felicity is here! imagination faints with the fatigue of stretching itself to comprehend the vast, the unmeasurable thought.
REFLECTIONS.1st, However opposite in their tenets the Pharisees and Sadducees were, they perfectly agreed in their enmity against Christ and his gospel.
1. They came in concert with a view to tempt and entangle him, and, pretending dissatisfaction with the miracles that he wrought, desired a proof of the divine mission which he assumed, by some sign from heaven. Not indeed that they wished to be convinced, but merely sought some refuge for their infidelity. Note; They who, after all the miracles which Jesus has wrought, desire farther evidence of his character, evidently shew that they determine not to receive him; and if never so many signs or wonders were granted them, yet would they not believe in him.
2. Christ justly refuses to gratify their vain curiosity, and unreasonable requests. There was evidence sufficient before them, if they chose to see; and they did not want natural sagacity to judge of it. From observing the appearances of the sky, they determined what weather would follow. If the sky was red at evening, they presumed, by observation and experience, that the following day would be fair: but, if in the morning the sky appeared red and lowering, then it would be wet or windy: and from great probability they drew these conclusions. But how glaringly did they play the hypocrite, when, pretending the highest veneration for Moses and the prophets, though they could judge of the weather by the appearances of the sky, they could not discern the signs of the times, so clearly and distinctly revealed in the sacred writings; could neither see the present exact fulfilment of all the prophesies concerning the Messiah, nor the ruin coming upon themselves for rejecting him: and therefore, since they were a wicked and adulterous generation, wilfully blind to the evidence of truth, no other sign shall be given them than the miracles which they had already rejected, except his resurrection from the dead after three days, prefigured by the abode of the prophet Jonas in the belly of the great fish. And with this he left them, as incorrigible sinners, with whom it was in vain to remonstrate, and crossed the lake to another part of the country. Note; (1.) Many are wise enough in human concerns, yea, deeply skilled in the mysteries of science, who yet are stark blind with regard to their souls. (2.) They who by their obstinacy and infidelity provoke Christ to depart from them, are justly given up to perdition.
2nd, Departing in haste, the disciples had forgotten to take with them provisions as usual: and thereupon from temporal things he takes occasion to introduce spiritual instructions.
1. He cautions them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees; of their principles and doctrines, which would spread their pernicious influences through the whole man.
2. They mistook his meaning, and, taking his words literally, concluded privately among themselves that it was intended as a rebuke for their carelessness; or a caution not to make use of the bread of the Pharisees and Sadducees, or so much as to eat with them.
3. He reproves them for the sinful distrust of their hearts, and the dulness of their apprehensions. It was a proof of the weakness of their faith, after the miracles they had so lately seen, to harbour a moment’s distrust about a provision which their Master could so easily supply: and it shewed their stupidity, not to understand, after what had passed, that it could not be of bread, literally, that he spoke, but of something spiritual and figurative, of much greater moment than merely bread. Note; (1.) Christ is displeased with his people, when they harbour worldly fears, and are disturbed about the meat which perisheth. It is a proof of little faith indeed, to suppose that those who have a promise of heaven for their home, should want bread by the way. (2.) If we remembered better the part experience of God’s care, it would administer an argument to silence our present distrusts and perplexities.
4. At last they comprehend his meaning, that he spake not of the bread, but of the doctrines of these sects, cautioning them against the false traditions, pride, and self-righteousness of the Pharisees, and against the infidelity and licentious principles of the Sadducees; both fatally dangerous: against which we have alike need to be on our guard. Take heed and beware of them.
3rdly, Being now in the remotest part of the country, our Lord took occasion in private conference to inquire into the opinions entertained concerning himself by the people in general, and by his disciples in particular. Not that he was ignorant of either; but he meant to lead them to an open confession of their faith in him.
1. He asks concerning the general opinion which the people formed of himself, who appeared under the name of the Son of manthe humble title which he assumed when he emptied himself, and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. Or it may be read, Whom do men say that I am? the Son of man? Do they acknowledge my character and mission as the Messiah: or, what do they think of me?
2. The disciples, who had heard the different sentiments of the multitude, informed him that there were various conjectures formed concerning him; some supposing him John the Baptist risen from the dead; others Elias, prophesied of by Malachi; others Jeremias, or one of the ancient prophets sent to reform the guilty age: opinions which shewed the honourable sentiments that the people in general entertained of him, yet far short of the truth. The meanness of his birth, relations, dress, and followers, seem to have quite excluded the notion of his true character as the Messiah, whom their prejudices had always represented as to come with all the pomp of majesty, and the glory of a conquering hero.
