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Explanation for:
Matthew
16
:
20
Then he commanded his disciples, that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"\\"Do not speak to anyone regarding My identity as the Messiah,\\" meaning that it should not be proclaimed merely through speech, but rather demonstrated through actions and achievements that reveal the truth about Me. Similarly, upon descending from the mountain, He instructed them, \\"Take heed and do not share with anyone the vision you have witnessed until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead\\" (cf. Matt. 17:9)."},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"In the past, when He dispatched His followers to proclaim the good news, He instructed them to herald His impending arrival. Yet, at this moment, He commands them not to declare that He is Jesus Christ. It appears to me that proclaiming Christ is distinct from declaring Jesus Christ. The term Christ denotes a title of honor, while Jesus serves as the Saviour's personal name. It could also be the case that He wished to refrain from discussing Himself prior to His suffering and resurrection, so that, having subsequently enacted the sacred rite of His blood, He could more fittingly command the apostles, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations,’ Matthew 28:19. To ensure that this is not merely our own interpretation, which might not align with the essence of the Gospel, subsequent events illustrate why preaching was restricted at that time."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Why did He place a prohibition? This was so that, following the departure of the deceivers, the fulfillment of the Crucifixion, and the completion of His sufferings, and with no one left to obstruct or endanger the faith of many in Him, a true understanding of Him would be indelibly engraved in the hearts of those who listened. His power was not yet fully visible. Thus, He desired that the apostles commence their proclamation about Him when the undeniable reality of what they preached and the might of the events would validate their testimony. Indeed, it was one experience to witness Him perform miracles in Palestine while facing scorn and persecution—especially since those miracles were to be succeeded by the Cross—and quite another to observe the entire creation honoring Him and placing their faith in Him, free from the anguish He had previously endured."},{"author-name":"Ambrose of Milan","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88871ceef8c96e0998cd0_Ambrose%20of%20Milan.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The Lord likely understood that even His own disciples might struggle to accept the reality of His suffering and resurrection. Therefore, He chose to share the truth of His passion and triumph, aiming to inspire faith through authentic deeds rather than through mere rumors. Christ did not seek acclaim; He preferred humility to endure affliction. The path He walked is the same one each of us is called to follow. Recognizing Christ involves imitating Him both in His humility and in His glorious achievements, as emphasized in 2 Corinthians 6:8, where one can take pride in the cross as He did. Paul exemplified this journey and expressed, \\"But I do not desire to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ\\" (Galatians 6:14).\\n\\nReflect on why, as recounted in Matthew's Gospel, the disciples were instructed not to reveal that He is the Messiah (Matthew 16:20), and note that they were similarly commanded to keep silent about His suffering and resurrection. All essential truths are encapsulated within the name of Christ. He is born of a virgin, performed miracles, suffered for our transgressions, and rose again. Removing any of these essential truths undermines salvation. Even heretics acknowledge the name of Christ; everyone concedes His identity. However, he who fails to confess the fullness of Christ denies Him. For many reasons, He asked His disciples to remain silent, aiming to outwit the ruler of this world, to reject boasting, and to impart lessons on humility, ensuring that the still untested and imperfect disciples were not burdened by the weight of proclaiming the greatest message too soon.\\n\\nNow let us explore the rationale behind His command for silence among unclean spirits. Scripture has shed light on this, for the Lord questioned, \\"Why dost thou preach My statutes?\\" (Psalm 49:16). This serves as a warning to those who hear such preaching; for the devil is not a reliable teacher. He often misrepresents truth, masking falsehood with a veneer of authenticity.\\n\\nLet us also examine whether this was the first instance in which He instructed His disciples not to identify Him as the Christ, or if such commands had been given prior when He sent out the twelve apostles, instructing them not to pursue the Gentiles or the cities of the Samaritans but to focus on the lost sheep of Israel. They were told to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons (Matthew 10:5-6, 8). It appears that they were not chastised for preaching Christ, the Son of God.