16:21 This is only the second time in the Gospel that Matthew used the phrase apo tote erxato, "from that time"(cf. 26:16). The first time was in 4:17 where Jesus began to present Himself to Israel as her Messiah. Here it announces Jesus' preparation of His disciples for the Cross because of Israel's rejection and His disciples' acceptance of Him as the divine Messiah. Thus the evangelist signalled a significant turning point in Jesus' ministry.
Jesus had hinted at His death earlier (9:15; 10:38; 12:40). However this is the first time He discussed it with His disciples. He began "to show"or "to explain"(Gr. deikeyo) these things with His actions as well as His words, not just "to teach"(Gr. didasko) them.
Jesus said that He "must"(Gr. dei) go to Jerusalem. He had to do this because it was God's will for Messiah to suffer and die as well as to experience resurrection.642He had to do these things to fulfill prophecy (Isa. 53; cf. Acts 2:22-36). Jerusalem had been the site of the martyrdom of numerous Old Testament prophets (cf. 23:37).
". . . Jesus reveals to his disciples, in all he says and in all he does beginning with 16:21, that God has ordained that he should go to Jerusalem to suffer, and that his way of suffering is a summons to them also to go the way of suffering (i.e., the way of servanthood) (cf. 20:28). In other words, Matthew alerts the reader through the key passages 16:21 and 16:24 that suffering, defined as servanthood, is the essence of discipleship and that Jesus will show the disciples in what he says and does that this is in fact the case."643
Jesus identified three groups that would be responsible for His sufferings and death there: the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes. Together these groups constituted the Sanhedrin, Israel's supreme religious body. One definite article describes all three groups and binds them together in a single entity in the Greek text (cf. 16:1, 6). This would be Israel's final and formal official rejection of her Messiah.644Jesus' announcement implied that a trial would take place.645However, Jesus also announced that He would arise from the dead on the third day (cf. 12:40).
Verse 21 "prepares the reader already for the resolution of Jesus' conflict with Israel in at least two respects: (a) It underscores the fact that there are three principals involved in Jesus' passion, namely, God (dei: it is necessary'), Jesus, and the religious leaders. And (b) it reminds the reader that while all three desire the death of Jesus, the objective the leaders pursue is destructive (12:14), whereas that intended by God and Jesus is to save (1:21)."646
16:22 Peter obviously understood that Jesus was predicting His death. He began to rebuke Jesus privately for thinking such a thing, but Jesus cut him off (v. 23). Apparently Peter's understanding of Messiah did not include a Suffering Servant, which almost everyone in Israel rejected as well.
"Like many modern readers of the Bible, Peter did not want to accept what did not agree with his hopes and ambitions."647
Peter used a very strong negative expression meaning "Never, Lord!"The Greek expression is ou me, and it is comparatively rare in the New Testament. Peter followed up his great confession (v. 16) with a great contradiction.
"Peter's strong will and warm heart linked to his ignorance produce a shocking bit of arrogance. He confesses that Jesus is the Messiah and then speaks in a way implying that he knows more of God's will than the Messiah himself."648
16:23 Evidently Jesus turned to confront Peter face to face. "Get behind me, Satan"probably means "do not stand in my way as a stumbling block."Jesus had used similar language when rebuking Satan himself (4:10). "Satan"means "adversary."Jesus viewed Peter's comment as coming from Satan ultimately.
"It does not matter how one interprets the rebuke to Peter. Jesus' main point is one that demands a response from his audience. Whether he said, Get out of my sight!' [NIV], Get behind me!' [AV], or Follow after me!'649, he intended to focus his attention on the necessity of unconditional obedience in discipleship."650
Jesus had recently called Peter a rock. Now He called him a different type of rock, a rock that causes someone to stumble (Gr. skandalon). Satan had offered Jesus messiahship without suffering (4:8-9), and now Peter was suggesting the same thing. The idea of a suffering Messiah caused Peter to stumble here, and after Jesus' resurrection the same concept caused many Jews to stumble (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23).
Peter was not thinking God's thoughts but man's. When he confessed that Jesus was the Messiah earlier (v. 16), he was thinking God's thoughts. Now he was not only thinking without regard to revelation but in opposition to revelation, as Satan does. The contrast between verses 13-20 and verses 21-23 clearly shows that the disciples' understanding was a matter of growth. As they accepted what they came to understand progressively by divine illumination, their faith also grew.
