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Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Luke 9:18–27. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
In these verses, we have Christ discoursing with his disciples about the great things that pertained to the kingdom of God; and one circumstance of this discourse is taken notice of here which we had not in the other evangelists - that Christ was alone praying, and his disciples with him, when he entered into this discourse, Luk 9:18. Observe, 1. Though Christ had much public work to do, yet he found some time to be alone in private, for converse with himself, with his Father, and with his disciples. 2. When Christ was alone he was praying. It is good for us to improve our solitude for devotion, that, when we are alone, we may not be alone, but may have the Father with us. 3. When Christ was alone, praying, his disciples were with him, to join with him in his prayer; so that this was a family-prayer. Housekeepers ought to pray with their households, parents with their children, masters with their servants, teachers and tutors with their scholars and pupils. 4. Christ prayed with them before he examined them, that they might be directed and encouraged to answer him, by his prayers for them. Those we give instructions to we should put up prayers for and with. He discourses with them,
I.Concerning himself; and enquires,
1.What the people said of him: Who say the people that I am? Christ knew better than they did, but would have his disciples made sensible, by the mistakes of others concerning him, how happy they were that were led into the knowledge of him and of the truth concerning him. We should take notice of the ignorance and errors of others, that we may be the more thankful to him who has manifested himself to us, and not unto the world, and may pity them, and do what we can to help them and to teach them better. They tell him what conjectures concerning him they had heard in their converse with the common people. Ministers would know better how to suit their instructions, reproofs, and counsels, to the case of ordinary people, if they did but converse more frequently and familiarly with them; they would then be the better able to say what is proper to rectify their notions, correct their irregularities, and remove their prejudices. The more conversant the physician is with his patient, the better he knows what to do for him. Some said that he was John Baptist, who was beheaded but the other day; others Elias, or one of the old prophets; any thing but what he was.
2.What they said of him. "Now see what an advantage you have by your discipleship; you know better." "So we do," saith Peter, "thanks be to our Master for it; we know that thou art the Christ of God, the Anointed of God, the Messiah promised." It is matter of unspeakable comfort to us that our Lord Jesus is God's anointed, for then he has unquestionable authority and ability for his undertaking; for his being anointed signifies his being both appointed to it and qualified for it. Now one would have expected that Christ should have charged his disciples, who were so fully apprized and assured of this truth, to publish it to every one they met with; but no, he strictly charged them to tell no man that thing as yet, because there is a time for all things. After his resurrection, which completed the proof of it, Peter made the temple ring of it, that God had made this same Jesus both Lord and Christ (Act 2:36); but as yet the evidence was not ready to be summed up, and therefore it must be concealed; while it was so, we may conclude that the belief of it was not necessary to salvation.
II.Concerning his own sufferings and death, of which he had yet said little.
Now that his disciples were well established in the belief of his being the Christ, and able to bear it, he speaks of them expressly, and with great assurance, Luk 9:22. It comes in as a reason why they must not yet preach that he was the Christ, because the wonders that would attend his death and resurrection would be the most convincing proof of his being the Christ of God. It was by his exaltation to the right hand of the Father that he was fully declared to be the Christ, and by the sending of the Spirit thereupon (Act 2:33); and therefore wait till that is done.
III.Concerning their sufferings for him.
So far must they be from thinking how to prevent his sufferings that they must rather prepare for their own.
1.We must accustom ourselves to all instances of self-denial and patience, Luk 9:23. This is the best preparative for martyrdom. We must live a life of self-denial, mortification, and contempt of the world; we must not indulge our ease and appetite, for then it will be hard to bear toil, and weariness, and want, for Christ. We are daily subject to affliction, and we must accommodate ourselves to it, and acquiesce in the will of God in it, and must learn to endure hardship. We frequently meet with crosses in the way of duty; and, though we must not pull them upon our own heads, yet, when they are laid for us, we must take them up, carry them after Christ, and make the best of them.
2.We must prefer the salvation and happiness of our souls before any secular concern whatsoever. Reckon upon it,
(1.)That he who to preserve his liberty or estate, his power or preferment, nay, or to save his life, denies Christ and his truths, wilfully wrongs his conscience, and sins against God, will be, not only not a saver, but an unspeakable loser, in the issue, when profit and loss come to be balanced: He that will save his life upon these terms will lose it, will lose that which is of infinitely more value, his precious soul.