3. He questions them concerning their own sentiments of him. They had been better taught, and therefore should have higher notions of his true character; and, being shortly to become teachers of others, they were peculiarly called upon to entertain right apprehensions of this important truth themselves. Note; We must know Jesus ourselves, his person and offices, or it is impossible that we should truly be his ministers to others.
4. Peter, according to his usual zeal and forwardness, in the name of the rest, and as their spokesman, nobly replies, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. They understood his real character, they truly believed in him as the divine Messiah, the anointed prophet, priest, and king of the church, and were ready to confess him not merely as Son of man, but as the coequal Son of God.
5. Christ expresses his high commendation of this truly apostolic confession. It was a distinguished blessing which Peter possessed, thus to know the Lord’s Christ; and what neither sprang from his birth, education, nor his own reasoning, but from divine revelation. So noble and open a profession of his faith shewed him to be what his name imported, a rock: and hereupon Christ adds, Upon this rock I will build my church: which some apply personally to Peter, who may in a sound sense be admitted as one of those apostles on whom, as the foundation, the church is said to be built, being raised in the first instance by their ministry, Eph 2:20. Rev 21:14. Nor can this at all countenance the absurd pretensions of the bishops of Rome, who are neither his successors in office nor in doctrine. Indeed, nothing can more evince the weakness of their claims, than such perverted scriptures, wrested and pressed into the service. But by the rock more probably is meant Christ himself, who in speaking pointed to his own person, and who was evidently the rock on which Peter himself built, the true foundation, other than which can no man lay, 1Co 3:11. Hereon he is pleased to raise the glorious superstructure of his church: the glory of it is all his own; and on his power, love, and faithfulness, its stability rests: nor shall the gates of hell ever prevail against it: the faithful souls that cleave to him, he will save from Satan, sin, death, and hell. Note; (1.) Nothing is so acceptable to Jesus as a bold profession of our confidence in him. (2.) They are truly blessed who savingly know the Son of God. (3.) All that we know of God and his Christ is from his own revelation.
6. Having engaged to erect his church, Christ provides for the government of it, and commits to Peter and the other Apostles the keys, the ensigns of authority, empowering him and them, in his name, to declare what was lawful and unlawful, to charge sin upon men’s consciences, and to declare the absolution of them on their humiliation and genuine repentance, to pronounce spiritual censures, or loose men from them; and what they did upon earth in his name, and according to his will and word, he engages to ratify in heaven. And this is particularly addressed to Peter, as being appointed to be the first preacher of the Gospel both to the Jews and Gentiles, and as the honour conferred upon him for the glorious confession which he had made.
7. He strictly charges his disciples to conceal at present what they knew of his divine person and character: and this for many reasons; because his hour was not yet come, and such declarations would exasperate the Pharisees to destroy him, alarm the government, and occasion an insurrection among the people, big with the hopes of a temporal Messiah: besides that they were to be better furnished, after his resurrection, with greater abilities for their work, and fuller evidence of the truth in their own souls, and for the conviction of others.
4thly, To check the aspiring hopes which his own disciples foolishly entertained concerning the nature of his kingdom, he begins to inform them of the sufferings that he must undergo: and from that time, when their faith appeared more or less established in him, inculcated this mortifying lesson, as they were able to bear it. Christ’s method is to let us into the knowledge of his truth by degrees: it might utterly have staggered them, if they had known at first all the discouragements with which they were afterwards to meet.
1. He foretels his sufferings, and death, (strange tidings to their ears!) the scene of which would be in Jerusalem, the holy city; and the instruments, the most admired characters, the elders, chief priests, and Scribes, who by their office and profession should have been the first to receive and honour him as the Messiah: but withal he informs them, to support their hopes, that the third day he should rise again.
2. Peter, still the foremost to speak, though now as faulty as he had been before commendable, could not bear to hear of his death and sufferings, and therefore had the boldness to take him aside and expostulate with him, expressing his displeasure at what he had heard, his abhorrence of the thought of it, and his presumption that it was impossible the Messiah should thus suffer, and the Son of the living God be put to death. Note; (1.) Our hearts ill bear commendation; like Peter, we are too apt to presume upon it. (2.) How intricate soever God’s ways may appear, and his dispensations however painful to us, it is not for us to question the rectitude of his procedure, or pretend to be wiser than he: submission and silence are our bounden duty. (3.) Our corrupt nature ever shrinks from the cross with abhorrence. Had Christ thus started back from it, what had become of us?