\\n\\nThe progression of our reasoning aligns with the method of interpretation. When the Gentiles are called to the Church, we should present the commandments in a logical order, initially clarifying that there is one God, the Creator of all (as expounded by St. Ambrose based on Paul’s preaching at Athens, Acts 17:24-31). In Him, we live and move, and we are His offspring (Acts 17:28), guiding them to love Him not only for the gift of life but also for humanity as a whole. Next, it is crucial to dispel common misconceptions regarding idols, as substances like gold, silver, and wood lack divine power. Once it is established that God is one, then demonstrate that our salvation comes through Christ, beginning with His works in the flesh and revealing His divine attributes, which affirm His superiority to man. Clearly show that He alone defeated death and rose from the grave. Faith develops gradually, and as people grasp the greatness of Christ, they will come to believe in His divinity. If one cannot demonstrate that true divine power enabled His deeds, how can one assert His divine nature?\\n\\nBut perhaps our authority and credibility seem insufficient? In that case, consider the sermon delivered by the apostle Paul to the Athenians. If he had aimed to eradicate idolatry immediately, the Gentiles likely would have rejected his message. He began by proclaiming one God, the Creator of all (Acts 17:24). They could not contest the existence of a single Creator, one God, who made all things. Paul argued that it was inappropriate for the Lord of heaven and earth to reside in man-made structures, expressing the absurdity of constricting God’s divine power within lifeless materials such as gold or silver. He emphasized the need for repentance and eventually mentioned Christ, not primarily as God but rather as a man, stating that God assured all through Him by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:31). In dialogue, it is important to consider the listeners’ sensibilities; otherwise, they may dismiss the message outright. Would the Athenians have accepted the doctrine of the Word becoming flesh (John 1:14) and the virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-38) had they scoffed at the mention of resurrection? Yet, Dionysius the Areopagite, among others, believed in Christ as man (Acts 17:34) and subsequently came to accept Him as God. The sequence of belief is not as significant as the ultimate acceptance of the truth. Perfection is not demanded from the outset; one progresses toward completeness. This is the teaching that Paul delivered to the Athenians, and it should guide our approach with the Gentiles.\\n\\nHowever, when addressing the Jews, the apostles proclaimed that He was the Christ foretold by the prophets. Initially, relying solely on their authority, they did not assert His identity as the Son of God but referred to Him as the Righteous Man, the One raised from the dead (Acts 2:32-36; Acts 3:15, 14; Acts 13:23-30). Confirm through Scripture the veracity of what is difficult to believe. Show that the prophets foretold His coming and that His resurrection was predicted long before, not as a reference to the general resurrection, but as irrefutable evidence of His eternal divinity. Highlight that while others experienced decay after death, of the One about whom it is written, \\"Thou shalt not let Thy Holy One see corruption\\" (Psalm 15:10), it is asserted that He is excluded from human frailty. This establishes His superiority over mere humanity and aligns Him more closely with the divine.\\n\\nIf one seeks edification, it becomes clear that He is unparalleled and the only one that can rightfully be compared with God instead of man. For those approaching the sacraments, it is important to acknowledge one God, from whom all things come, and one Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist (1 Corinthians 8:6). There are not two Lords. The Father is complete, and the Son is complete; both are of the same essence. The Son is the eternal Word of God, begotten of the Father, not spoken into existence by mere utterance. Thus, the apostles were initially prohibited from proclaiming Him as the Son of God so that later they could share the message of Him who was crucified. This is the highest affirmation of faith: to grasp the significance of the cross of Christ. I find no value in other crosses; only the cross of Christ holds genuine significance for me, through which the world is rendered dead to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14). If the world is crucified to me, I recognize its demise and do not cherish it; I understand that the world is transient and do not crave it; I see that decay will lead to the world's destruction and I avoid it as a foul odor; I treat it as a contagious affliction and shun it as a curse.