(2.)We must firmly believe also that, if we lose our life for cleaving to Christ and our religion, we shall save it to our unspeakable advantage; for we shall be abundantly recompensed in the resurrection of the just, when we shall have it again a new and an eternal life.
(3.)That the gain of all the world, if we should forsake Christ, and fall in with the interests of the world, would be so far from countervailing the eternal loss and ruin of the soul that it would bear no manner of proportion to it, Luk 9:25. If we could be supposed to gain all the wealth, honour, and pleasure, in the world, by denying Christ, yet when, by so doing, we lose ourselves to all eternity, and are cast away at last, what good will our worldly gain do us? Observe, In Matthew and Mark the dreadful issue is a man's losing his own soul, here it is losing himself, which plainly intimates that our souls are ourselves. Animus cujusque is est quisque - The soul is the man; and it is well or ill with us according as it is well or ill with our souls. If they perish for ever, under the weight of their own guilt and corruption, it is certain that we are undone. The body cannot be happy if the soul be miserable in the other world; but the soul may be happy though the body be greatly afflicted and oppressed in this world. If a man be himself cast away, ē zēmiōtheis - if he be damaged, - or if he be punished, si mulctetur - if he have a mulct put upon his soul by the righteous sentence of Christ, whose cause and interest he has treacherously deserted, - if it be adjudged a forfeiture of all his blessedness, and the forfeiture be taken, where is his gain? What is his hope?
3.We must therefore never be ashamed of Christ and his gospel, nor of any disgrace or reproach that we may undergo for our faithful adherence to him and it, Luk 9:26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, and justly. When the service and honour of Christ called for his testimony and agency, he denied them, because the interest of Christ was a despised interest, and every where spoken against; and therefore he can expect no other than that in the great day, when his case calls for Christ's appearance on his behalf, Christ will be ashamed to own such a cowardly, worldly, sneaking spirit, and will say, "He is none of mine; he belongs not to me." As Christ had a state of humiliation and of exaltation, so likewise has his cause. They, and they only, that are willing to suffer with it when it suffers, shall reign with it when it reigns; but those that cannot find in their hearts to share with it in its disgrace, and to say, If this be to be vile, I will be yet more vile, shall certainly have no share with it in its triumphs. Observe here, How Christ, to support himself and his followers under present disgraces, speaks magnificently of the lustre of his second coming, in prospect of which he endured the cross, despising the shame.
(1.)He shall come in his own glory. This was not mentioned in Matthew and Mark. He shall come in the glory of the Mediator, all the glory which the Father restored to him, which he had with God before the worlds were, which he had deposited and put in pledge, as it were, for the accomplishing of his undertaking, and demanded again when he had gone through it. Now, O Father, glorify thou me, Joh 17:4, Joh 17:5. He shall come in all that glory which the Father conferred upon him when he set him at his own right hand, and gave him to be head over all things to the church; in all the glory that is due to him as the assertor of the glory of God, and the author of the glory of all the saints. This is his own glory.
(2.)He shall come in his Father's glory. The Father will judge the world by him, having committed all judgment to him; and therefore will publicly own him in the judgment as the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person.
(3.)He shall come in the glory of the holy angels. They shall all attend him, and minister to him, and add every thing they can to the lustre of his appearance. What a figure will the blessed Jesus make in that day! Did we believe it, we should never be ashamed of him or his words now.
Lastly, To encourage them in suffering for him, he assures them that the kingdom of God would now shortly be set up, notwithstanding the great opposition that was made to it, Luk 9:27. "Though the second coming of the Son of man is at a great distance, the kingdom of God shall come in its power in the present age, while some here present are alive." They saw the kingdom of God when the Spirit was poured out, when the gospel was preached to all the world and nations were brought to Christ by it; they saw the kingdom of God triumph over the Gentile nations in their conversion, and over the Jewish nation in its destruction.
Historical interpretation
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For He exclaimed before His crucifixion: 'The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the Scribes and Pharisees, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.'
It was, however, a different reason which He assigned for the silence, even because "the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and scribes, and priests, and be slain, and be raised again the third day." Now, inasmuch as these sufferings were actually foretold for the Creator's Christ (as we shall fully show in the proper place ), so by this application of them to His own case does He prove that it is He Himself of whom they were predicted.