3. With a sharp rebuke the Lord testifies his displeasure against Peter. He turned, with sternness in his look, and said unto Peter, in the hearing of the twelve, Get thee behind me, Satan; be gone: thou speakest under his influence: and this pretended kindness implies real enmity. Thou art an offence, or hinderance to me, opposing the great end for which I came into the world: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, dost not relish the contrivance of infinite wisdom, for the manifestation of his own glory, and the redemption of sinners, by my sufferings, but those that be of men, expecting in the Messiah a temporal monarch, and influenced by the hopes of worldly wealth, power, and honour. Note; (1.) We may find often as dangerous snares in the false kindness of our friends as in the avowed enmity of our foes. (2.) If any one would dissuade us upon any pretence from the path of duty, we must reject the advice with abhorrence, and rebuke him with severity. (3.) Maxims of carnal policy, and desire of earthly ease and honour, are strangely apt to insinuate themselves even into good men, and disincline them from taking up that cross which God hath appointed them. We have need of constant jealousy over our hearts, lest, imitating Peter’s conduct in the present instance, we should meet with his rebuke.
5thly, As he had foretold to them the sufferings that himself must endure, he forewarns them also to expect the like treatment, and advertises them that only thus bearing his cross they could be truly his disciples.
1. He plainly sets before them the terms of discipleship; very different from what their national prejudices suggested. If any man will come after me, a volunteer in my service, and choosing it with all the trials which for my sake he may be exposed to endure, let him deny himself, his own will and wisdom, his pride and self-righteousness, his carnal lusts and appetites, his worldly honour, ease, and advantage, and whatever else would tend to clog, retard, or turn him back from my service; and let him take up his cross, cheerfully submitting to every providential affliction, and ready to expose himself in the way of duty to persecutions, losses, reproaches, sufferings, yea, even to death itself, if need be, for my sake, and the open and avowed profession of my name: and let him follow me in all humility, patience, faith, perseverance, steadfast and unmoveable in the work of the Lord, whether to do or suffer according to his holy will. Hard terms for flesh and blood! Indeed we must have more than human ability, or they would be impracticable. Note; (1.) Self-denial is the first lesson of Christ’s school. (2.) There never yet was a Christian without his cross. Far therefore from being discouraged by what we suffer, we should rather conclude our real discipleship from this conformity to our Lord. (3.) It becomes us however to take care that the cross we bear is the cross of Christ; and not what our own wilfulness or sins have brought upon us.
2. Christ suggests the most powerful arguments to engage us with steadiness and cheerfulness to embrace his proposal.
[1.] An eternity of happiness or misery depends on our present choice and conduct. Whoever by base and sinful compliances with a world which lieth in wickedness, would screen himself from sufferings and death, takes the direct method to destroy for ever the life that he thus seeks to preserve: while he who with unshaken fidelity, for the sake of Christ and his Gospel, is ready to endure the loss of all things, and even of life itself, rather than dishonour his profession, or betray the cause in which he is engaged,this man shall in eternity be unspeakably a gainer, and effectually secure the life that he thus bravely dares to part with. We must therefore weigh time against eternity, and, under the influences of realizing faith, shall not hesitate a moment, whether we shall suffer with Christ that we may reign with him, or, prolonging a momentary existence by our cowardice, perish everlastingly.
[2.] Our immortal souls are at stake, infinitely more valuable than ten thousand worlds. Admit that we should, by complying with the world, gain all that it has to bestow, wallow in its wealth, riot in its pleasures, or rise to the pinnacle of earthly grandeur, yet if this be purchased by the loss of our souls for ever, driven from the presence of God, and consigned to everlasting torment, how inconceivably foolish will this bargain shortly appear, and how irreparable the damage? since, had a man millions of gold and silver, yea, worlds unnumbered, to bestow, they would in God’s account be lighter in the balances than vanity itself; yea, would be less than nothing, if proffered in exchange to redeem but one soul from death eternal. Note; (1.) The value of the soul and the vanity of the world should be the subjects of our frequent meditation. (2.) How many thousands are daily bartering their souls for the most miserable pittance of this world’s honours, gain, and pleasures! and yet so has the God of this world blinded them, that they will not see the folly, the madness of their pursuits. (3.) A soul lost, is lost for ever; there is no redemption in the grave. (4.) There is but one sufficient price to redeem the soul from death, and that is the blood of Christ; and all other things for this purpose are in God’s account as dung and dross.
