The Complete Sayings of Jesus

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Christ Discloses his Sonship — Advances Peter — Foretells his own Fate — "What Shall it Profit a Man."

A.D. 29. Age 32 Cesarea Philippi.

Matthew 16, 13-28: Mark 8, 27-38; 9, 1: Luke 9, 18-27.¹

JESUS, and his disciples, came into the towns of Cesarea Philippi. And by the way he asked them, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or, that one of the old prophets is risen again. Jesus said, But whom say ye that I am? Simon Peter answering said, The Christ of God.² Jesus saith unto Peter, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter,³ and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And he straitly charged them that they should tell no man of him: that he was Jesus the Christ.

From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he, the Son of man, must go unto Jerusalem, and be killed, saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. He spake that saying openly. Then Peter began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. When Jesus had turned and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou are an offence⁴ unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

When he had called the people unto him, with his disciples also, he said unto them, If any man will come after me, whosoever will, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, lose his own soul? or be cast away? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory: and cometh in the glory of his Father with his holy angels. And he said, But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power, the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Footnotes:

¹The interested reader will enjoy paralleling these three indicated texts.

²Thus Luke. Mark has it, "Thou art the Christ." Matthew has it: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

³Turn back to footnote in Part 6 of this book.
^{Part 6 fn}The Revised Version has it: ". . . which is by interpretation, Peter." Both words, Peter and Cephas, have the meaning, rock, stone.