Matthew 15-22 – A Turning Point

In Matthew 16:21, we see a turning point in the account of Jesus of Nazareth. This verse in today’s reading is the proverbial snowball at the top of the mountain. Matthew writes by inspiration, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”

This verse sets the tone for the rest of the book. It is an outline of the things that take place from chapter 21 on. We see the initial reaction to this development in the next verse. Peter, the most outspoken of Jesus’ apostles, says the first thing that pops in his head: Lord, surely You’re joking. Actually, Peter’s reaction is much worse than that very loose paraphrase. The text says that Peter rebuked Him. The more accurate paraphrase of Peter’s statement is, “Lord, You’re insane!”

We give Peter grief for this and similar statements. Really, though, this statement reflects the faith Peter demonstrated earlier in the chapter, in verse 18, when he confessed Jesus as the Christ. Peter was so sure of Jesus being the Son of God that he was sure God would never let Jesus suffer the things Jesus had just described. Peter’s statement, however, does not reflect a proper understanding of Scripture and the prophecies concerning Jesus (an understanding that would come later, as Luke records, Luke 24:45).

Following this event, Matthew 17 records Jesus’ transfiguration. The influence of 16:21 is seen here, too, as Jesus talks with Moses and Elijah. While Matthew’s account simply records that Jesus talked with these two individuals, Luke records for us that they “were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31).

In chapter 20, as Jesus and His disciples neared Jerusalem, He warned them (again) of the things that would happen: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up” (20:18-19).

Chapter 21 sees the first of the events foretold in 16:21 coming to pass. Jesus enters Jerusalem. This is a triumphal entry, as many Bibles record. The crowd shouts, “Hosanna!” They treat Him as a king. However, that will change in tomorrow’s reading.

More on the snowball then.