Matthew 16: The Death Jesus Spoke Of - Understanding Death from the Editor's Perspective
Matthew 16: The Death Jesus Spoke Of - Understanding Death from the Editor's Perspective
21. From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23. Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns"
24-28. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom"
What kind of death is Jesus referring to in verse 28? Is it biological death, the death of the soul, or both?
Typically, verse 28 is interpreted in relation to Jesus' second coming, suggesting that some people will not die before they see it. This interpretation has made verse 28 puzzling because none of the disciples present when Jesus spoke, nor Christians living in the 21st century, have witnessed His return. Therefore, this passage requires re-interpretation. Understanding the type of death Jesus referred to is crucial.
If we interpret death in verse 28 biologically, we cannot escape the trap of the delayed Parousia (Second Coming). Jesus' mention of death can be interpreted in two aspects: the context within verses 21-28 and the continuity with the Transfiguration event in chapter 17.
First, the meaning of death Jesus mentioned is shown in the context (verses 21-28). Jesus warned his disciples about suffering, death, and resurrection (v. 21). When Peter objected (v. 22), Jesus rebuked him for thinking not of divine matters but of human concerns—the refusal of suffering and death, namely not denying oneself and not taking up one's cross (v. 24), and the attempt to save one's life (v. 25). On the contrary, divine matters involve Jesus' suffering, death, resurrection (v. 21), and losing one's life (v. 25). Choosing human affairs means gaining the whole world (v. 26).
Jesus hits the nail on the head, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (v. 26). He warns against choosing human affairs (denial of suffering and death) while trying to save one's life and gain the world. The life Jesus refers to is not just biological death but includes the soul, as indicated by His words to fear the one who can destroy both soul and body. There is nothing one can give in exchange for their soul. When Jesus promises rewards, He bases them on actions (v. 27), indicating a choice of divine matters. Thus, "not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom" cannot be interpreted as living until the imminent Second Coming. Instead, it should be understood as seeing the Son of Man claim his kingdom because of choosing divine matters over human affairs, including suffering and death.
Second, verse 28 can be interpreted in continuity with the Transfiguration event in chapter 17. Importantly, the audience of Jesus' words in this passage is the disciples. Some of them saw Jesus meet Moses and Elijah, who were already dead, on the Mount of Transfiguration. This suggests that witnessing Jesus' meeting with Moses and Elijah—though not the Second Coming—before their biological death is the best interpretation to avoid the issue of delayed Parousia.
Therefore, the death Jesus referred to can be broadly and safely interpreted to include both biological and soul death. It's daunting enough to consider a substitute for physical death, let alone the redemption of the soul's death. Let us choose to live by divine matters.