\\n\\nNot everyone instantly believes that salvation has been granted through the cross. By referencing Greek historical accounts, prepare them for the possibility of such a paradigm. The apostle sometimes engaged with skeptics, quoting excerpts from pagan authors (Acts 17:28), dismantling the myths of poets. Consider historical examples from Greece when lives were sacrificed for the salvation of armies and nations, such as the Athenian king Codrus, who gave his life for victory against the Dorians, as recorded in Valerius Maximus’ \\"Dostopamamematae Acts and Sayings\\" (5.6). Remember Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, who was sacrificed to permit the Greek army to cross to Troy. Furthermore, our own scriptures assert that \\"the blood of goats and oxen and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on the unclean sanctify for the purification of the flesh\\" (Hebrews 9:13). It is also stated that the death of one can atone for the pestilence wrought by the sins of many. Whether these occurrences have rational explanations or we accept them as acts of Providence, they serve to facilitate belief in the cross of Christ, assuring that listeners may relate more readily to our traditions, as they cannot dismiss their own histories.\\n\\nNo individual has the capacity to bear the sins of the entire world; neither Enoch nor Abraham qualifies. Even Isaac, who was almost sacrificed, did not face death (Genesis 22:11-13) as he could not expunge all sin. Which person could have the power to eradicate all sin? Therefore, it was not a man from the multitude, but the Son of God who was chosen by God the Father. He stands above all, hence He could offer Himself for the sake of all. It was meet for Him to die; in doing so, as one greater than death, He liberated others so that those bound among the dead might experience freedom (Psalm 87:5). Without the intervention of man or creature, He triumphed over death, achieving true freedom by casting off the shackles of sin and remaining untouched by the grips of death."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Christ chose to conceal His majesty in the darkness until the crucifixion. Had people known beforehand that He was divine, witnessing His anguish would surely have been a source of temptation for them. Therefore, He veils Himself from many, enabling them to acknowledge His divinity without being led astray after the Resurrection, when the Holy Spirit will clarify all through miraculous signs."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"In Mark 8:30, it is recorded that He instructed them not to disclose His true identity to anyone, and similarly, in Luke 9:21, it is stated that He prohibited them from speaking of these truths to others. The command, referring to a strict prohibition, indicates that no one should proclaim Him as the Messiah, the inherent Son of God, which Peter had declared. It was imperative for this revelation to be made known by the Father Himself and affirmed by the Son prior to His death, and to be communicated exclusively to the disciples, as they were considered more enlightened than the general populace and as universal teachers. \\n\\nChrist desired that the truth of His divine sonship remain concealed until after His resurrection, fearing that if the people were aware that He was indeed the Son of God, an embodiment of the Divine, they would falter in their faith upon witnessing His humiliation, immense suffering, and brutal crucifixion. Such experiences could lead them back to disbelief and an inability to accept truth. Even the apostles, being more enlightened than the crowd, faced challenges not only due to the reality of His suffering but also through discussions surrounding it. How much more susceptible would those less enlightened be, especially considering that the depth of His suffering was a mystery still elusive even to the disciples?\\n\\nIt was only after the Holy Spirit descended upon them at the Savior’s Ascension, empowering them with divine grace and freeing them from worldly perspectives, that they comprehended the profound truths and became steadfast in their faith. Until that moment, they too were continually swayed by their human perceptions of Christ. Thus, it is affirmed that He preferred to keep His true identity as the divine Son of God concealed from the masses while teaching it through various means to His followers. When all temptations were removed, it was at that point that the signs would proclaim His divine nature—visible manifestations like the darkened sun, the torn temple curtain, the quaking earth, the split rocks, and the resuscitated bodies of numerous holy ones, alongside His miraculous resurrection, during which the glory of His divinity shone brightly and proof was irrefutable. However, it was still essential for the Holy Spirit to impart understanding, not solely to the disciples, but to all believers, before He fully revealed the mystery of His divinity and suffering, thus allowing for the unimpeded spread of His message."