Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 16:17
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
17. Bar-jona ] “son of Jonah.” Bar is Aramaic for son; cp. Barabbas, Bar-tholomew, Bar-nabas.
for flesh and blood, &c.] Not man, but God; “flesh and blood” was a common Hebrew expression in this contrast.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mat 16:13; Mat 16:17
Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?
Confession and cross-bearing
I. The confession.
1. The substance of the confession.
2. The source of the confession (Mat 16:17).
3. The power of the confession (Mat 16:18-19).
4. The limitations of the confession (Mat 16:20).
II. The covenant of the christian church
1. The dignity of cross-bearing (Mat 16:21; Mat 16:23).
2. The necessity of crossbearing (Mat 16:24-26).
3. The rewards of cross-bearing (Mat 16:27-28). (Monday Club Sermons.)
The Son of man-the Son of God
I. The question of Jesus Christ-Whom do men, etc.
1. The first word we shall emphasize is the word men. His mind soars above all national distinctions.
2. The other word we shall emphasize is the word Son of man. He is humanity condensed.
3. We shall next emphasize the two words together-men and Son of man. The Saviour presents Himself on the level of our common humanity, and appeals to our common sense, our common nature, to say who He is.
II. The answer of the world.
III. The answer of the church. (J. C. Jones.)
Christ the universal man
He is not an excrescence of our nature. No poet He, no philosopher He, no man of science He. He was all these in one, He was man, thorough man, growing out of the depths of our nature. The sea on the surface is divided into waves-go down and you will soon come to a region where there are no waves, where there is nothing but water. And humanity on the surface is broken into nationalities and individualities. But go down a little way, and you will soon come to a region where differences give place to resemblances: force your way down and you will soon arrive at the region of human unities, where every man is like every other man. Now Jesus Christ emerges from the profoundest depths of our nature, from the region of unities. No Jew He-no Greek He-no Roman He-but Man. He touches you and me not in our branches but in our roots. Show me an oak and show me an ash tree: it is easy to tell the difference between them in the branches, but not so easy in the roots. Show me a rose and show me a tulip: any one can tell the difference between them in the leaf, but only a very few can tell the difference between them in their seeds. And Jesus Christ is the Root of Jesse, the Seed of Abraham and of David; and all nations and all men in their roots and seeds are very much alike. (Monday Club Sermons)
The true idea of Christ to be obtained from the New Testament rather than from creeds
Creeds embody the ripest and most advanced thoughts of the ages they represent. It is not against the use of creeds that I speak-we cannot very conveniently do without them-but against their abuse, against setting them up in every jot and tittle as infallible standards for all subsequent ages. If you look at a picture of the sky in our picture galleries, you will find that with rare exceptions it has been rendered too hard and too material. The sky on canvas is a ceiling beyond which the eye cannot wander. But if you go out of the gallery a very different sky will open itself before you-a sky which seems to recede for ever before your vision. The sky of painters is too often a thing to be looked at; the sky of nature is not a thing to be looked at, but a thing to be looked through. In like manner, the truth concerning Christ as rendered in creeds and systems is hard and dry-it is the sky of the picture. The truth concerning Christ as presented in the Gospels is deep, living, infinite-it is the sky of nature. And I greatly rejoice that men try to understand the Christ of the Gospels and not the Christ of the creeds, the Christ of the evangelists and not the Christ of the schools. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Monday Club Sermons.)
Christ the centre of theology
An American writer says: We have in our congregation a little deaf and dumb boy. On Sunday he loves to have his mother find for him the words that we are all singing, though the music never thrills his quiet ear, nor touches his heart. He looks at the hymn, glides his little finger over every word to the end; if he finds Jesus there, he is satisfied and absorbed to the close of the singing; but if the word Jesus is not there, he closes the book, and will have nothing more to do with it. So should we test the religions of the day-if we find Jesus the central thought of any system of theology, it is good, it will do for us; if not, turn away and have nothing to do with it.
Christ mentally conceived
He was conceived over thirty years ago in the nature of man, but in the text for the first time is He conceived in the mind of man; and the conception in the mind was as necessary to our salvation as the conception in the nature. (Monday Club Sermons.)
Opinion sought by a question
Benjamin Franklin made an experiment, one of the most daring ever made by mortal man. Seeing a cluster of thunder-clouds hanging overhead, he let fly into their midst a paper kite, to which was attached a metallic chain. As the kite was flying among the clouds, anxiety weighed heavily on his heart. At last he presumptuously applied his knuckles to the chain and called forth sparks of wild lightning; and had the stream of electricity been a little stronger at the time, the philosopher would have met with instantaneous death. He has left on record, that so surprising was the discovery to him, that in the ecstasy of the moment he expressed his willingness to die there and then. In like manner there were clouds of opinion afloat in society respecting Jesus Christ, indeed the thunder-clouds were gathering fast. Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? Some say that Thou art John the Baptist-that is one cloud. Others, Elias-that is another cloud. Others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets-that is a cluster of clouds. Everything seemed mist and haze, vagueness and uncertainty. Jesus Christ prayerfully and anxiously flies a question into the midst of these dark clouds. What will the result be? His heart trembles, therefore He prays. See the question fly-But whom say ye that I am? What answer will be called forth? Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Monday Club Sermons.)
The Christ of God
I. The question-Whom say ye that I am? It is a great mercy that Jesus calls out the faith that is in His disciples. By what various means of questioning does He speak? Sometimes by conscious afflictions; by our very fails. This is the question of questions; not what we think of Churches, disciples, but of Christ.
II. The answer-Thou art the Christ, etc. There was little comparative light in the apostles before the Day of Pentecost; the Holy Spirit must teach to saving profit. But they were still His disciples, though their faith was small. It is humbling that, having so much more light than they, we should have less love. All the glory of Christ as the Mediator hangs upon the glory of His Person. If a mere creature, His work is comparatively nothing.
III. The vast encouragement-Blessed art thou. The infinite condescension of Jesus. He takes notice and encourages the weakest faith.
1. How blessed the condition of those who have been taught this lesson. Flesh and blood hath not revealed it. Nature, education, miracles, never taught it. What a foundation for strong confidence. He, the Son of God.
2. How great the sin of the man who rejects this Son of the living God. (J. H. Evans, M. A.)
Peters faith
I. Peters faith.
II. The source of Peters faith.
III. What Peters faith qualified him to be.
IV. The special reward of Peters faith. Conclusion: How can we become stones in Christs Church? Not naturally. Only by having Peters faith. In Jesus as the Christ. In Jesus as the Son of God. How may we get this faith? God alone can give it-ask Him. (E. Stock.)
Peters compression
How hearty and distinct is this utterance! This is the first Confession of Faith. This is the true Apostles Creed. These are the prime and essential articles of catholic verity, upon which rest all sound theology and all saving faith. In this short but illustrious statement, says a great theologian, you have the whole truth with respect to the Person and the work of Jesus Christ.
1. It is plainly implied that Jesus Christ possesses human nature, a true body and a reasonable soul. He put the question as the Son of man. He was a real man.