[3.] The rewards of eternal glory will infinitely compensate all the sufferings of this present time. This is a perishing world; the end of all things is at hand; the Judge is at the door; the Son of man shall come in all the glory of Divinity with his angelic guards around his throne of judgment, and then will he dispense his rewards according to men’s works; when the faithful shall receive the eternal glory, honour, and immortality, which he has promised; and the wicked, the worldling and apostates, the wages of their iniquity in eternal torment. Note;
To live under the constant expectation of this great day, is the best means of strengthening us against every trial that we may be called to encounter.
[4.] As an especial argument to secure their fidelity, Christ assures them, that some there present, before their death, should see the glory of the Messiah’s kingdom begun, in his resurrection from the dead, the out-pouring of his Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the spreading of his Gospel, and the destruction of the Jewish state and nation, their bitterest persecutors, which would be an emblem of the final perdition of all ungodly men in the day of judgment.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 16:28 . Having affirmed the certainty of the second coming and the divine retribution, He now proceeds to do the same with regard to their nearness .
. . .] which refers to those present generally, and not merely to the disciples, presupposes that the majority of them will have died previous to the event in question.
] The experiencing of death regarded as a tasting of it (of its pains). See note on Joh 8:52 , and Wetstein.
. . .] not as though they were to die afterwards , but what is meant is, that they will still be living when it takes place. Comp. Mat 24:34 ; Hofmann, Schriftbew . II. 2, p. 629 f.
] not for . . . (Beza, Raphel, and others), but as a king in all His regal authority (Plat. Rep . p. 499 B: ). Luk 23:42 . There is no substantial difference between the present prediction of Jesus as to His impending advent in glorious majesty (comp. Mat 10:23 , Mat 24:34 ), and that in Mar 9:1 ; Luk 9:27 . The cannot be supposed to come without the . This, at the same time, in answer to Ebrard (comp. Baumeister in Klaiber’s Studien , II. 1, p. 19), who interprets this passage, not of the second coming to judgment, but, laying stress on the (against which the , Mat 16:27 , should have duly warned), understands it as referring to the founding of the church, and particularly to what took place at Pentecost, and that notwithstanding the context and the words , etc., which, if this view were adopted, would be entirely out of place (Glass, Calovius). It is likewise to explain it away in a manner no less arbitrary, to understand the passage in the sense of a figurative coming in the destruction of Jerusalem and the diffusion of Christianity (Jac. Cappellus, Wetstein, Kuinoel, Schott, Glckler, Bleek), or of the triumphant historical development of the gospel (Erasmus, Klostermann, Schenkel), or of the powerful influences of the spirit of the glorified Messiah as extending over the world (Paulus). Others , such as Beda, Vatablus, Maldonatus, Jansen, Clarius, Corn. a Lapide, following Chrysostom, Euth. Zigabenus, Theophylact, have so strangely perverted Christ’s prediction as even to make it refer to the incident of the transfiguration immediately following.
On the impending advent in general, see the observations at the close of ch. 24.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
REFLECTIONS
Lord, I pray thee! keep my soul from every leaven, which, mingled with the complete justifying righteousness of my Lord Jesus Christ, would rob my God of his glory, and my soul of happiness. And doth my God and Savior demand of my poor soul who Jesus is, amidst the varieties of creeds and professions of the present day? Oh! for the teaching of God the Holy Ghost, the revelation of God my Father, and the blessed manifestation of the Son of God to my heart, that I may bear a fixed, unalterable, and decided testimony, before Angels and Men, that thou art the Christ of God, the Lord, my righteousness. Oh! yes! thou Holy One of Israel! thou art indeed the Christ of God, the Word of God, the Lamb of God, the wisdom of God, and the power of God, for salvation to everyone that believeth. And oh; my honoured Lord, as thou hast said, flesh and blood cannot reveal it, and none but God the Father can give a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, hath the Lord given to me this spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of my Lord; then let me take to myself the blessedness of the discovery, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Oh! for grace to savour the things which are of God, and not those which are of men. Give me, blessed Jesus, grace to follow thy cross, and learn all the necessary exercises of self denial, that being conformed to thy image here; I may be satisfied When I awake up after thy likeness hereafter!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
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.