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The command to withhold information from His disciples serves several purposes. Firstly, it aimed to prevent the excitement of the crowds, who maintained incorrect views of the Messiah. Secondly, it sought to mitigate the potential for excessive anger among the Pharisees and leaders, as their hostility could threaten His life before the appointed time had arrived. Lastly, His true identity was not yet understood, as many viewed Him not as the Messiah, but merely as His forerunner (Matt. 16:14). \\n\\nFurther clarity was required for those who were capable of comprehending His message through His teachings and actions. The rationale behind this prohibition was that, after the deceivers had been removed, following the crucifixion, and once His sufferings had ceased, the truth about Him could genuinely take root in the minds of His followers, unchallenged by doubt or misunderstanding. Since His divine authority had not yet been fully manifested, He preferred that the apostles initiate their preaching at a time when the reality of their message and the unfolding events would validate their testimonies.\\n\\nExperiencing His miraculous works in Galilee juxtaposed with the scorn and persecution that accompanied Him, especially when the miracles were leading towards the cross, made comprehension difficult. The difference would be stark when the entire cosmos would acknowledge Him and no longer witness Him in His suffering state. Consequently, He instructed that no one share details about His identity. If those who had witnessed numerous miracles struggled to grasp His suffering, including Peter, who was foremost among them, how much more challenging would it be for the people? They would know Jesus Christ as the Son of God but would see Him humiliated and crucified, unaware of the profound mysteries at play and before the Holy Spirit had been sent to illuminate their understanding. Thus, it was prudent for Him to withhold this knowledge prior to the crucifixion, wishing to safeguard His truth until the time was right for full revelation."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"As one engages with the Holy Gospel, it is impossible not to be astonished by the thoughtful and gradual manner in which the Lord Jesus Christ unfolded the mystery of salvation for humanity. After adequately preparing His disciples, He presented to them the truth of His Divinity with complete clarity, leading them, through the Apostle Peter, to acknowledge this divine secret. However, the masses were not yet ready to accept this truth, prompting the Lord to command His disciples to refrain from disclosing to others that He is the Christ: \\"THEN JESUS FORBID HIS PUPILS THAT THEY SHALL NOT TELL ANYONE THAT HE IS JESUS CHRISTOS.\\" St. Chrysostom inquires as to the reason for this prohibition, pointing out that it was so, after the accomplishment of His sacrificial act on the Cross, there would be no obstacles to faith, allowing the understanding of His essence to be firmly established in the minds of the hearers. He intended for the apostles to commence their proclamation of His deity only when the irrefutable truth of their message and the unfolding events would bolster their testimony. If He had indicated to His disciples, \\"I have many things yet to tell you, but you cannot contain them now\\" (John 16:12), it would have only led to greater confusion among the people had the most profound mysteries been revealed to them prematurely."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Upon hearing Peter's declaration of faith, which represented all the apostles, Jesus instructed them not to proclaim that they recognized Him as the true Messiah. He was already aware that the Jewish leaders—the elders, Pharisees, and scribes—would not accept Him. They were anticipating a militaristic Messiah who would conquer all nations, rather than the Savior He was. Moreover, Jesus understood that the people, misled by their leaders, were primarily focused on miracles instead of His teachings, and such interest was fleeting and unreliable. He knew that if the apostles began to persuade the Jewish leaders and the people that He was indeed the Messiah, they would face rejection and misunderstanding. It was clear that it would not be the Jewish people, chosen by God in times past, who would spread His message; rather, it would be the Apostles, this small flock of Christ, who would carry His doctrine to the entire world, empowered to triumph over it. As He shared His final moments with the Apostles at the Last Supper and prepared for the Cross, Jesus encouraged them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer: I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). Thus, at the moment of Peter's confession in Jesus’ name, revealing this faith would have been both unnecessary and futile."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"At this point, the Savior saw a significant portion of His immense mission on earth as fulfilled. His disciples had come to understand the profound mystery of His existence and had earnestly declared their faith in Him as the Messiah. Through this declaration, a foundational truth had been established, upon which the entire structure of the Church of Christ would be built, with Him as the cornerstone. However, He still instructed them not to disclose this revelation, as the apostles themselves required further spiritual insight to reconcile the truth they had grasped about their Divine Teacher with the destiny that awaited Him on earth."}]}
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