2. The confession of Peter asserts the divinity as well as the humanity of our Lord. He calls Him the Son of the living God. This expression denotes Divine nature. He is set forth as a Divine Person in the Old Testament. He manifested Himself in this character in the days of His flesh, etc. Had He been less than Divine, He could not have been the Saviour.
3. The confession of Peter asserts the truth with regard to the office or work as well as the Person of the Son of God. He declares that He is the Christ, that is, the Messiah, etc. And for what end? It is to save sinners. This is the great work given Him to do. He is the only, the all-sufficient, Saviour of sinners. To Him alone belongs all the glory. Believest thou these things? Is this thy heartfelt creed and confession? (A. Thompson.)
Christs appeal to our individual faith
This is a most pertinent question now. Reasons why we should ask it of ourselves.
I. We are in danger, as the disciples were, of being affected by the crude opinions of men about our Lord, and His religion, and His Church.
II. The question is vital, for it asserts the great truth that only a deep, strong faith will ever inspire confidence in others.
III. It shows us how dear to Christ is the personal faith of the soul. (Ellison Capers.)
Right apprehensions of the character of Christ essential to salvation
I. That there are many opinions about Christ.
1. As regards His Person.
2. As regards the nature of the work which He came to accomplish.
3. As regards His religion, His acquirements, and His claims.
II. It is of the utmost importance that we form correct and decided opinions on this subject. Our opportunities of doing so are very great. (Dr. T. Raffles.)
Whom do men say that I am?-
I. That when Christ became a man he could not seem divine according to the pre-conceptions of men, who looked for the exhibition of that which appeals to the sense, and who did not look for inward harmony. Christ did bring with Him the Divine nature, but not the attributes of Jehovah disclosed in their amplitude. He humbled Himself.
II. Every person came to Christ through some elements that were in himself. Some came to Him through the door of sympathy; some from lower motives. What is Christ to you? Is He part of your life? (H. W. Beecher.)
The personal affirmations of Christ
What did Christ teach concerning Himself?
1. He affirmed the divinity of His redemptive mission.
2. His independence of, and separation from, the world.
3. His pre-existence.
4. Some of the affirmations of Christ contain most impressive representations of His character and work-I am the Bread of Life, I am the Light of the World, I am the Door, I am the True Vine.
5. Some of the affirmations of our Lord contain wondrous glimpses of His grace and glory.
6. His second coming in great glory. (G. W. McCree.)
Public opinion concerning Jesus Christ
1. Was not Christ superior to what men thought about him? He did not stoop to public opinion, but was anxious to know that men had clear and right conceptions concerning Him; that He did not live and teach in vain. What are men saying in yonder workshop of you?
2. We must try and find out what is the public opinion to-day about Christ, and instruct, correct it, gently. (W. Cuff.)
Christs divinity incidentally indicated in the New Testament, not logically proved
It is in these incidental ways that we see Jesus Christ best. Yes, and I will venture to say that it is in these incidental ways we see all men best. We do not understand men best because we see them in their great efforts. Please do not take me to the poet, if you want me to understand him thoroughly, when he has got his pen, ink, and paper ready to write his great poem. I should see him then in a great mood, but I should not see him in an incidental way, and in all the little things that make up the mans character. I do not want to see Mr. Gladstone when he is braced up to chop down an ash-tree; nor do I want to see him as he has braced himself to make a great speech in the House of Commons. I should want to see him as his wife sees him; and I venture to say that we should understand him better in that than in any other way. Your wife knows you better than anybody else; she sees you in the little things of every-day life, and it is in these incidental ways that the great things and the great truths come up all through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. You do not value that clock yonder for its striking capacity. I do not know whether it strikes at all; however, it has a very fine musical bell in it that knocks off twelve, when it is twelve, in a quick or slow manner, but you would not value it for that. You value the clock for its capacity to tell you every minute of the time and every hour of the day. And just as you look at the little things on the face, and get the minutes as well as the hour, you value the clock for its correctness. (W. Cuff.)
Varied views of Christ
We find Christ so differently because we seek Him in such very different ways. We cannot have a uniform Christ any more than we can have a uniform experience. In essence, in character, in love, in pity, Jesus Christ will ever be the same to every sinner who comes to Him, but as we come to Him we shall seem to have a very different Christ, because we use our own glasses, and, therefore, see Him from different points of view, and have different convictions about Him. Here is a person who comes to Jesus Christ, who has been educated and brought up in a manner of refinement and beauty, whose home has been the centre of everything that was charming; his mother was gentle, and sweet as an angel, his education from boarding-school days until he settled himself in life was all that could be desired to train the taste, to balance the judgment, and to make the character round, unique, and beautiful. By-and-by he comes to Jesus Christ, and he comes along such a different path to that man over there, for he was born down a back street, where hardly a gleam of sunshine ever burst through his mothers window, and he hardly ever saw a beautiful flower; certainly his boyish feet never tripped along a green field; he never heard the birds sing in the wood, nor saw the light and charm of nature as others have seen it; rough, rude, uneducated, unable to read one word of the New Testament. By-and-by that man comes to Christ, and he sits in the church at the Lords table by the side of that other educated and refined Christian. If they compare notes they will seem to have a very different Christ, because they came along such very different roads up to the cross. I believe, brethren, that that first view of Jesus in the souls experience makes a vast deal of difference to his whole thinking and to his whole life about the Saviour whom he first saw. Oh, what passion burns in one man, and what calm, strong, intellectual, and dignified faith wrestles and grapples in the other, as he comes up first to look at Jesus Christ. John Newton saw Him like this:-
I saw One hanging on a tree
In agonies and blood,
Who fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood;
And never till my latest breath
Shall I forget that look,
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.
James Allen saw Him like this:-
Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
Which before the cross I spend,
Love and health and peace possessing,
From the sinners dying friend.
Here it is I find my heaven
While upon His cross I gaze,
Love I much? Ive more forgiven,
I am a miracle of grace.
So the poets and hymn-writers came to Him differently, and seemed to take a different view of Him. (W. Cuff.)
The revelation of Christ often misinterpreted
Payson, when he lay on his bed dying, said: All my life Christ has seemed to me as a star afar off; but little by little He has been advancing and growing larger and larger, till now His beams seem to fill the whole hemisphere, and I am floating in the glory of God, wondering with unutterable wonder how such a mote as I should be glorified in His light; but he came to that after a long life. (H. W. Beecher.)
