The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 137

!be dark aa hie follow-11,postlee; of that ce.rne.l un,lershnrling, thou wouldst know which was riot specially revealed to him he that this of all thinga rnoA becomcth me. knew nothing. It was the carnal mind that For thou indeed supposest that to suffer is here influenced him, not the spiritnaJly unworthy of me; but I say unto thee, that enlighteucd soul. By writing "began," t!Ie for me not to suffer is of the devil's mind; ' historian intiwates th11t ho had not time to by the contrary statements repressing his say muc!I before the Lord mercifully inter- alarm" (Oxford transl.). posed and cut him short. Be it far from Ver. 24.-St. Mark tells us that Jesus thee ; YA.etl,s ,ro1 : Vulgate, absit a te. The called the multitude unto him together Greek phrnse is elliptic11l, E't11 l, ee&s being with the disciples, e.s about to say some- under•tood ; " God be merciful to thee," thing of uni veraal application. The con- equivalent to "God forbid." The complete nection between this paragraph a.nd wLat expression occurs in the Septuagint of has precooed is well put by St. Cbryaostom. I Chron. xi. 19. It is used in deprecation Then. " When? when St. Peter sa.iJ, ' Be of a disastrous event. This shall not be it far from thee: this shall not be unto thee,' unto thee ; ob i,t, 1.,..,.,., 0"01 ToiiTo. This e.nJ wa.s told, 'Get thee behind me, Satan.' is a very strong e.ssertion, not a prayer or For Christ was by no mea.ne satisfied with wish, as some would make it; the use of the mere rebuke of Peter, but, willing more language' is quite against that, as the abundantly to show both the extravagance phrase is predictive, never prohibitory. In of Peter's words and the future benefit nf his mistal!en zeal and his ignorant affec- his Passion, he saith, • Thy word to me is, tion, Peter· would be wiser than his Lord. "Be it far from thee: this shall not be unto The cross and Passion shall never be· U;iy thee;" but my word to thee is, "Not only i1 lot; Messiah cannot suffer, the Son of God it hurtful to thee to impede me and to be cannot die. Such merely human assevera- displeased e.t my Passion, but it will be tion, even prompted by undoubted love, had impossible for thee even to be saved, unless to be checked and rebuked. thou thyself too be continua.By prepared for Ver. 23.-Ee turned. Peter and the rest death."' Thus, lest they ehoulu think his were following Christ, as he walked on- suffering unworthy or him, not by the ward. Now Jesus stops, turns, and faces former words only, hut by those t!Jat were them. Get thee behind me, Ba.tan. Jesus coming, he teaches them the gain thereof.'' uses nearly the same words in rebul!ing If any man will ( 9,A.,, wi"IZ. to) come after Peter th11t he had used to the devil in his me. To come after Christ is to be his temptation (eh. iv. 10); and justly, because follower and disciple, and the Lord here the apostle was acting the adversary's part, declares what will be the life of such e. one by opposing the Divine economy, and en- (see a parallel passage, eh. x. 38, 39). deavouring to persuade.Jesus that the way Jesus mentions three points which belong he proposed, was wholly unnecessary. The to the character of e. true disciple. The lively stone he.a become e. very Sa.tan in first is self-denial. Let him deny himself. opposing the Divine will ; hence the sharp- There is no better test of reality and ness of the rebuke e.dministered to him. earnestness in the religious life than tl1is. An ·offence unto me (1T1td.v8C111.ov !i,oii); my (See e. sermon of Newman's on thie subject, Btt1i11ibling-bloc1'. Petros, the stone, to main- vol. i. scrm. v.) If a man follows Je1JU.B, it tain the metnphor, is now "a stono of must be by his own free-will, and !Ie must stumbling, and e. rook of offence " ( 1 Pet. ii. voluntarily renounce everything that migh& 8). He stood in the Saviour's way, and hinder his discipleship, denying him.self impeded hie onward progress in the course even in things lawful that hll may approach ordained. He who would turn him aside the likeness of his Master. Take up his from Ce.lve.ry is the enemy of man's eulv&- cross. This is the second point. St. Luke tion, which we.a to be won there. Thou adds, "daily." He must not only be re- se.vourest. (tf,pov,is) not; mindest not (e.s signtd to beo.r what id brought upon him Rom. viii. 5) ; thy te.sto is not for the -suffering, eho.me, and death, which be Divine plane, but for liurue.n considerations; cannot escape, but be eager to endure it, tbou e.rt not promoting the gi'ee.t purpose meet it with a solemn joy, be glad that he of God, but worldliness and self-pleasing. is counted worthy of it. Follow me. The "Peter," says St. Ohrysostom, •• examining third point. He must be energetic and the matter by human e.ndee.rthly reasoning, aotive, not pas~ive only and resigned, but accounted it disgraceful to him [Christ] with all zeal tracking hie Mwiter's footsteps, and an unmeet thing. Touching him there- which lead on the way of sorrows. Hero fore eh11rply, he se.ith, 'My Pe.BBion is not too is comfort; he is not called to a task as e.n unmeet thing, but thou giveet this yet untried; Christ has gone before, and in sentence with a carnal mind; whereas if hie strength he may be strong. thou hadst hearkened to my sayings in a Ver. 25.-{Comp. oh. x. 39; John xii. 25.) godly manner, disengaging thyself from thy Whosoever will (~s -yil.p 11v 9,¼J, whosoeviw  140 TlIE GOSPEL .ACCORDING TO ST. M.AfTIIEW. rou. xvi. 1-28.