27. And Jesus went out, arid his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying to them, Whom do men say that I am?
28. And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
29. And he said to them, But whom say you that I am? And Peter answered and said to him, You are the Christ.
30. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
31. And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32. And he spoke that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
33. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for you savor not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
THEOPHYL. After taking His disciples afar from the Jews He then asks them concerning himself, that they might speak the truth without fear of the Jews; wherefore it is said, And Jesus entered, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi.
BEDE; Philip was that brother of Herod, of whom we spoke above, who in honor of Tiberius Caesar called that town, which is now called Paneas, Caesarea Philippi. It goes on, And by the way he asked his disciples, saying to them, Whom do men say that I am?
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He asks the question with a purpose, for it was right that His disciples should praise Him better than the crowd.
BEDE; Wherefore He first asks what is the opinion of men, in order to try the faith of the disciples, lest their confession should appear to be founded on the common opinion. It goes on, And they answered, saying, Some say John the Baptist, some Elias, and others, One of the prophets.
THEOPHYL. For many thought that John had risen from the dead, as even Herod believed, and that he had performed miracles after his resurrection. After how ever having inquired into the opinion of others, He asks them what was the belief of their own minds on this point; wherefore it continues, And he said to them, But whom say you that I am?
CHRYS. From the manner, however, itself, of the question, He heads them to a higher feeling, and to higher thoughts, concerning Him, that they might not agree with the multitude. But the next words show what the head of the disciples, the mouth of the Apostles, answered; when all were asked, Peter answers and said to to him, You are the Christ.
THEOPHYL. He confesses indeed that He is the Christ announced by the Prophets; but the Evangelist Mark passes over what the Lord answered to his confession, and how He blessed him, lest by this way of relating it, he should seem, to be favoring his Master Peter; Matthew plainly goes through the whole of it.
ORIGEN; Or else, Mark and Luke, as they wrote that Peter answered, You are the Christ, without adding what is put down in Matthew, the Son of the living God, so they omitted to relate the blessing which was conferred on this confession. It goes on, And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
THEOPHYL. For He wished in the mean time to hide His glory, lest many should be offended because of Him, and so earn a worse punishment.
CHRYS. Or else, that He might wait to fix the pure faith in their minds, till the Crucifixion, which was an offense to them, was over for after it was once perfected, about the time of His ascension, He said unto the Apostles, Go you and teach all nations.
THEOPHYL. But after the Lord had accepted the confession of the disciples, who called Him the true God, He then reveals to them the mystery of the Cross. Wherefore it goes on, And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again; and he spoke that saying openly, that is, concerning His future passion. But His disciples did not understand the order of the truth, neither could they comprehend His resurrection, but thought it better that He should not suffer.
CHRYS. The reason, however, why the Lord told them this, was to show, that after His cross and resurrection, Christ must be preached by His witnesses. Again, Peter alone, from the fervor of his disposition had the boldness to dispute about these things. Wherefore it goes on, And Peter took him up, and began to rebuke him.
BEDE; This, however, he speaks with the feelings of a man who loves and desires; as if he said, Thus cannot he, neither can my ears receive that the Son of God us to be slain.
CHRYS. But how is this, that Peter, gifted with a revelation from the Father, has so soon fallen, and become unstable? Surely, however, it was not wonderful that one who had received no revelation concerning the Passion should be ignorant of this. For that He was the Christ the Son of the living God, he had learnt by revelation, but the mystery of His cross and resurrection had not yet been revealed to him. He Himself, however, showing that He must come to His Passion, rebuked Peter; wherefore there follows, And when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, &c.
THEOPHYL. For the Lord, wishing to show that His Passion was to take place on account of the salvation of men, and that Satan alone was unwilling that Christ should suffer, and the race of man be saved, called Peter Satan, because he savored the things that were of Satan, and, from unwillingness that Christ should suffer, became His adversary; for Satan is interpreted 'the adversary.'
PSEUDO-CHRYS. But He said not to the devil, when tempting Him, Get you behind me, but to Peter He said, Get you behind me, that is, follow Me, and resist not the design of My voluntary Passion. There follows, For you savour not the things which be of God, but which be of men.
THEOPHYL. He says that Peter savors the things which be of men, in that he in some way savored carnal affections, for Peter wished that Christ should spare Himself and riot be crucified.
34. And when he had called the people to him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35. For whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it.
BEDE; After showing to His disciples the mystery of His passion and resurrection, He exhorts them, as well as the multitude, to follow the example of His passion. Wherefore it goes on; And when he had called the people to him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whoever wishes to come after me, let him deny himself.
CHRYS. As if He would in say to Peter, You indeed do rebuke Me, who am willing to undergo My passion, but I tell you, that not only is it wrong to prevent Me from suffering, but neither can you be saved unless you yourself die. Again He says, Whoever wished to come after me; as if He said, I call you to those good things which a man should wish for, I do not force you to evil and burdensome things; for he who does violence to his hearer, often stands in his way; but he who leaves him free, rather draws him to himself. And a man denies himself when He cares not for his body, so that whether it be scourged, or whatever of like nature it may suffer, he bears it patiently.
THEOPHYL. For a man who denies another, be it brother or father, does not sympathize with him, nor grieve at his fate, though He be wounded and die; thus we ought to despise our body, so that if it should be wounded or hurt in any way, we should not mind its suffering.
CHRYS. But He says not, a man should not spare himself, but what is more, that He should deny himself, as if He had nothing in common with himself, but face danger, and look upon such things as if another were suffering; and this is really to spare himself; for parents then most truly act kindly to their children, when they give them up to their masters, with an injunction not to spare them. Again, He shows the degree to which a man should deny himself, when He says, And take up his cross, by which He means, even to the most shameful death.
THEOPHYL. For at that time the cross appeared shameful, because malefactors were fixed to it.
PSEUDO-JEROME; Or else, as a skillful pilot, foreseeing a storm in a calm, wishes his sailors to be prepared; so also the Lord says, If any one will follow me, &c.
BEDE; For we deny r ourselves, when we avoid what we were of old, and strive to reach that point, whither we are newly called. And the cross is taken up by us, when either our body is pained by abstinence, or our soul afflicted by fellow-feeling for our neighbor.
THEOPHYL. But because after the cross we must have a new strength, He adds, and follow me.
CHRYS. And this He says, because it may happen that a man may suffer and yet not follow Christ, that is, when he does not suffer for Christ's sake; for he follows Christ who walks after Him, and conforms himself to His death, despising those principalities and powers under whose power before the coming of Christ, he committed sin. Then there follows For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. I give you these commands, as it were to spare you; for whoever spares his son, brings him to destruction, but whoever does not spare him, saves him. It is therefore right to be always prepared for death; for if in the battles of this world, he who is prepared for death fights better than others, though none can restore him to life after death, much more is this the case in spiritual battle, when so great a hope of resurrection is set before him, since he who gives up his soul unto death saves it.
REMIG. And life is to he taken in this place for the present life, and not for the substance itself of the soul.
Catena Aurea Mark 8