The revelation of Christ an inward power, rather than a scientific belief
But how many people there are whose God is no bigger than a confession of faith! How many persons have a God that is like a dried specimen of a flower in a herbarium, which is good for science, and for nothing else? But Christ is a power-a glory-a life; and he that has come to Christ, and accepted Him even in the smallest degree, to him it is given to become, and to know that he is becoming, a son of God. To all of you I say, stand fast in the faith, in the inward sense, of a living Saviour. Love Him and trust Him. (H. W. Beecher)
The revelation of Christ perfected in heaven
And remember that what you see now is full of mixture-that, like ill-blown glass, it is full of crinckles-that it is full of elements that are drawn from the peculiarities of your own nature. Look upon Christ as one that, all after, much as He is to you, is to be revealed in you-that is to say, when you have grown, when you have been cleansed, when you leave this body behind, and when you rise to stand face to face with God, the little that you knew before will be as what a man has seen who has never been out of his garden here compared with what he would see if he were, by some power, translated into a tropical forest. He has seen growths in a northern clime largely developed under glass, but oh, to see the growths that have been developed by the tropical powers of nature! And when we shall see Him as He is-in magnitude-in wonderful disposition-in profound, and sweet, and life-giving influences-then, with an ecstasy of joy, we shall cast our crowns at His feet and say: Not unto us, not unto us, but unto Thy name be the praise. (H. W. Beecher)
Perverse views of Christ
Well, now I must gather up the fragments and close; and I will do so by saying that there will be, as there have been, very different answers given as to who the Son of man is. There always were different answers; there always must be; because men look at Christ as they look at other men and other things. We do not all look at the New Testament through the same mental laws; and that makes all the difference in the answer we shall give to the question, Whom do you say I, the Son of God, am? You know if you go to the photographers shop and ask the artist to be kind enough to let you look through the lens covered by that little black piece of cloth, and if you look at the chair on which you have to sit for your portrait, it is reversed, and the opposite of what you expected it to be. That is how some men look at other men. They always see them reversed-very different to what they are. That is precisely the kind of lens that many bring to the New Testament to look at Christ. (W. Cuff.)
Religious affections produce a conviction of reality
Spiritual things have the influence of reality upon renewed persons. Their eyes are opened to see that the doctrines of the Bible are really true. Not all religious affections are attended with this conviction, because not produced by the spiritual illumination of the mind. Whore the understanding is spiritually enlightened, the affections do not spring from so-called discoveries, from a strong confidence of their good estate, from a strong persuasion that the Christian religion is true as the result of education, or from mere reasons and arguments. Spiritual affections spring from the beauty of Divine things; their beauty is discerned through the illumination of the mind; and this view produces the conviction of their reality.
I. Directly. The judgment is directly convinced of the divinity of the gospel by the clear view of its inherent glory and excellence. Many things in the gospel are hid from the eyes of natural men which are manifest to those who have a spiritual sense and taste, and to whom the beauty and glory of the gospel are revealed. To them alone religion becomes experimental. Were it otherwise, the illiterate and the heathen could not have so thorough a conviction as to embrace the gospel and hazard every earthly thing for its possession. God gives to these some sort of evidence that His covenant is true beyond all mere probability or historical evidence, which the illiterate are capable of, and which produces the full assurance of faith. They become witnesses to the truth through being spiritually enlightened. Infidelity never prevailed so much in any age as in this, wherein these arguments (from ancient traditions, histories and monuments) are handled to the greatest advantage. To be a witness is to see the truth.
II. Indirectly.
1. This view of Divine glory removes enmities and prejudices of the heart, so that the mind is more open to the force of the reasons which are presented.
2. And, by thus removing hindrances, it positively helps reason. It makes even the speculative notions more lively. In this way truly gracious affections are distinguished from others, for gracious affections are evermore attended with such a conviction of the judgment.
III. Some conclusions.
1. There is a degree of conviction which arises from the common enlightenings of the Spirit of God. This may lead to belief, but not to the spiritual conviction of truth, and the apprehension of its Divine beauty and glory.
2. There are extraordinary impressions on the imagination, which are delusive, and produce only a counterfeit faith.
3. Those beliefs of truth, which rest merely upon our supposed interest in what the gospel reveals and promises, are also vain. (J. Edwards.)
St. Peter here confesses that our Lord is
I.
(1) The Christ-not merely an anointed one, as priests and prophets of old might have been anointed, but that He is the One anointed of God, having received this gift in a super-eminent manner.
(2) The Son-not one son merely out of many, but that He was so beyond all others, and in a way which singled Him out from them. Son and only-begotten, not by grace, but of the substance of the Father.
(3) The Son of the living God-not of the gods of the heathen world, the object of Gentile idolatry, but the Son of the One living, and true God, who has life in Himself, who is uncreated life-the living life-giving principle to all mankind.
(4) That He is Christ and at the same time Son of the living God-in contradistinction to the crowd, who believed Him to be the Baptist, Elias, or one of the prophets; Peter acknowledged Him to be Christ, and the Son of the living God.
II. In this confession there are included these. Truths-
(1) The nature which Christ took; the human nature, that is, which was anointed or consecrated.
(2) The anointing which He received, the fulness of the Holy Spirit, imparted without measure to Christ at His conception.
(3) The object of this anointing-that He might be the Christ, the King, the Priest, the Prophet of His people. (W. Denton, M. A.)
.
This truth was not revealed to Peter-
(1) By carnal men, nor indeed by men at all, since man cannot of himself make known the things of the Spirit;
(2) Through mere carnal reasoning (1Co 2:11.);
(3) Nor was it the revelation of Christs flesh. It was not merely that Peter had been able to pierce beyond the veil of Christs human nature, and through that, and by means of that, to understand the Divinity. No. It was the direct act of the Father, by which he was enlightened. (W. Denton, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 17. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona] Or Simon, son of Jonah; so Bar-jonah should be translated, and so it is rendered by our Lord, Joh 1:42. Flesh and blood – i.e. MAN; – no human being hath revealed this; and though the text is literal enough, yet every body should know that this is a Hebrew periphrasis for man; and the literal translation of it here, and in Ga 1:16, has misled thousands, who suppose that flesh and blood signify carnal reason, as it is termed, or the unregenerate principle in man. Is it not evident, from our Lord’s observation, that it requires an express revelation of God in a man’s soul, to give him a saving acquaintance with Jesus Christ; and that not even the miracles of our Lord, wrought before the eyes, will effect this? The darkness must be removed from the heart by the Holy Spirit, before a man can become wise unto salvation.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Our Lord appeareth here to be mightily pleased with this confession of Peter and the rest of his disciples, (for we shall observe in the Gospel, that Peter was usually the first in speaking, Joh 6:68), he pronounces him
blessed, and giveth the reason of it afterward.
Simon bar-jona, that is, Simon son of Jona, or, as some would have it, son of John (they think Jona is a contraction of Johanna). Our Lord gives him the same name, Joh 21:15.