The Lord Jesus Christ was at first unwilling to be extolled, lest any murmuring arise. He rebuked his disciples, lest they say this to anyone, because the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. Perhaps he added this because the Lord knew that even the disciples would believe with difficulty in his passion and resurrection. Therefore he preferred to be the defender of his own passion and resurrection, so that faith would be born of action, and not discord of hearsay. Thus Christ refused to boast but preferred to seem unimportant in order to undergo his passion. Do you boast, who are low born? Must you walk the same path that Christ walked, which he himself walked? This is the recognition of him, this is the imitation of him through obscurity and a good reputation, so that you may glory in the cross as he was glorified. Thus Paul walked and therefore glories, saying, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
But it is no trifling opinion of the multitude which the disciples mention, when it is added, But they answering said, John the Baptist, (whom they knew to be beheaded;) but some say, Elias, (whom they thought would come,) but others say that one of the old Prophets is risen again. But to make this enquiry belongs to a different kind of wisdom from ours, for if it were enough for the Apostle Paul to know nothing but Christ Jesus, and Him crucified, what more can I desire to know than Christ? (1 Cor. 2:2.)
In this one name there is the expression both of His divinity and incarnation, and the belief of His passion. He has therefore comprehended every thing, having expressed both the nature and the name wherein is all virtue. (summa virtutum)
But our Lord Jesus Christ was at first unwilling to be preached, lest an uproar should arise; as it follows, And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man any thing. For many reasons He commands His disciples to be silent; to deceive the prince of this world, to reject boasting, to teach humility. Christ then would not boast and dost thou boast who art of ignoble birth? Likewise He did it to prevent rude and as yet imperfect disciples from being oppressed with the wonder of this awful announcement. They are then forbid to preach Him as the Son of God, that they might afterwards preach Him crucified.
Perhaps because the Lord knew that the disciples would believe even the difficult mystery of the Passion and Resurrection, He wished to be Himself the proclaimer of His own Passion and Resurrection.
(Hom. 54. in Matt.) Timely also was our Lord's command that no one should tell that He was Christ, in order that when offences should be taken away and the sufferings of the cross completed, a proper opinion of Him might be firmly rooted in the minds of the hearers. For that which has once taken root and afterwards been torn up. when fresh planted will scarcely ever be preserved. But that which when once planted continues undisturbed, grows up securely. For if Peter was offended merely by what he heard, what would be the feelings of those many who, after they had heard that He was the Son of God, saw Him crucified, and spit upon?
It was the duty then of the disciples to preach Him throughout the world. For this was the work of those who were chosen by Him to the office of the Apostleship. But as holy Scripture bears witness, There is a time for every thing. For it was fitting that the cross and resurrection should be accomplished, and then should follow the preaching of the Apostles; as it is spoken, saying, The Son of man must needs suffer many things.
When the disciple Peter had professed his faith, Jesus charged them, it says, and commanded them to tell it to no one. “For the Son of man,” he said, “is about to suffer many things, and be rejected, and killed, and the third day he shall rise again.” Wasn’t it the duty of disciples to proclaim him everywhere? This was the very business of those appointed by him to the apostleship. But, as the sacred Scripture says, “There is a time for everything.” There were things yet unfulfilled which must also be included in their preaching about him. They must also proclaim the cross, the passion, and the death in the flesh. They must preach the resurrection of the dead, that great and truly glorious sign by which testimony is borne him that the Emmanuel is truly God and by nature the Son of God the Father. He utterly abolished death and wiped out destruction. He robbed hell, and overthrew the tyranny of the enemy. He took away the sin of the world, opened the gates above to the dwellers upon earth, and united earth to heaven. These things proved him to be, as I said, in truth God. He commanded them, therefore, to guard the mystery by a seasonable silence until the whole plan of the dispensation should arrive at a suitable conclusion.
Now the disciples were with the Lord, but He alone prayed to the Father, since the saints may be joined to the Lord in the bond of faith and love, but the Son alone is able to penetrate the incomprehensible secrets of the Father's will. Every where then He prays alone, for human wishes comprehend not the counsel of God, nor can any one be a partaker with Christ of the deep things of God.
Rightly does our Lord, when about to enquire into the faith of the disciples, first inquire into the opinion of the multitudes, lest their confession should appear not to be determined by their knowledge, but to be formed by the opinion of the generality, and they should be considered not to believe from experience, but like Herod to be perplexed by different reports which they heard.