Ver. 28. Which shall not taste of death ] The saints do but taste of death only, they do no more but sip of that bitter cup, which for tasting of that forbidden fruit in the garden, they should have been swilling and swallowing down for ever.
Till they see the Son of man, &c. ] This verse is to be referred to the transfiguration recorded in the next chapter, where some of them had the happiness to see Christ in his kingdom; that is, in his heavenly glory, whereof they had a glimpse.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
28. ] This declaration refers, in its full meaning, certainly not to the transfiguration which follows , for that could in no sense (except that of being a foretaste; cf. Peter’s own allusion to it, 2Pe 1:17 , where he evidently treats it as such) be named ‘the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom,’ and the expression, . ., indicates a distant event, but to the destruction of Jerusalem , and the full manifestation of the Kingdom of Christ by the annihilation of the Jewish polity; which event, in this aspect as well as in all its terrible attendant details, was a type and earnest of the final coming of Christ. See Joh 21:22 , and compare Deu 32:36 with Heb 10:30 . This dreadful destruction was indeed judgment beginning at the house of God. The interpretation of Meyer, &c., that our Lord referred to His ultimate glorious , the time of which was hidden from Himself (see Mar 13:32 ; Act 1:7 ), is self-contradictory on his own view of the Person of Christ.
That our Lord, in His humanity in the flesh, did not know the day and the hour, we have from His own lips: but that not knowing it , He should have uttered a determinate and solemn prophecy of it, is utterly impossible. His always introduces His solemn and authoritative revelations of divine truth. The fact is, there is a reference back in this discourse to that in ch. 10, and the coming here spoken of is the same as that in Mat 16:23 there. Stier well remarks that this cannot be the great and ultimate coming, on account of . , which implies that they should taste of death after they had seen it, and would therefore be inapplicable to the final coming (Reden Jesu, ii. 224). This is denied by Wordsw., who substitutes for the simple sense of . . the fanciful expositions, “shall not feel its bitterness,” “shall not taste of the death of the soul ,” and then, thus interpreting, gives the prophecy the very opposite of its plain sense: “they will not taste of death till I come: much less will they taste of it then .” It might be difficult to account for such a curious wresting of meaning, had he not added, “the signification of here may be compared to in Mat 1:25 .” “Latet anguis in herba.”
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 16:28 . crux interpretum , supposed by some to refer to the Transfiguration (Hilary, Chrys., Euthy., Theophy., etc.); by others to the destruction of Jerusalem (Wetstein, etc.); by others again to the origins of the Church (Calvin, Grotius, etc.). The general meaning can be inferred with certainty from the purpose to furnish an additional incentive to fidelity. It is: Be of good courage, there will be ample compensation for trial soon ; for some of you even before you die. This sense excludes the Transfiguration, which came too soon to be compensatory. The uncertainty comes in in connection with the form in which the general truth is stated. As to that, Christ’s speech was controlled not merely by His own thoughts but by the hopes of the future entertained by His disciples. He had to promise the advent of the Son of Man in His Kingdom or of the Kingdom of God in power (Mk.) within a generation, whatever His own forecast as to the future might be. That might postulate a wider range of time than some of His words indicate, just as some of His utterances and His general spirit postulate a wide range in space for the Gospel (universalism) though He conceived of His own mission as limited to Israel. If the logion concerning the Church (Mat 16:18 ) be genuine, Jesus must have conceived a Christian era to be at least a possibility, for why trouble about founding a Church if the wind-up was to come in a few years? The words of Jesus about the future provide for two possible alternatives: for a near advent and for an indefinitely postponed advent. His promises naturally contemplate the former; much of His teaching about the kingdom easily fits into the latter. .: a Hebrew idiom, but not exclusively so. For examples of the figure of tasting applied to experiences, vide Elsner in Mk. For Rabbinical use, vide Schttgen and Wetstein. , subjunctive after as usual in classics and N. T. in a clause referring to a future contingency depending on a verb referring to future time.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat 16:28
28″Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
Mat 16:28 This is a difficult verse to interpret. In context it seems to refer to the Second Coming, but Matthew, writing forty plus years after Jesus’ death, realized this was incorrect. It could refer to
1. Jesus’ ascension
2. the kingdom which was already present in Jesus
3. the Parousia or Second Coming
4. the Spirit’s coming and equipping at Pentecost
5. the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Roman General Titus
6. the transfiguration recorded in the next chapter (note the proximity in Mar 9:1-2)
Because of the immediate context of Matthew 17, the sixth option is best. See special topic on the Kingdom of God at Mat 4:17 and Reigning in the Kingdom of God at Mat 5:3.