For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. By flesh and blood our Saviour meaneth man, and the reason and wisdom of man. Thus it is often used in Scripture, Isa 40:5; Gal 1:16; Eph 6:12. Some note it always signifieth so when it is in Scripture opposed to God. Thou hast not learned this by tradition, or any dictates from man, nor yet by any human ratiocination, but from my Father which is in heaven. This confirmeth what we have Eph 2:8, that faith is the gift of God. No man cometh to the Son, but he whom the Father draweth, Joh 6:44. Men may assent to things from the reports of men, or from the evidence of reason, but neither of these is faith. Faith must be an assent to a proposition upon the authority of God revealing it. Nor doth any man truly and savingly believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, and the Saviour of the world, but he in whom God hath wrought such a persuasion; yet is not the ministry of the word needless in the case, because, as the apostle saith, faith comes by hearing, and ministers are Gods instruments by whom men believe. No faith makes a soul blessed but that which is of the operation of God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. And Jesus answered and said untohim, Blessed art thouThough it is not to be doubted thatPeter, in this noble testimony to Christ, only expressed theconviction of all the Twelve, yet since he alone seems to have hadclear enough apprehensions to put that conviction in proper andsuitable words, and courage enough to speak them out, and readinessenough to do this at the right timeso he only, of all the Twelve,seems to have met the present want, and communicated to the saddenedsoul of the Redeemer at the critical moment that balm which wasneeded to cheer and refresh it. Nor is Jesus above giving indicationof the deep satisfaction which this speech yielded Him, and hasteningto respond to it by a signal acknowledgment of Peter in return.
Simon Bar-jonaor, “sonof Jona” (Joh 1:42), or”Jonas” (Joh 21:15).This name, denoting his humble fleshly extraction, seems to have beenpurposely here mentioned, to contrast the more vividly with thespiritual elevation to which divine illumination had raised him.
for flesh and blood hath notrevealed it unto thee“This is not the fruit of humanteaching.”
but my Father which is inheavenIn speaking of God, Jesus, it is to be observed, nevercalls Him, “our Father” (see on Joh20:17), but either “your Father”when He wouldencourage His timid believing ones with the assurance that He wastheirs, and teach themselves to call Him soor, as here, “MyFather,” to signify some peculiar action or aspect of Him as”the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jesus answered and said unto him,…. Not waiting for any other declaration from them; but taking this to be the sense of them all, he said,
blessed art thou Simon Bar Jona, or son of Jona, or Jonas, as in Joh 1:42. His father’s name was Jonah, whence he was so called: so we read i of R. Bo bar Jonah, and of a Rabbi of this very name k, , Rabbi Simeon bar Jona; for Simon and Simeon are one, and the same name. Some read it Bar Joanna, the same with John; but the common reading is best; Bar Jona signifies “the son of a dove”, and Bar Joanna signifies “the son of one that is gracious”. Our Lord, by this appellation, puts Peter in mind of his birth and parentage, but does not pronounce him blessed on that account: no true blessedness comes by natural descent; men are by nature children of wrath, being conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity: though he was Bar Jona, the son of a dove, and his father might be a good man, and answer to his name, and be of a dove like spirit; yet such a spirit was not conveyed from him to Peter by natural generation: and though he might be, according to the other reading, Bar Joanna, or the son of a gracious man, yet grace was not communicated to him thereby; for he was not “born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”, Joh 1:13. He was a blessed man, not by his first, but by his second birth; and the reason why our Lord makes mention of his father, is to observe to him, that he was the son of a mean man, and had had, but a mean education, and therefore his blessedness in general was not of nature, but of grace, and this branch of it in particular; the knowledge he had of the Messiah, was not owing to his earthly father, or to the advantage of an education, but to the revelation he had from Christ’s Father which is in heaven, as is hereafter affirmed. He is pronounced “blessed”, as having a true knowledge of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, whom to know is life eternal; and all such as he are so, appear to be the favourites of God, to have an interest in Christ and in all the blessings of his grace; are justified by his righteousness, pardoned through his blood, are accepted in him, have communion with Father, Son, and Spirit, and shall live eternally with them hereafter.
For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee: nothing is more frequent to be met with in Jewish writings, than the phrase of “flesh and blood”, as designing men in distinction from God: so the first man is said l to be
“the workmanship of the blessed God, and not the workmanship , “of flesh and blood”.”
Again m, , “flesh and blood”, who knows not the times and seasons, c. but the holy, blessed God, who knows the times and seasons, c. Instances of this way of speaking are almost without number: accordingly, the sense here is, that this excellent confession of faith, which Peter had delivered, was not revealed unto him, nor taught him by any mere man he had not it from his immediate parents, nor from any of his relations, or countrymen nor did he attain to the knowledge of what is expressed in it, by the dint of nature, by the strength of carnal reason, or the force of his own capacity and abilities:
but my Father which is in heaven; from whom both the external and internal revelation of such truths come; though not to the exclusion of the Son, by whose revelation the Gospel is taught, and received; nor of the Holy Ghost, who is a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, but in opposition to, and distinction from any mere creature whatever. Neither the Gospel, nor any part of it, is an human device or discovery; it is not after man, nor according to the carnal reason of man; it is above the most exalted and refined reason of men; it has in it what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to conceive of: its truths are the deep things of God, which the Spirit of God searches and reveals: and which men, left to the light of nature, and force of reason, must have been for ever ignorant of, and could never have discovered. The Gospel is a revelation, it consists of revealed truths; and which are to be received and believed upon the testimony and credit of the revealer, without entering into carnal reasonings, and disputes about them; and it is the highest reason, and the most noble use of reason, to embrace it at once, as coming from God; for this revelation is from heaven, and from Christ’s Father; particularly the deity, sonship, and Messiahship of Christ, are doctrines of pure revelation: that there is a God, is discoverable by the light of nature; and that he is the living God, and gives being, and life, and breath, and all things, to his creatures; but that he has a Son of the same nature with him, and equal to him, who is the Messiah, and the Saviour of lost sinners, this could never have been found out by flesh and blood: no man knows the Son, but the Father, and he to whom he reveals him; he bears witness of him, and declares him to be his Son, in whom he is well pleased; and happy are those who are blessed with the outward revelation of Jesus Christ in the Gospel, but more especially such to whom the Father reveals Christ in them the hope of glory!
i Juchasin, fol. 85. 1. k Ib. fol. 105. 1. l Zohar in Gen. fol. 43. 3. m R. Simeon in Jarchi in Gen. ii. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Blessed art thou ( ). A beatitude for Peter. Jesus accepts the confession as true. Thereby Jesus on this solemn occasion solemnly claims to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God, his deity in other words. The disciples express positive conviction in the Messiahship or Christhood of Jesus as opposed to the divided opinions of the populace. “The terms in which Jesus speaks of Peter are characteristic–warm, generous, unstinted. The style is not that of an ecclesiastical editor laying the foundation for church power, and prelatic pretentions, but of a noble-minded Master eulogizing in impassioned terms a loyal disciple” (Bruce). The Father had helped Peter get this spiritual insight into the Master’s Person and Work.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Blessed [] . See on ch. Mt 5:3.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
17. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona. As
this is life eternal, to know the only true God, and him whom he hath sent, Jesus Christ, (Joh 17:3,)
Christ justly pronounces him to be blessed who has honestly made such a confession. This was not spoken in a peculiar manner to Peter alone, but our Lord’s purpose was, to show in what the only happiness of the whole world consists. That every one may approach him with greater courage, we must first learn that all are by nature miserable and accursed, till they find a remedy in Christ. Next, we must add, that whoever has obtained Christ wants nothing that is necessary to perfect happiness, since we have no right to desire any thing better than the eternal glory of God, of which Christ puts us in possession.
Flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee. In the person of one man Christ reminds all that we must ask faith from the Father, and acknowledge it to the praise of his grace; for the special illumination of God is here contrasted with flesh and blood. Hence we infer, that the minds of men are destitute of that sagacity which is necessary for perceiving the mysteries of heavenly wisdom which are hidden in Christ; and even that all the senses of men are deficient in this respect, till God opens our eyes to perceive his glory in Christ. Let no man, therefore, in proud reliance on his own abilities, attempt to reach it, but let us humbly suffer ourselves to be inwardly taught by the Father of Lights, (Jas 1:17,) that his Spirit alone may enlighten our darkness. And let those who have received faith, acknowledging the blindness which was natural to them, learn to render to God the glory that is due to Him.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(17) Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona.Looking to the reality of our Lords human nature, its capacity for wonder (Mar. 6:6, Luk. 7:9), anger (Mar. 3:5), sorrow (Joh. 11:35, Luk. 19:41), and other emotions, it is not over-bold to recognise in these words something like a tone of exalted joy. It is the first direct personal beatitude pronounced by Him; and, as such, presents a marked contrast to the rebukes which had been addressed to Peter, as to the others, as being without understanding, of little faith, with their heart yet hardened. Here, then, He had found at last the clear, unshaken, unwavering faith which was the indispensable condition for the manifestation of His kingdom as a visible society upon earth. The beatitude is solemnised (as in Joh. 1:42) by the full utterance of the name which the disciple had borne before he was called by the new name of Cephas, or Peter, to the work of an Apostle. He was to distinguish between the old natural and the new supernatural life. (Comp. Joh. 21:15.)
Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee.Better, It was not flesh and blood that revealed. The words are used in their common Hebrew meaning (as in Joh. 1:13; 1Co. 15:50; Eph. 6:12) for human nature, human agency, in all their manifold forms. The disciple had received the faith which he now professed, not through popular rumours, not through the teaching of scribes, but by a revelation from the Father. He was led, in the strictest sense of the words, through the veil of our Lords human nature to recognise the divine.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Blessed art thou Highest of blessings, to be the confessor and apostle of the Son of God. Bar-jonah Son of Jonah. Spoken simply as a matter of solemn emphasis. Flesh and blood Mere frail humanity, whether of himself or others. Our Lord had already thanked his Father that while he hid these things from the wise and prudent he had revealed them unto babes. See note on Mat 11:25. No wisdom of man, therefore, but the guidance of God, had made him an apostle and revealed the Messiah to him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” ’
Jesus then commends Peter for his insight. It is something of an official declaration rather than just a reply, as is demonstrated by His giving him his full name, ‘Simon son of Jonah’. Jonah may have been his father’s name, or alternately it may have been a name that linked him with the prophet Jonah, who was also a ‘confessor of Christ’ by example (Mat 12:39-41; Mat 16:4). And He declares that Peter is one to whom His Father has given understanding in accordance with Mat 11:25-27. It is not something that he has been told by ordinary men, but something that has been revealed to him by God. He is thus one of those whom God has blessed.
‘Blessed are you.’ This is Jesus’ favourite way of indicating that men have received special blessing from God, through Whose gracious working they enjoy the benefit spoken of. Compare on Mat 5:3-9; Mat 11:6; Mat 13:16.
‘Simon, son of Jonah.’ Jesus might here be saying that Peter is in the true line of Jonah who has twice been cited as pointing to Jesus’ uniqueness (Mat 12:39-41; Mat 16:4). Jonah had unknowingly testified of Christ, and now Peter was following in his footsteps like a true ‘son’. ‘Son of’ can regularly mean ‘like’, ‘following in the footsteps of’. This would suit the context, ‘You are the son of the living God’ (the source of all life) followed by ‘you are the son of Jonah’ (the one who was miraculously delivered from death) makes a good parallel. Alternately Jonah might have been an alternate name for John (see Joh 1:42).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 16:17-18. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, &c. Bar-jona is the Son of Jona. Some authors suppose, that John and Jona are one and the same. Flesh and blood is a Hebraism, signifying his own reason, or any natural power whatever. This knowledge had not been communicated to him, either by the sentence of the Sanhedrim, declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, or by the authority of any human testimony whatever, but merely by the teaching of God. See on Joh 6:45. “Blessed and happy art thou, O Peter; for this confession which thou hast made is not a bare human conjecture, formed by report, or by the unassisted sagacity of thine own mind; but my Father in heaven has discovered it to thee, and wrought in thy soul this cordial assent, in the midst of those prejudices against it, which present circumstances might suggest.”Our Saviour goes on, and promises, (alluding to the surname of Peter, which comes from , a rock,) that he should have a principal concern in establishing his kingdom. “Thou art, as thy name signifies, a substantial rock; and, as thou hast shewn it in this good confession, I assure thee, that upon this rock I will build my church: faith in me, as the Son of God, shall be its great support, and I will use thee as a glorious instrument in raising it.” This is evidently one of those Scriptures, the sense of which might be most certainly fixed by the particular tone of voice and gesture with which it was spoken: if our Lord altered his accent, and laid his hand on his breath, it would shew, that he spoke not of the person, but of the confession of Peter,as most protestant divines have understood it; and meant to point out himself as the great foundation. Compare 1Co 3:10-11. And it is observable, to confirm this sense, that the Lord, when he says upon this rock, does not make use of the word , referring to Peter himself, but , which is an appellative noun, and immediately refers to Peter’s confession: but if our Saviour turned to the other Apostles, and pointed to Peter, that would shew that he meant to intimate the honour he would do him, in making him an eminent support to his church. This is the sense in which many of the commentators have understood it. However, to be a foundation in this sense was not his honour alone; his brethren shared with him in it (see Eph 2:20. Rev 21:14.); as they did also in the power of binding and loosing; (see Mat 18:18. Joh 20:23.). Upon the whole, how weak the arguments are which the papists draw hence to support the supremacy of Peter in their wild sense of it, is sufficiently shewn by Bishop Burnett on the Articles, p. 198. Dr. Barrow on the Creed, serm. 28.; Dr. Patrick, in his sermon on the text; and many others needless to be named. There seems a reference in the expression before us to the common custom of building citadels upon a rock. The gates of hell or of death, is a periphrasis for hell or death itself. So the phrase is used, Isa 38:10 where Hezekiah, speaking of himself, says, I shall go, , to the gates of Hades, that is to say, “I shall die.” Our Lord’s meaning therefore is, that the Christian church shall never be annihilated; no, not by the united force of men and devils combined against it. See More’s Theological Works, page 110. Whitby, Grotius, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 16:17 . Simon, son ( ) of Jona, a solemnly circumstantial style of address, yet not intended as a contrast to the designation of him as Peter which is about to follow (de Wette), in connection with which view many expositors have allegorized the in an arbitrary and nugatory fashion, but merely on account of the importance of the subsequent statement, in which case is to be ascribed to the practice of adding the patronymic designation, and blending the . with the proper name (Mat 10:3 ; Act 13:6 ; Mar 10:46 ).