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Summary
Luke 9:22 presents Jesus' profound and pivotal first explicit prophecy to His disciples concerning the essential nature of His messianic mission: a path of suffering, rejection, death, and ultimate resurrection. This declaration serves as a foundational revelation, correcting popular misconceptions about a conquering Messiah and unveiling the divine necessity of His atoning sacrifice for humanity's redemption.
Context
Literary Context
This verse immediately follows a watershed moment in Jesus' ministry: Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ. Having just identified Jesus as the Messiah, the disciples, and particularly Peter, were likely envisioning a triumphant, earthly king who would overthrow Roman rule and restore Israel's glory. Jesus' subsequent prophecy in Luke 9:22 serves as a stark reorientation, clarifying that His path to glory would not be through worldly power but through suffering and death. This statement sets the stage for the subsequent call to discipleship, where Jesus invites His followers to embrace a similar path of self-denial and cross-bearing, as seen in Luke 9:23-27. It marks a critical turning point from the revelation of His identity to the explanation of His mission.
Historical & Cultural Context
First-century Jewish expectations of the Messiah were largely shaped by prophecies of a Davidic king who would establish an earthly kingdom, liberate Israel from foreign oppression, and usher in an era of peace and prosperity. Passages like Isaiah 9:6-7 and Micah 5:2 fueled these hopes. The idea of a suffering Messiah, though present in texts like Isaiah 53, was largely overlooked or reinterpreted by the religious leaders and the general populace. Jesus' prophecy directly confronts these deeply ingrained expectations, revealing a messianic program that defied conventional wisdom and challenged the prevailing understanding of power and redemption. His rejection by the "elders and chief priests and scribes" was particularly poignant, as these were the very authorities charged with interpreting God's law and guiding the people, yet they failed to recognize their Messiah.
Key Themes
Luke 9:22 contributes significantly to several major themes within Luke's Gospel and the broader New Testament. Foremost is the theme of the Suffering Son of Man, a title Jesus frequently uses to emphasize both His humanity and His divine authority, drawing from Daniel 7:13-14. This verse underscores the Divine Necessity of the Passion, indicating that His suffering and death were not accidental but a predetermined part of God's redemptive plan, a concept further elaborated in Acts 2:23. The theme of Rejection by Religious Authority is also prominent, highlighting the tragic irony that those who should have welcomed the Messiah became His primary antagonists. Finally, the prophecy of the Resurrection is central, transforming the impending death from a tragedy into a triumph and establishing the cornerstone of Christian hope and the validation of Jesus' claims, as powerfully articulated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word conveys a sense of divine necessity, obligation, or a predetermined plan. It indicates that the events prophesied were not random occurrences but were part of God's sovereign will and an essential component of His redemptive purpose. This "must" signifies a divine imperative, underscoring that the suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection were indispensable for the fulfillment of God's plan for salvation.
This verb means "to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful)." In this context, it specifically refers to the intense physical and emotional agony Jesus would endure, encompassing the betrayal, trials, scourging, and crucifixion. It highlights the real, human experience of pain and affliction that was integral to His atoning work.
This word means "to waken, i.e. rouse (literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively, from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence)." Here, it directly refers to Jesus' bodily resurrection from the dead, signifying His triumph over death and the grave. This term emphasizes the active power of God in bringing Him back to life, validating His identity and securing the hope of eternal life for believers.
Verse Breakdown
"Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things,"
Jesus, using His preferred self-designation, "the Son of Man," a title rich with both human and divine implications, declares that His path involves extensive suffering. The word "must" (Greek: deî) emphasizes the divine necessity and preordained nature of these sufferings, indicating they are not accidental but essential to God's plan. "Many things" suggests a comprehensive array of trials, afflictions, and pains.
"and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes,"
This clause specifies the source of His rejection: the religious and legal authorities of Israel. The "elders" were respected community leaders, the "chief priests" were the heads of the priestly families and the Sanhedrin, and the "scribes" were the experts in Jewish law. Their collective rejection highlights the profound irony and tragedy of the Messiah being disowned by those who should have recognized and welcomed Him, underscoring the spiritual blindness of the religious establishment.
"and be slain,"
This is a direct and unambiguous prophecy of His death. The term "slain" (Greek: apokteínō) implies a violent, deliberate killing, clearly pointing to His crucifixion. This statement shatters any lingering illusions among the disciples about an earthly, conquering Messiah who would avoid such a fate.
"and be raised the third day."
