The Three Firsts Of Matthew 16

by R. Hickling, Nottingham | Category: General | Oct 1981

Matthew 16 is a significant portion of the Word of God. A careful consideration of it will reveal certain important factors in relation to God's dealings with men. The words "from that time" in verse 21 should be noted. In His discourse with His disciples, as recorded in this chapter, the Lord reveals three important truths to them for the first time. An appreciation of these will lead to a right understanding of God's ways with men in the present and in a future day.

A comparison of the sending of the twelve, as recorded in Matthew 10, and the sending of the eleven (Matt. 28:16-20) shows that a change had taken place consequent upon Israel's rejection of the Messiah. The twelve were not to go in any way of the Gentiles but only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, (Matt. 10:5) while the eleven were commanded to make disciples of all nations, Matt. 28:19.

During the time of the Lord's earthly ministry He recognized the old economy based upon the Old Testament scriptures and seen embodied, although with much failure, in the Temple service, but He had in view the purposed proclamation of salvation by faith in Him and the building of the Church which is His Body. Also He anticipated a calling out by God of a people obedient to Him, who would form His peculiar people of the new dispensation commencing with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

We have, therefore, a change of dispensations. This did not take place instantly; there was a transitional period. The present era was to commence at Pentecost and the believing Gentile as well as the believing Jew were to receive eternal blessing.

So, in His words to His disciples, as recorded in Matthew 16, the Lord reveals for the first time His intention of building the Church which is called the Church the body of Christ (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22,23). This had been hidden from men in earlier times, although pictured in types, but it was now to be revealed. The tense used by the Lord "I will build" shows that the building was still future when the words were spoken. The building was to start at Pentecost.

Here was a concept strange indeed to the Jewish mind - that such a Church would be composed of both Jew and Gentile. This had been typified in the feast of weeks but the full significance of the meaning had been hidden and was not readily apprehended by the disciples. It was demonstrated to Peter by divine revelation (Acts 10:9-16), and taught under the guidance of the Holy Spirit by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.

It is important for a believer to differentiate between the Church the body of Christ and a church of God (Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 1:2). These two things are often confused, with sad results. It is not the purpose of this article to consider this aspect of truth in detail although the reader is urged to give serious consideration to it. One such difference emerges from Matthew 16:18 for, of the Church the Body, the Lord says, "the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" while it is evident that the churches of God were and are vulnerable to the attacks of Satan as demonstrated by the words of Paul in Acts 20:29,30; and of the Lord in Rev. 2:5.

On being born again a person is baptized in one Spirit into the one Body (1 Cor. 12:13). Believers should then be exercised concerning their responsibility to do the will of God and be baptized in water and added to a church of God in accordance with the divine pattern of Acts 2:41,42.

The church the Body of Christ could not be built until the Lord had died and the atoning work of Calvary was finished. Only in this way could

salvation be offered to Jew and Gentile. This leads us to a further revelation as presented in Matthew 16.

The words "from that time" have already been referred to. It was just after Peter's resounding declaration (Matt. 16:16) that the Lord told His disciples for the first time He must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die and on the third day be raised again. He spoke about it to them again shortly afterwards (Matt. 17:22,23). The reaction of His disciples is interesting. Peter, in his warm, impetuous way, full of esteem for his Lord, challenged the whole idea; to him it was unthinkable. On the later occasion we are told His disciples "were exceeding sorry." But it was a fact they had to learn. To Peter, James and John was given the privilege of being on the mount of transfiguration when Moses and Elijah spake of the Lord's decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. It was inconceivable that the One so recently declared by Peter, after divine revelation, to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, would be put to death by lawless men. Such an idea would be foreign to the disciples' minds but "they understood not the saying, and it was concealed from them, that they should not perceive..." (Luke 9:45). Israel had rejected their Messiah. He had come unto His own and they had not received Him. So He reveals "from that time" He must go to Jerusalem to be crucified. The new dispensation was being introduced.

Towards the end of the Lord's discourse as presented in Matthew 16 a further revelation was made to His disciples. Although the Son of Man was to go to Jerusalem to die, there is to be a time, future to when the Lord spoke, and future even today, when that same One will come in great glory (Matt.

16:27,28).

The state of the world in that coming day will be grim and grievous. The mystery of lawlessness, about which the apostle wrote to the Thessalonians, will then be at its height and all the armies of the world will be gathered against Jerusalem to battle. There will be supernatural signs in the heavens and on earth and against this backcloth the Son of Man will appear in dazzling glory (Matt. 24:29-31). That which many of the Jews expected to see when the Messiah first came to earth will be a reality then. The disciples must have had difficulty in appreciating the full significance of the Lord's words when He added this revelation to the two already given. To Peter, James and John it was given again to have the privilege of a foretaste of that of which He spoke, for very soon afterwards He was transfigured before them.

This was an event which we know Peter remembered long afterwards (2 Pet. 1:16-18). Surely there can be little doubt that, as the disciples received a fuller and more comprehensive understanding of the Lord's teaching, they

would recall that memorable day recorded in Matthew 16 and the revelation He gave them of the "three firsts"; the building of the Church; the suffering of the cross and the future return of the Lord in glory. Let us, too, ponder the significance of the Lord's words on that occasion.

R. Hickling, Nottingham | Oct 1981
General