] because thou art favoured far above my other followers in having had such a revelation as this.
. ] (among the Rabbis), paraphrastic expression for man, involving the idea of weakness as peculiar to his bodily nature, Sir 14:18 ; Lightfoot on this passage; Bleek’s note on Heb 2:14 . Comp. the note on Gal 1:16 ; Eph 6:12 . Therefore to be interpreted thus: no weak mortal (mortalium ullus) has communicated this revelation to thee; but, and so on. Inasmuch as , generally, is a thing to which no human being can pretend, the negative half of the statement only serves to render the positive half all the more emphatic. Others refer . to ordinary knowledge and ideas furnished by the senses, in contradistinction to (de Wette, following Beza, Calvin, Calovius, Neander, Olshausen, Glckler, Baumgarten-Crusius, Keim). Incorrectly, partly because the lower part of man’s nature is denoted simply by , not by . (in 1Co 15:50 the expression flesh and blood is employed in quite a peculiar, a physical sense), partly because (Mat 11:25 ) compels us to think exclusively of a knowledge which is obtained in some other way than through the exercise of one’s human faculties. For a similar reason, the blending of both views (Bleek) is no less objectionable.
It must not be supposed that, in describing this confession as the result of a divine revelation, there is anything inconsistent with the fact that, for a long time before, Jesus had, in word and deed, pointed to Himself as the Messiah (comp. above all the Sermon on the Mount, and such passages as Mat 11:5 f., Mat 11:27 ), and had also been so designated by others (John the Baptist, and such passages as Mat 8:29 , Mat 14:33 ), nay, more, that from the very first the disciples themselves had recognised Him as the Messiah, and on the strength of His being so had been induced to devote themselves to His person and service (Mat 4:19 ; Joh 1:42 ; Joh 1:46 ; Joh 1:50 ); nor are we to regard the point of the revelation as consisting in the . . , sometimes supposed (Olshausen) to indicate advanced, more perfect knowledge, a view which it would be difficult to reconcile with the parallel passages in Mark and Luke; but observe: (1) That Jesus is quite aware that, in spite of the vacillating opinions of the multitude, His disciples continue to regard Him as the Messiah, but, in order to strengthen and elevate both them and Himself before beginning (Mat 16:21 ) the painful and trying announcement of His future sufferings, and as furnishing a basis on which to take His stand in doing so, He seeks first of all to elicit from them an express and decided confession of their faith. (2) That Peter acts as the mouthpiece of all the others, and with the utmost decision and heartiness makes such a declaration of his belief as, at this turning-point in His ministry, and at a juncture of such grave import as regards the gloomy future opening up before Him, Jesus must have been longing to hear, and such as He could not fail to be in need of. (3) That He, the heart-searching one, immediately perceives and knows that Peter (as , Chrysostom) was enabled to make such a declaration from his having been favoured with a special revelation from God (Mat 11:27 ), that He speaks of the distinction thus conferred, and connects with it the promise of the high position which the apostle is destined to hold in the church. Consequently is not to be understood as referring to some revelation which had been communicated to the disciples at the outset of their career as followers of Jesus, but it is to be restricted to Peter, and to a special revelation from God with which he had been favoured. This confession, founded as it was upon such a revelation, must naturally have been far more deliberate, far more deeply rooted in conviction, and for the Lord and His work of far greater consequence, than that contained in the exclamation of the people in the boat (Mat 14:33 ) when under the influence of a momentary feeling of amazement, which latter incident, however, our present passage does not require us to treat as unhistorical (Keim and others); comp. note on Mat 14:33 .
Observe, further, how decidedly the joyful answer of Jesus, with the great promise that accompanies it, forbids the supposition that He consented to accept the title and dignity of a Messiah only from “not being able to avoid a certain amount of accommodation” to the ideas of the people (Schenkel; see, on the other hand, Weissenborn, p. 43 ff.).
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Ver. 17. Blessed art thou, Simon ] These and the following words of our Saviour to Peter were meant to all the apostles also, Joh 20:22-23 . Christ took his beginning of one, to teach unity in his Church, in the confession of faith. Note this against the Papists, who miserably wrest and deprave this text, to the proving of the papal monarchy. Gregory the Great, though he styled himself a servant of God’s servants, and detested the pope of Constantinople for arrogating the title of Universal Bishop, during the reign of Mauritius; yet when he was slain, and succeeded by the traitor Phocas, he ceased not to flatter the same Phocas, to commend unto him the care of the Church of Rome, and to exhort him to remember this saying of our Saviour, “Thou art Peter,” &c., and for no other end, than that he might extend his power by the favour of the parricide.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
17. ] , as in ch. Mat 5:4 , &c., is a solemn expression of blessing, an inclusion of him to whom it is addressed in the kingdom of heaven, not a mere word of praise. And the reason of it is, the fact that the Father had revealed the Son to him (see ch. Mat 11:25-27 ); cf. Gal 1:15-16 , in which passage the occurrence of seems to indicate a reference to this very saying of the Lord. The whole declaration of St. Paul in that chapter forms a remarkable parallel to the character and promise given to St. Peter in our text, as establishing Paul’s claim to be another such or as Peter and the other great Apostles, because the Son had been revealed in him not of man nor by men, but by God Himself. The name Simon Bar Jonas is doubtless used as indicating his fleshly state and extraction, and forming the greater contrast to his spiritual state, name, and blessing, which follow. The same ‘Simon son of Jonas’ is uttered when he is reminded by the thrice repeated enquiry, ‘Lovest thou me?’ of his frailty, in his previous denial of his Lord.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 16:17-19 . Solemn address of Jesus to Peter , peculiar to Mt., and of doubtful authenticity in the view of many modern critics, including Wendt ( Die Lehre Jesu , i., p. 181), either an addendum by the evangelist or introduced at a later date by a reviser. This question cannot be fully discussed here. It must suffice to say that psychological reasons are in favour of something of the kind having been said by Jesus. It was a great critical moment in His career, at which His spirit was doubtless in a state of high tension. The firm tone of conviction in Peter’s reply would give Him a thrill of satisfaction demanding expression. One feels that there is a hiatus in the narratives of Mk. and Lk.: no comment, on the part of Jesus, as if Peter had delivered himself of a mere trite commonplace. We may be sure the fact was not so. The terms in which Jesus speaks of Peter are characteristic warm, generous, unstinted. The style is not that of an ecclesiastical editor laying the foundation for Church power and prelatic pretensions, but of a noble-minded Master eulogising in impassioned terms a loyal disciple. Even the reference to the “Church” is not unseasonable. What more natural than that Jesus, conscious that His labours, outside the disciple circle, have been fruitless, so far as permanent result is concerned, should fix His hopes on that circle, and look on it as the nucleus of a new regenerate Israel, having for its raison d’tre that it accepts Him as the Christ? And the name for the new Israel, , in His mouth is not an anachronism. It is an old familiar name for the congregation of Israel, found in Deut. (Mat 18:16 ; Mat 23:2 ) and Psalms (Mat 22:26 ), both books well known to Jesus.