This final clause is the climactic and most crucial part of the prophecy. It promises not merely death, but ultimate victory. The phrase "raised the third day" specifically foretells His resurrection from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. This detail is pivotal, as the resurrection validates His claims, confirms His divine power, and forms the bedrock of Christian faith and hope, transforming the tragedy of His death into the triumph of redemption.
Literary Devices
Luke 9:22 is rich with several significant literary devices. The most prominent is Prophecy, as Jesus explicitly foretells future events concerning His passion and resurrection. This is not a vague prediction but a detailed outline of His impending fate, including the agents of His rejection and the timing of His resurrection. Closely related is Foreshadowing, where this verse prepares the reader and the disciples for the dramatic events of Jesus' arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection that will unfold later in the Gospel. There is also profound Irony present: the Son of Man, the divine Messiah, is to be rejected by the very religious leaders who claim to serve God. This highlights the spiritual blindness and misplaced expectations of those in authority. Furthermore, the verse contains a Paradox: the path to ultimate glory and salvation is not through earthly power and triumph, but through suffering, death, and resurrection. This counter-intuitive truth challenges conventional notions of strength and victory, revealing God's upside-down kingdom.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Luke 9:22 stands as a theological cornerstone, revealing the essential nature of Christ's messianic mission as one rooted in suffering and sacrifice, culminating in resurrection. It underscores the divine necessity of the atonement, demonstrating that Jesus' death was not a tragic accident but a preordained act of God's sovereign will to redeem humanity. This prophecy also highlights the profound contrast between human expectations of a conquering Messiah and God's plan for a suffering Servant, thereby redefining the very nature of messianic victory. It establishes the resurrection as the indispensable validation of Jesus' claims and the source of hope for all who believe, transforming the scandal of the cross into the power of salvation.
Reflection and Application
Luke 9:22 offers a profound lens through which believers can understand the nature of God's redemptive plan and the call to discipleship. It reminds us that the path of Christ was one of self-sacrifice and suffering, not earthly triumph, and that our salvation came at an immense cost. This truth should cultivate deep gratitude for God's love and Christ's obedience, inspiring us to live lives worthy of such a sacrifice. Furthermore, Jesus' willingness to embrace suffering and rejection, knowing it was part of God's divine will, provides a powerful model for navigating our own trials. It encourages us to trust in God's sovereign purposes, even when our circumstances are difficult or counter-intuitive. Just as Jesus' suffering led to resurrection, our own experiences of hardship, when embraced in faith, can lead to deeper spiritual growth and a greater manifestation of God's power in our lives, ultimately pointing to the hope of eternal victory.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Jesus refer to Himself as "the Son of Man" so often, especially when speaking of His suffering?
Jesus' frequent use of "the Son of Man" (Greek: ho huios tou anthrōpou) is highly significant. This title, drawn from Daniel 7:13-14, carries a dual meaning. On one hand, it emphasizes His true humanity, His identification with mankind, and His humble earthly existence. On the other hand, in Daniel's prophecy, "the Son of Man" is a divine, celestial figure who receives everlasting dominion, glory, and a kingdom from God. By combining these aspects, Jesus subtly yet powerfully asserted His unique identity as both fully human and divinely appointed, the one who would suffer and die as a man, yet who possessed ultimate authority and would be vindicated by God. Using this title for His suffering and resurrection prophecies allowed Him to connect His earthly mission directly to His eschatological role as judge and king, fulfilling both the suffering servant prophecies (e.g., Isaiah 53) and the glorious kingdom prophecies.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Luke 9:22 is a profound Christ-centered prophecy, directly revealing the heart of the Gospel: the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the redemption of humanity. This verse is not merely a prediction but a declaration of the divine blueprint for salvation, demonstrating that Christ's passion was not an unforeseen tragedy but the predetermined will of God, as affirmed by Peter in Acts 2:23. The "Son of Man" who "must suffer many things" and "be slain" is the very Lamb of God whose sacrifice takes away the sin of the world, echoing the words of John 1:29. His rejection by the religious authorities foreshadows how humanity, in its sin, rejected its Creator, yet through this very rejection, God orchestrated the means of reconciliation. Crucially, the promise to "be raised the third day" is the ultimate fulfillment, transforming the cross from a symbol of defeat into the triumph over sin and death, the very foundation of our faith and hope as declared in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Thus, Luke 9:22 encapsulates the entire redemptive narrative, pointing to Christ as the one whose suffering secured our salvation and whose resurrection guarantees our eternal life, making Him the central figure of God's plan.