Biblical commentary on the New Testament - The Christian ...

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Matthew XVI. 19-21.
ately over the circle of the twelve, and thence over those wider
circles of spiritual life which were gradually formed in the church.
Already, however, have we referred to the fact, that the Lord's
words to Peter were spoken to him as a new man, and are true only
when viewed with reference to this new nature. That the old man
Peter was incapable of labouring for the kingdom God—to say
nothing of its being a rock— is shewn by the following context, v.
22, seq. The usual explanation, therefore, of the passage which
the Protestant Church'-" is wont to oppose to the view of the Cath-
olics, according to which the faith of Peter and the confession of
that faith, is the rock, is entirely the correct one—only the faith
itself and his confession of it must not be regarded as apart from
Peter'himself personally. It is identified with him—not with the
old Simon but with the new Peter. (Peter, as the new name, being
understood as denoting the new man. Kev. ii. 17.) Hence the
power of binding and loosing can be affirmed only of the Divine
nature in Peter (and the other disciples), for God alone (in so far as
he works through one man or in the whole church) can forgive sin
(see on Matth. ix. 4, 5). Although, therefore, the forgiving of sins
is a prerogative of the church in all ages, yet since the Holy Ghost
has ceased to display in the church his concentrated and miraculous
agency it is imparted only conditionally, on the supposition, na77iely,
of true repentance and living faith, whose existence the clergy cannot
discern, since the gift of trying the spirits has ceased (1 Cor.
xii. 10), but the Lord alone.
Ver. 20, 21.—On this advance in knowledge the Saviour imme-
diately founds their introduction to a closer acquaintance with his
work as the Redeemer ; he openly declares to them that he, the
Messiah, the Son of the living God, must suffer, but that in suffer-
ing he should be perfected. He wished by degrees to accustom
them to bear this thought. The former prohibition to speak of his
dignity (see on Matth. viii. 4), has in its renewal here, reference un-
doubtedly to the people who were accustomed to associate with the
term " Messiah" a series of superficial ideas which could only have
been obstructions in Christ's way. (For further details as to aQx^^p^k,
yQafifiarelg, and npeaiivrepoL, see on Matth. xxvi. 57; John xviii. 12.)
Respecting the prophecy which he here utters in regard to himself,
we remark, that to understand it figuratively in tlie sense, " I shall
be apparently overcome, but soon and gloriously shall my cause
assert itself," is too shallow to claim our approval. Christ speaks
too often, and in circumstances the most varied, of his death and
his fiite generally (see on John ii. 19 ; Matth. xxvii. 63, according
* This explanation some of the fathers of the church had already given. Gratz, fol-
lowing Du Pin (de antiqua ecclesise disciplina), has brought together the passages in his
work on Matth., part ii., p. 110, seq.