Mǎtaìfúyīn 16

1 Fǎlìsaìrén hé Sādūgāi rén , lái shìtan Yēsū , qǐng tā cóng tiān shang xiǎn ge shénjī gĕi tāmen kàn .

2 Yēsū huídá shuō , wǎnshang tiān fā hóng , nǐmen jiù shuō , tiān bìyào qíng .

3 Zǎochen tiān fā hóng , yòu fā hēi , nǐmen jiù shuō , jīnrì bì yǒu fēng yǔ . nǐmen zhīdào fēnbiàn tiān shang de qìsè , dào bùnéng fēnbiàn zhè shíhou de shénjī .

4 Yī ge xiéè yínluàn de shìdaì qiú shénjī , chúle Yuēná de shénjī yǐwaì , zaì méiyǒu shénjī gĕi tā kàn . Yēsū jiù líkāi tāmen qù .

5 Méntǔ dù dào nàbiān qù , wàng le daì bǐng .

6 Yēsū duì tāmen shuō , nǐmen yào jǐnshèn , fángbeì Fǎlìsaìrén hé Sādūgāi rén de jiào .

7 Méntǔ bǐcǐ yìlùn shuō , zhè shì yīn wǒmen méiyǒu daì bǐng ba .

8 Yēsū kàn chūlai , jiù shuō , nǐmen zhè xiǎo xìn de rén , wèishénme yīnwei méiyǒu bǐng bǐcǐ yìlùn ne .

9 Nǐmen hái bù míngbai ma , bú jì de nà wǔ ge bǐng , fēn gĕi wǔ qiā rén , yòu shōushi le duōshào lánzi de língsuì ma .

10 Yĕ bú jì de nà qī ge bǐng , fēn gĕi sì qiā rén , yòu shōushi le duōshào kuāngzi de língsuì ma .

11 Wǒ duì nǐmen shuō , yào fángbeì Fǎlìsaìrén hé Sādūgāi rén de jiào , zhè huà bú shì zhǐ zhe bǐng shuō de . nǐmen zĕnme bú míngbai ne .

12 Méntǔ zhè cái xiǎodé tā shuō de , bú shì jiào tāmen fángbeì bǐng de jiào , nǎi shì fángbeì Fǎlìsaìrén hé Sādūgāi rén de jiàoxun .

13 Yēsū dào le Gāisālíyà Féilìbǐ de jìng neì , jiù wèn méntǔ shuō , rén shuō wǒ Rénzǐ shì shuí . ( yǒu gǔ juàn wú wǒ zì)

14 Tāmen shuō , yǒu rén shuō shì shīxǐdeYuēhàn . yǒu rén shuō shì Yǐlìyà . yòu yǒu rén shuō shì Yēlìmǐ , huò shì xiānzhī lǐ de yī wèi .

15 Yēsū shuō , nǐmen shuō wǒ shì shuí .

16 Xīmén Bǐdé huídá shuō , nǐ shì Jīdū , shì yǒngshēng shén de érzi .

17 Yēsū duì tā shuō , Xīmén bā Yuēná , nǐ shì yǒu fú de . yīnwei zhè bú shì shǔ xuèròu de zhǐshì nǐde , nǎi shì wǒ zaì tiān shang de fù zhǐshì de .

18 Wǒ hái gàosu nǐ , nǐ shì Bǐdé , wǒ yào bǎ wǒde jiàohuì jiànzào zaì zhè pánshí shang , yīnjiān de quánbǐng , bùnéng shèng guò tā . ( quánbǐng yuánwén zuò mén )

19 Wǒ yào bǎ tiānguó de yàoshi gĕi nǐ . fán nǐ zaì dì shang suǒ kúnbǎng de , zaì tiān shang yĕ yào kúnbǎng . fán nǐ zaì dì shang suǒ shìfàng de , zaì tiān shang yĕ yào shìfàng .

20 Dāngxià , Yēsū zhǔfu méntǔ , bùkĕ duì rén shuō tā shì Jīdū .

21 Cóngcǐ Yēsū cái zhǐshì méntǔ , tā bìxū shàng Yēlùsǎlĕng qù , shòu zhǎnglǎo Jìsīzhǎng Wénshì xǔduō de kǔ , bìngqiĕ beì shā , dì sān rì fùhuó .

22 Bǐdé jiù lā zhe tā shuō , Zhǔ a , wàn bùkĕ rúcǐ , zhè shì bì bù líndào nǐ shēnshang .

23 Yēsū zhuǎn guo lái , duì Bǐdé shuō , Sādàn tuì wǒ hòubiān qù ba . nǐ shì bàn wǒ jiǎo de . yīnwei nǐ bù tǐtiē shén de yìsi , zhǐ tǐtiē rén de yìsi .