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Mat 16:17 . : weighty word chosen to express a rare and high condition, virtue, or experience (“hoc vocabulo non solum beata, sed etiam rara simul conditio significatur,” Beng.). It implies satisfaction with the quality of Peter’s faith. Jesus was not easily satisfied as to that. He wanted no man to call Him Christ under a misapprehension; hence the prohibition in Mat 16:20 . He congratulated Peter not merely on believing Him to be the Messiah, but on having an essentially right conception of what the title meant. . : full designation, name, and patronymic, suiting the emotional state of the speaker and the solemn character of the utterance, echo of an Aramaic source, or of the Aramaic dialect used then, if not always, by Jesus. : synonym in current Jewish speech for “man”. “Infinit frequenti hanc formulam loquendi adhibent Scriptores Judaici, eaque homines Deo opponunt.” Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. Vide Mat 16:23 . There is a tacit contrast between Peter’s faith and the opinions of the people just recited, as to source. Flesh and blood was the source of these opinions, and the fact is a clue to the meaning of the phrase. The contrast between the two sources of inspiration is not the very general abstract one between creaturely weakness and Divine power (Wendt, Die Begriffe Fleisch und Geist , p. 60). “Flesh and blood” covers all that can contribute to the formation of religious opinion of little intrinsic value tradition, custom, fashion, education, authority, regard to outward appearance. Hilary, and after him Lutteroth, takes the reference to be to Christ’s flesh and blood, and finds in the words the idea: if you had looked to my flesh you would have called me Christ, the Son of David , but higher guidance has taught you to call me Son of God . : this is to be taken not in a merely ontological sense, but ethically, so as to account for the quality of Peter’s faith. The true conception of Christhood was inseparable from the true conception of God. Jesus had been steadily working for the transformation of both ideas, and He counted on the two finding entrance into the mind together. No one could truly conceive the Christ who had not learned to think of God as the Father and as His Father. There were thus two revelations in one: of God as Father, and of Christ by the Father. Peter had become a Christian .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Blessed = Happy. See note on Mat 5:3.
Simon Bar-jona = Simon, son of Jonah. The Lord uses his human name and parentage in contrast with the divine origin of the revelation made to him.
Bar-jona. Aramaic. See App-94.:28. Occurs only here.
flesh and blood. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Part), App-6, for a mortal human being in contrast with God the Father in the heavens. See 1Co 15:50. Gal 1:1, Gal 1:16. Eph 6:12. Heb 2:14.
heaven = the heavens (plural) See note on Mat 6:9, Mat 6:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
17.] , as in ch. Mat 5:4, &c., is a solemn expression of blessing, an inclusion of him to whom it is addressed in the kingdom of heaven, not a mere word of praise. And the reason of it is, the fact that the Father had revealed the Son to him (see ch. Mat 11:25-27); cf. Gal 1:15-16, in which passage the occurrence of seems to indicate a reference to this very saying of the Lord. The whole declaration of St. Paul in that chapter forms a remarkable parallel to the character and promise given to St. Peter in our text,-as establishing Pauls claim to be another such or as Peter and the other great Apostles, because the Son had been revealed in him not of man nor by men, but by God Himself. The name Simon Bar Jonas is doubtless used as indicating his fleshly state and extraction, and forming the greater contrast to his spiritual state, name, and blessing, which follow. The same Simon son of Jonas is uttered when he is reminded by the thrice repeated enquiry, Lovest thou me? of his frailty, in his previous denial of his Lord.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 16:17. , blessed) This word signifies a condition not only blessed, but at the same time rare; see ch. Mat 13:16. Jesus had not previously told His disciples explicitly that He was the Christ. He had done and said those things by which, through the revelation of the Father, they might recognise Him as the Christ.- , Simon Bar-jona) This express naming signifies that the Lord knoweth them that are His, and recalls to Peters remembrance that sample of omniscience which had been given to him in Joh 1:42; cf. ibid. Mat 21:15.[738]- , flesh and blood) i.e. any man whatsover; flesh and blood are put by metonymy[739] for body and soul: see Eph 6:12; Gal 1:16. No mortal at that time knew this truth before Peter; see Mat 16:14.- , hath not revealed) The knowledge of Christ is not obtained except by Divine revelation; see ch. Mat 11:27.- , …, My Father, etc.) By these words the sum and substance of Peters confession is repeated and confirmed. The heavenly Father had revealed it to Peter by the teaching of Jesus Christ, and thus inscribed it on the apostles heart.
[738] Peter himself hardly thought that he was so acceptable [before God]. Blessed is the man, not he who attributes aught to himself on his own authority, but whom the Lord pronounces to be blessed.-V. g.
[739] See explanation of technical terms in Appendix.-(I. B.)
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Barjona
Son of Jonas.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Blessed: Mat 5:3-11, Mat 13:16, Mat 13:17, Luk 10:23, Luk 10:24, Luk 22:32, 1Pe 1:3-5, 1Pe 5:1
Simon: Joh 1:42, Joh 21:15-17
for: Gal 1:11, Gal 1:12, Gal 1:16
but: Mat 11:25-27, Isa 54:13, Luk 10:21, Luk 10:22, Joh 6:45, Joh 17:6-8, 1Co 2:9-12, Gal 1:16, Eph 1:17, Eph 1:18, Eph 2:8, Eph 3:5, Eph 3:18, Eph 3:19, Col 1:26, Col 1:27, 1Jo 4:15, 1Jo 5:20
Reciprocal: Psa 1:1 – Blessed Psa 32:1 – Blessed Psa 119:18 – Open Pro 30:3 – neither Isa 29:11 – I cannot Isa 29:18 – the deaf Isa 32:4 – heart Isa 53:1 – revealed Dan 11:35 – some Mat 7:21 – my Mat 13:11 – Because Mat 16:22 – began Mar 4:11 – Unto you Mar 13:26 – General Luk 8:10 – Unto Luk 9:20 – The Joh 3:3 – he cannot Joh 6:44 – except Joh 12:38 – revealed Act 13:6 – whose 1Co 2:10 – God 1Co 12:3 – no man 1Co 14:6 – revelation 1Co 15:50 – that 2Co 1:19 – the Son 2Co 3:14 – which veil Gal 2:11 – because Gal 5:17 – the flesh Eph 6:12 – flesh and blood Phi 1:29 – not Phi 3:8 – the excellency 1Pe 1:12 – it
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:17
Bar-jona means son of Jona, and the full name is given to distinguish him from others who were named Simon. Flesh and blood hath not revealed it. Peter could not have received this information from any human source, hence it had to come from the Father in the way of divine inspiration.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
[Flesh and blood.] The Jewish writers use this form of speech infinite times, and by it oppose men to God.
“If they were about to lead me before a king of flesh and blood; etc.; but they are leading me before the King of kings.”