“Truly” See Special Topic at Mat 5:18.
“taste death” This is a Hebraic idiom for dying (cf. 1Sa 15:32).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Verily. See note on Mat 5:18.
be = are.
some = some of those.
till. The particle an, with the Subjunctive Mood, gives this a hypothetical force. Compare the four “tills” (Mat 10:23; Mat 16:28; Mat 23:39; Mat 24:34; Mat 26:29).
see = may have seen. App-133. See notes on “an” above and below. Greek. eidon. App-133.
coming, &c. The promise of this coming was definitely repeated later, in Act 3:19-26, and was conditional on the repentance of the nation. Hence the particle “an”, which (though untranslatable) expresses the condition or hypothesis implied. Their continuing to live until Act 28:25, Act 28:26 was certain; but the fulfillment of the condition was uncertain. No “an”after “until” in Mat 17:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
28.] This declaration refers, in its full meaning, certainly not to the transfiguration which follows, for that could in no sense (except that of being a foretaste; cf. Peters own allusion to it, 2Pe 1:17, where he evidently treats it as such) be named the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom, and the expression, . ., indicates a distant event,-but to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the full manifestation of the Kingdom of Christ by the annihilation of the Jewish polity; which event, in this aspect as well as in all its terrible attendant details, was a type and earnest of the final coming of Christ. See Joh 21:22, and compare Deu 32:36 with Heb 10:30. This dreadful destruction was indeed judgment beginning at the house of God. The interpretation of Meyer, &c., that our Lord referred to His ultimate glorious , the time of which was hidden from Himself (see Mar 13:32; Act 1:7), is self-contradictory on his own view of the Person of Christ.
That our Lord, in His humanity in the flesh, did not know the day and the hour, we have from His own lips: but that not knowing it, He should have uttered a determinate and solemn prophecy of it, is utterly impossible. His always introduces His solemn and authoritative revelations of divine truth. The fact is, there is a reference back in this discourse to that in ch. 10, and the coming here spoken of is the same as that in Mat 16:23 there. Stier well remarks that this cannot be the great and ultimate coming, on account of . , which implies that they should taste of death after they had seen it, and would therefore be inapplicable to the final coming (Reden Jesu, ii. 224). This is denied by Wordsw., who substitutes for the simple sense of . . the fanciful expositions, shall not feel its bitterness, shall not taste of the death of the soul, and then, thus interpreting, gives the prophecy the very opposite of its plain sense: they will not taste of death till I come: much less will they taste of it then. It might be difficult to account for such a curious wresting of meaning, had he not added, the signification of here may be compared to in Mat 1:25. Latet anguis in herba.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 16:28. , some) Our Lord does not mention them by name; and it was profitable for them not to know that they were the persons meant.[772] Peter then scarcely hoped that he would be one of them.-, here) A strikingly demonstrative particle.- , until they see) Something is indicated which was to happen, but not immediately (otherwise all, or nearly all, would have lived to that time), but yet something which would take place in that generation of men. This term (terminus) or period has various intervals: the vision, or seeing, various degrees up to the death of those who saw it, which followed at various times: cf. in Luk 2:26, the expression , before he had seen, used with regard to Simeon. And the advent of the Son of Man advanced another step before the death of James (see Act 2:36), and passim till Mat 12:2, and cf. Heb 2:5-7); another before the death of Peter (see 2Pe 1:14; 2Pe 1:19, and Luk 21:31); another, and that the highest, before the death of John, in the most magnificent revelation of His coming, which the beloved disciple has himself described (see Gnomon on Joh 21:22); a revelation to which the event foretold will correspond; see Mat 16:27, and ch. Mat 26:64. And a previous proof of this matter was given in a week[773] from this time on the Mount of Transfiguration; and, at the same time, out of all the disciples those were chosen who should most especially see it. It is beyond question, that those three[774] who witnessed our Lords transfiguration were peculiarly favoured with reference to the subsequent manifestations of His glory. This saying of our Lord appears to have been referred to, but not rightly understood, by those who imagined that the last day was near at hand.- , the Son of Man coming) His conspicuous coming to judgment (see Gnomon on Mat 16:13) is meant, which would begin to follow immediately after His ascension.[775]
[772] And He may have thereby also at the same time sharpened others.-V. g.
