Bible Strands
Matthew 16:22
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Peter takes Jesus aside immediately after Jesus predicts His suffering, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem. This confrontation occurs during the disciples' journey toward the city where the religious leaders will deliver Him.
The words — The Greek verb ἐπιτιμᾶν (epitiman) carries the literal sense of a formal rebuke or authoritative warning, while προσλαβόμενος (proslabomenos) describes the physical act of taking someone aside. Peter’s declaration “Far be it from You, Lord!” directly rejects the coming events Jesus just outlined.
The thread — This moment parallels Mark 8:32, where Peter repeats the same action of taking Jesus aside to rebuke Him after hearing the passion prediction. The sequence in Matthew 16:16 through Matthew 16:23 tracks Peter’s rapid shift from confessing Jesus as the Christ to resisting His appointed path.
Why it lands — The text records a direct clash between human desire to avoid suffering and divine necessity, requiring the reader to assess whether their expectations align with God’s redemptive plan. It demands a clear-eyed acceptance of God’s stated purposes rather than a preference for comfortable outcomes.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
Cross-references
- Mark 8:32 He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
- Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
- Matthew 26:51 At this, one of Jesus’ companions drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
- John 13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?”
- Acts 21:11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
- 1 Kings 22:13 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”