“A king of flesh and blood forms his picture in a table, etc.; the Holy Blessed One, his, etc.” This phrase occurs five times in that one column: “the Holy Blessed God doth not, as flesh and blood doth, etc. Flesh and blood wound with one thing and heal with another: but the Holy Blessed One wounds and heals with one and the same thing. Joseph was sold for his dreams, and he was promoted by dreams.”
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mat 16:17. Blessed art thou. An answering confession of Peter as an object of the Divine favor, a subject of Divine grace (comp. Rom 10:9).
Simon Bar-Jona, son of Jonah. His human name and paternity are introduced, probably with an allusion to the title: Son of man (Mat 16:13); there is a similarity in the phrases in the language then spoken. Simon confesses his belief in the higher title of Christ; our Lord refers to Simons higher name, Peter.
For flesh and blood revealed it not unto thee. The knowledge was not from, any human source (comp. Gal 1:16).
But my Father who is in heaven. The real knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, is and must be a matter of Divine revelation. Men may, of themselves, hold such a doctrine as part of a creed, but a belief that influences heart and life is the result of a Divine revelation made in us. Peters confession was based on such a belief. For the trials of faith before them during the remainder of our Lords earthly life the disciples needed a knowledge of His Person far above the carnal notions of the Messiah; the reply of Peter shows that they had it, and our Lord tells whence it came.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mat 16:17. Jesus answered, Blessed [or happy, as signifies] art thou, Simon Bar-jona, (or the son of Jonas,) namely, in being brought thus firmly to believe and confess this most important truth, on believing and confessing which the present and everlasting salvation of mankind depends. For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee Thou hast not learned it by human report, or the unassisted sagacity of thy own mind; but my Father in heaven has discovered it to thee, and wrought in thy soul this cordial assent, in the midst of those various prejudices against it which present circumstances might suggest. Our Lord proceeds, and promises, (alluding to his surname of Peter, from , a rock,) that he should have a principal concern in establishing Christs kingdom. Thou art Peter As if he had said, Thou art, as thy name signifies, a substantial rock; and as thou hast shown it in this good confession, I assure thee that upon this rock I will build my church. Faith in me as the Son of God shall be its great support, and I will use thee as a glorious instrument in raising it: yea, so immoveable and firm shall its foundation be, and so secure the superstructure, that though earth and hell unite their assaults against it, and death in its most dreadful forms be armed for its destruction; the gates of hell, or the unseen world, shall not finally prevail against it to its ruin: but one generation of Christians shall arise after another, even to the very end of time, to maintain this truth, and to venture their lives and their souls upon it, till at length the whole body of them be redeemed from the power of the grave. See Doddridge, who further observes, This is one of those scriptures, the sense of which might be most certainly fixed by the particular tone of voice and gesture with which it was spoken. If our Lord altered his accent, and laid his hand on his breast, it would show that he spoke, not of the person, but of the confession of Peter, (as most Protestant divines have understood it,) and meant to point out himself as the great foundation. Compare 1Co 3:10-11. In confirmation of this sense, it may be observed, that when our Lord says, Upon this rock, he does not make use of the word , as if he referred to Peter himself, but , which is an appellative noun, and immediately refers to Peters confession. But if, when our Lord uttered these words, he turned to the other apostles, and pointed to Peter, that would show he meant to intimate the honour he would do him, in making him an eminent support to his church. This is the sense which Grotius, Le Clerc, Dr. Whitby, and LEnfant defend. But to be a foundation in this sense, was not Peters honour alone; his brethren shared with him in it, (see Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14,) as they did also in the power of binding and loosing, Mat 18:18; Joh 20:23. On the whole, how weak the arguments are which the Papists draw from hence, to support the supremacy of Peter in their wild sense of it, is sufficiently shown by Bishop Burnet On the Articles, p. 196; Dr. Barrow On the Creed, sermon twenty- eight; Dr. Patrick in his sermon on this text, and many more not necessary to be named. There seems a reference in this expression to the common custom of building citadels upon a rock. The gates of hell As gates and walls were the strength of cities, and as courts of judicature were held in their gates, this phrase properly signifies the power and policy of Satan and his instruments: shall not prevail against it Not against the church universal, so as to destroy it. And they never did, for there hath been a small remnant in all ages. And they never will, for faithful is he who hath made this promise, and he will certainly fulfil it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Verse 17
Bar-jona; the son of Jona. (John 21:15.)–Flesh and blood, man.
Matthew 16:18,19. Peter is a Greek word, meaning rock. Peter held a very prominent and conspicuous place among the apostles, during our Savior’s life; and he was afterwards foremost in counsel and action, in the early efforts made for the promulgation of the gospel. This continued until at length the apostle Paul entered the field; and from that time Peter disappears from the sacred history. His prominence while it remained, was due to the boldness and energy, of his personal character–qualities in which he excelled all others, until he was excelled himself by Paul, who united the boldness and energy of Peter with the calmness and steadiness of John.–The Romish church rely mainly on this passage, so far as they rely at all on the direct authority of the Scriptures, for supporting the claims of the bishop of Rome to be the head of the church,–considering him the successor of the apostle Peter. That the apostles, however, did not understand these words as investing Peter with any official supremacy, is evident from the conversation in respect to precedency, which afterwards arose among them, (Matthew 18:1, stated more fully in Mark 9:33,34,) and also from Salome’s request. (Matthew 20:20,21.) The preminence of Peter was personal, not official; and accordingly we find him acting, after the Savior’s ascension with boldness, promptness, energy, but without any traces of official authority over the other apostles.
Matthew 16:22,23. The false positions into which Peter was continually placing himself by his forward and unreflecting, though prompt and energetic action, show very plainly that he did not possess a character to fit him for a post of preminent authority. He had many excellent qualities for action; but he was not calm, patient, and trustworthy enough for command.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
16:17 {4} And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for {k} flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
(4) Faith is of grace, not of nature.
(k) By this kind of speech is meant man’s natural procreation upon the earth, the one who was made, not being destroyed, but deformed through sin: So then this is the meaning: this was not revealed to you by any understanding of man, but God showed it to you from heaven.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
"Blessed" (Gr. makarios) identifies someone whom God has singularly favored and who, therefore, enjoys happiness (cf. Mat 5:3-11). It is not the announcement of some special benediction or blessing on Peter for answering as he did. [Note: Morgan, p. 210.] However, Mat 16:19 does reveal that Peter would receive a reward for his confession. "Barjonas" is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew bar yonah meaning "son of Jonah" (short for Yohanan). This address stressed Peter’s human nature. Jesus only used this full name for Peter when He had something very important to say to him (cf. Joh 1:42; Joh 21:15).
Peter gained the insight about Jesus that he had just expressed because God had given it to him (cf. Mat 11:27; cf. Joh 6:44). It did not come from Peter himself. "Flesh and blood" was a Hebrew idiom for man as a mortal being (cf. 1Co 15:50; Gal 1:16; Eph 6:12; Heb 2:14). [Note: M’Neile, p. 240.] Jesus perceived that Peter’s confession came from God-given insight. However not all such statements about Jesus did or do necessarily (cf. Mat 21:9; Mat 27:54).