24 Yúshì Yēsū duì méntǔ shuō , ruò yǒu rén yào gēn cóng wǒ , jiù dāng shĕjǐ , bēi qǐ tāde shízìjià , lái gēn cóng wǒ .

25 Yīnwei fán yào jiù zìjǐ shēngmìng de , ( shēngmìng huò zuò línghún xià tóng ) bì sàngdiào shēngmìng . fán wèi wǒ sàngdiào shēngmìng de , bì de zhe shēngmìng .

26 Rén ruò zhuàn dé quán shìjiè , péi shang zìjǐ de shēngmìng , yǒu shénme yìchu ne . rén hái néng ná shénme huàn shēngmìng ne .

27 Rénzǐ yào zaì tā fù de róngyào lǐ , tóng zhe zhòng shǐzhĕ jiànglín . nàshíhòu , tā yào zhào gèrén de xíngwéi bàoyìng gèrén .

28 Wǒ shízaì gàosu nǐmen , zhàn zaì zhèlǐ de rén , yǒu rén zaì méi cháng sǐ wèi yǐqián , bì kànjian Rénzǐ jiànglín zaì tāde guó lǐ .

Mǎtaìfúyīn 16 Commentary

Chapter 16

The Pharisees and Sadducees ask a sign. (1-4) Jesus cautions against the doctrine of the Pharisees. (5-12) Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Christ. (13-20) Christ foretells his sufferings, and rebukes Peter. (21-23) The necessity of self-denial. (24-28)

Verses 1-4 The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles and in conduct; yet they joined against Christ. But they desired a sign of their own choosing: they despised those signs which relieved the necessity of the sick and sorrowful, and called for something else which would gratify the curiosity of the proud. It is great hypocrisy, when we slight the signs of God's ordaining, to seek for signs of our own devising.

Verses 5-12 Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the Spirit of revelation in the word.

Verses 13-20 Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or firmness in professing the truth. The word translated "rock," is not the same word as Peter, but is of a similar meaning. Nothing can be more wrong than to suppose that Christ meant the person of Peter was the rock. Without doubt Christ himself is the Rock, the tried foundation of the church; and woe to him that attempts to lay any other! Peter's confession is this rock as to doctrine. If Jesus be not the Christ, those that own him are not of the church, but deceivers and deceived. Our Lord next declared the authority with which Peter would be invested. He spoke in the name of his brethren, and this related to them as well as to him. They had no certain knowledge of the characters of men, and were liable to mistakes and sins in their own conduct; but they were kept from error in stating the way of acceptance and salvation, the rule of obedience, the believer's character and experience, and the final doom of unbelievers and hypocrites. In such matters their decision was right, and it was confirmed in heaven. But all pretensions of any man, either to absolve or retain men's sins, are blasphemous and absurd. None can forgive sins but God only. And this binding and loosing, in the common language of the Jews, signified to forbid and to allow, or to teach what is lawful or unlawful.

Verses 21-23 Christ reveals his mind to his people gradually. From that time, when the apostles had made the full confession of Christ, that he was the Son of God, he began to show them of his sufferings. He spake this to set right the mistakes of his disciples about the outward pomp and power of his kingdom. Those that follow Christ, must not expect great or high things in this world. Peter would have Christ to dread suffering as much as he did; but we mistake, if we measure Christ's love and patience by our own. We do not read of any thing said or done by any of his disciples, at any time, that Christ resented so much as this. Whoever takes us from that which is good, and would make us fear to do too much for God, speaks Satan's language. Whatever appears to be a temptation to sin, must be resisted with abhorrence, and not be parleyed with. Those that decline suffering for Christ, savour more of the things of man than of the things of God.

Verses 24-28 A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes. "Let him deny himself." If self-denial be a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teach us. "Let him take up his cross." The cross is here put for every trouble that befalls us. We are apt to think we could bear another's cross better than our own; but that is best which is appointed us, and we ought to make the best of it. We must not by our rashness and folly pull crosses down upon our own heads, but must take them up when they are in our way. If any man will have the name and credit of a disciple, let him follow Christ in the work and duty of a disciple. If all worldly things are worthless when compared with the life of the body, how forcible the same argument with respect to the soul and its state of never-ending happiness or misery! Thousands lose their souls for the most trifling gain, or the most worthless indulgence, nay, often from mere sloth and negligence. Whatever is the object for which men forsake Christ, that is the price at which Satan buys their souls. Yet one soul is worth more than all the world. This is Christ's judgment upon the matter; he knew the price of souls, for he redeemed them; nor would he underrate the world, for he made it. The dying transgressor cannot purchase one hour's respite to seek mercy for his perishing soul. Let us then learn rightly to value our souls, and Christ as the only Saviour of them.