[773] After six days, chap. Mat 17:1.-ED.
[774] Of whom James, in the year 44, Peter in 67, John in 102, are generally said to have died.-Harm., p. 372.
[775] Bengel, J. A. (1860). Vol. 1: Gnomon of the New Testament (M. E. Bengel & J. C. F. Steudel, Ed.) (J. Bandinel & A. R. Fausset, Trans.) (251-333). Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
his kingdom
(See Scofield “Mat 3:2”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
There: Mar 9:1, Luk 9:27
taste: Luk 2:26, Joh 8:52, Heb 2:9
see: This appears to refer to the mediatorial kingdom which our Lord was about to set up, by the destruction of the Jewish nation and polity, and the diffusion of the gospel throughout the world. Mat 10:23, Mat 24:3, Mat 24:27-31, Mat 24:42, Mat 26:64, Mar 13:26, Luk 18:8, Luk 21:27, Luk 21:28
Reciprocal: Mat 5:18 – verily Mat 6:10 – Thy kingdom Mat 24:30 – see Mat 24:34 – This Mat 26:29 – with Mat 28:17 – when Mat 28:18 – All Mar 13:30 – that Luk 21:32 – General Joh 1:51 – the Son Joh 21:22 – If Act 7:56 – the Son 2Pe 1:16 – coming
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:28
The preceding verse gives the promise of reward for faithful work at the second coming of Christ. As a guarantee of the surety of that promise, Jesus told them that some of them in his presence would live to see the great event that was to prepare men for that last day of accounts. They were promised the honor of seeing the Son of man in another manner; he was to be seen spiritually in his kingdom. We incidentally may obtain an important truth by this statement. The kingdom was set up in the time of those apostles, and that disproves the heresy taught by some today that the kingdom is still in the future.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 16:28. Verily I say unto you. Solemn preface.
There be some of them that stand here. The Twelve and the people about (Mar 8:34).
Who shall in no wise taste of death. Death is represented under the figure of a bitter cup. Some of those present should be still alive when the event referred to in the next clause should take place, though they should afterwards die.
The Son of man coming in his kingdom. Not the coming in Mat 16:27. (1.) That was in the glory of His Father, this in His kingdom, or a coming of the kingdom of God with power (Mar 9:1, comp. Luk 9:27); (2.) So definite a prediction of the final coming is inconsistent with chap. Mat 24:36 : But of that day and hour knoweth no one, etc. Nor is it the transfiguration, which was a temporary revelation, but the establishment of the new dispensation, which was the coming of the kingdom of God with power. The more precise reference may be (1.) to the coming of our Lord after the resurrection; but all of them except Judas lived to see that, and it is implied that some would die; (2.) to the day of Pentecost, but this is open to the same objection; (3.) to the destruction of Jerusalem, which ended the old dispensation. Chap. Mat 10:23 refers to this, and chap. 25 supports the same view. That event was of awful significance. In view of the circumstances, the hostility of the Jews now manifest, the prediction that Jerusalem would be the place of His sufferings, the announcement of His Church as distinguished from the old economy to be abrogated fully in the ruin of that city, it seems clear that if one event be referred to, it is this, which was in so many respects a type and earnest of the final coming of Christ (Alford). (4.) A wider view refers it to a gradual or progressive change, the institution of Christs kingdom in the hearts of men and in society at large (J. A. Alexander), extending from the day of Pentecost to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
A threefold sense and interpretation is given of these words.
1. Some will have them refer to our Saviour’s transfiguration mentioned in the next chapter: as if he had said, “Some of you, as Peter, James, and John, shall shortly see me upon mount Tabor, in such glory as I will come into judgment.”
2. Others understand the words of Christ’s exercising his kingly power in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation; which St. John did have to see.
3. Others refer the words to the time of the gospel after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, when the gospel was propagated and spread far and near, There are some standing here, that shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power Mar 9:1; that is, till they see the increase and enlargement of the the church by the gospel.
