Matthew 16:22

Matthew 16:22, in plain English

Peter takes Jesus aside and says, 'Never, Lord! This will never happen to You!' He can't accept that the Messiah must suffer.

Why it's here

Sometimes our love for God makes us resist His plan because it involves pain. Peter's reaction is deeply human and deeply wrong.

Who's speaking

Peter rebukes Jesus, refusing to accept the path of suffering.

Where it sits in the story

Peter's protective instinct clashes with God's redemptive purpose. His 'never' stands against God's 'must.' This confrontation will be corrected immediately.

The scholarly reading

Peter's rebuke (epitiman) of Jesus is audacious. His words hileōs soi kyrie ('far be it from You, Lord') or 'God forbid, Lord' combines reverence with rejection of the divine plan. Peter attempts to correct the one he just confessed as Messiah.

Language and setting

Peter moves from spokesman of divine revelation (v. 17) to spokesman of human resistance (v. 23) in the span of a few verses, illustrating the volatility of discipleship.

Voice

Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Him for speaking of suffering.

Significance

Peter's love for Jesus collides with God's plan. The same disciple who made the great confession now tries to prevent the crucifixion.

20Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.

21From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”

23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

24Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Read all of Matthew 16 — Peter makes the greatest confession in history — then immediately tries to talk Jesus out of the cross. Both responses are profoundly human.