Thence note, That where the gospel is powerfully preached, and cheerfully obeyed, there Christ cometh most gloriously in his kingdom.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mat 16:28. Verily, there be some standing here, &c. And that you may not doubt that there shall be a day of judgment, when I shall come clothed with divine majesty, to render unto men according to their actions in this life, let me assure you there are some here present that shall not die till they shall see a faint representation of this, in events which will soon take place, especially in my coming to set up my mediatorial kingdom with great power and glory, in the increase of my church, and the destruction of mine enemies. Accordingly the disciples saw their Master coming in his kingdom, when they were witnesses of his transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension, and the miraculous gifts of his Spirit conferred upon them; and lived to see Jerusalem, with the Jewish state, destroyed, and the gospel propagated through the greatest part of the then known world.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Verse 28
The Son man coming in his kingdom; the open establishment and extension of Christ’s kingdom in the world. At this time Jesus had not announced himself as the Messiah. (See Matthew 16:20.)
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
16:28 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 {x} kingdom.
(x) By his kingdom is understood the glory of his ascension, and what follows after that, Eph 4:10 , or the preaching of the gospel, Mr 9:1 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The announcement of the kingdom’s appearing 16:28 (cf. Mar 9:1; Luk 9:27)
Jesus revealed next that some of the disciples whom He addressed would not die until they saw Him coming in His kingdom. This prediction may at first appear to be very similar to the one in Mat 10:23. However, that verse refers to something else, namely, Jesus’ reunion with His disciples following their preaching tour in Galilee.
This verse (Mat 16:28) cannot mean that Jesus returned to set up the messianic kingdom during the lifetime of these disciples since that did not happen. Neither does it mean that Jesus had already set up the kingdom when He spoke these words, as some writers have believed. [Note: E.g., C. H. Dodd, The Parables of the Kingdom, pp. 53-54.] What Jesus predicted would happen in the future rules this out. Some interpreters have taken Jesus’ words as a reference to His resurrection and ascension. However, Jesus spoke of those events elsewhere as His departure, not His coming (Joh 16:7). Moreover such a view interprets the kingdom in a heavenly sense rather than in the earthly sense in which the Old Testament writers consistently spoke of it.
Most amillennial and some premillennial interpreters confuse the eternal heavenly rule of God with the millennial earthly rule of Messiah. Some take the kingdom as entirely heavenly, and others take it as both heavenly and earthly. Among the latter group are those who believe the kingdom is operating in a heavenly form now but will become an earthly kingdom later. A popular name for this view is the "now, not yet" view. This view often involves confusing the church with the kingdom. [Note: E.g., Ladd, et al.] This is the view that progressive dispensationalists hold as well.
Other interpreters believe that Jesus was speaking about the day of Pentecost. [Note: Morgan, p. 221.] However the Son of Man did not come then. The Holy Spirit did. Furthermore the kingdom did not begin then. The church did. Still others hold that the destruction of Jerusalem is in view. [Note: Richard C. Trench, Studies in the Gospels, p. 198.] The only link with that event is judgment.
Jesus appears to have been predicting the preview of His coming to establish His kingdom that He gave Peter, James, and John in the Transfiguration (Mat 17:1-8). [Note: Walvoord, Matthew: . . ., p. 126; Toussaint, Behold the . . ., pp. 209-10.] The Transfiguration follows this prediction immediately in all three of the Gospels that record it (cf. Mar 9:1-8; Luk 9:27-36). Moreover Matthew, Mark, and Luke all linked Jesus’ prediction and the Transfiguration with connectives. Matthew and Mark used "and" (Gr. de) while Luke used "and . . . it came about" (Gr. egeneto de). Peter, one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration, interpreted it as a preview of the kingdom (2Pe 1:16-18). Finally Jesus’ "truly I say to you" or "I tell you the truth" (Mat 16:28) separates His prediction of the establishment of the kingdom (Mat 16:27) from His prediction of the vision of the kingdom (Mat 16:28). Jesus’ reference to some not tasting death until they saw the kingdom may seem strange at first, but in the context Jesus had been speaking of dying (Mat 16:24-26).
Jesus had just announced that He was going to build His church (Mat 16:18), so what would happen to the promised kingdom? Here He clarified that the kingdom would still come (cf. Mat 6:10).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
More revelation about the kingdom 16:28-17:13
Jesus proceeded to reveal the kingdom to His inner circle of disciples to strengthen their faith and to prepare them for the trials of their faith that lay ahead of them.