Matthew 16 21

Matthew 16:21 kjv

From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Matthew 16:21 nkjv

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Matthew 16:21 niv

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, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Matthew 16:21 esv

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Matthew 16:21 nlt

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

Matthew 16 verses

Matthew 16 21 Meaning

Matthew 16:21 marks a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry where He explicitly reveals to His disciples, for the first time, the divine necessity of His suffering, death, and resurrection. This statement follows Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ, shifting the focus from Jesus' identity to the pre-ordained nature of His mission, which included profound suffering and rejection by the religious authorities in Jerusalem, culminating in His being killed, and triumphantly raised on the third day.

Matthew 16 21 Context

Matthew 16:21 occurs immediately after Peter's monumental confession of Jesus' divine identity: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16). This verse marks a dramatic shift in Jesus' teaching. Up until this point, Jesus had largely spoken of His identity and the nature of the Kingdom in parables and veiled statements, and had been primarily concerned with demonstrating His power through miracles and confirming His divine authority. With the disciples having grasped a fundamental truth about His identity, Jesus now introduces the challenging and previously unfathomable truth of His mission: one that involves suffering, death, and resurrection. This initiates a new phase of instruction, preparing the disciples for the reality of messiahship and their own subsequent suffering. This directly countered the popular Jewish messianic expectations of a glorious, triumphant king who would liberate Israel from Roman oppression, and established the suffering servant motif (from Isaiah) as central to His role.

Matthew 16 21 Word analysis

• From that time (ἀπὸ τότε - apo tote): A phrase distinctive to Matthew, signifying a crucial turning point or new beginning in the narrative. Here, it marks a transition from revealing Jesus' identity to revealing His mission and the pathway to the Kingdom through suffering. It signals a strategic shift in Jesus’ pedagogical approach with His inner circle.
• Jesus began (ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς - ērxato ho Iēsous): Indicates a new, intentional, and progressive instruction rather than a casual or singular mention. This was the initiation of a key truth He would revisit multiple times.
• to show (δεικνύειν - deiknyein): Implies making something clear or demonstrating it. It was a revelation meant to instruct and impress upon the disciples a reality they struggled to comprehend.
• his disciples (τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ - tois mathētais autou): The specific audience for this profound teaching. This truth was first revealed to those closest to Him, though it proved difficult for them to accept.
• that he must (ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν - hoti dei auton): The word "must" (δεῖ - dei) conveys divine necessity, a non-negotiable part of God's pre-ordained plan. It indicates not simply a future event, but one decreed by divine will and purpose, echoing Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah’s suffering (e.g., Lk 24:25-27, 44-46).
• go to Jerusalem (εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἀπελθεῖν - eis Hierosolyma apelthein): Jerusalem was not just a destination; it was the heart of Jewish religious and political power, the seat of the Sanhedrin, and, paradoxically, the place prophesied for the Messiah’s suffering and ultimate vindication.
• and suffer many things (καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν - kai polla pathein): "Suffer" encompasses pain, humiliation, betrayal, and all forms of physical and emotional agony. "Many things" highlights the multifaceted nature of His ordeal, not just the physical act of death.
• from the elders and chief priests and scribes (ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραμματέων - apo tōn presbyterōn kai archiereōn kai grammateōn): This identifies the specific religious authorities forming the Sanhedrin—the highest Jewish court—as the primary human instruments of His condemnation. It underlines the rejection of the Messiah by Israel's own leaders, fulfilling prophecy (e.g., Ps 118:22, Jn 11:47-53).
• and be killed (καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι - kai apoktanthēnai): An explicit and unambiguous prediction of His death, confronting the popular messianic expectation of an undefeatable King.
• and on the third day (καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ - kai tē tritē hēmera): A crucial, precise detail about the timing of His resurrection, pointing to divine fulfillment and a specific Old Testament prophetic motif (e.g., Hos 6:2; also connected to the "sign of Jonah," Mt 12:40).
• be raised (ἐγερθῆναι - egerthenai): The final, ultimate act that vindicates Jesus' identity and transforms His suffering into triumph. The resurrection is foundational to Christian faith and understanding of His victory over sin and death (1 Cor 15:3-4).

Words-group analysis

• "From that time Jesus began to show": This phrase marks a theological watershed. It signals that after Peter's confession, Jesus initiated deeper instruction on the very nature of His messiahship, moving into challenging, uncomfortable truths that diverged from disciples' existing expectations.
• "that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things… and be killed, and… be raised": This sequence of events highlights the core of God's redemptive plan. The divine necessity (dei) underscores that Jesus' Passion was not a tragedy or an unexpected outcome, but a deliberate, foreordained act by God to accomplish salvation. The path to glorification was inextricably linked with suffering and death.
• "from the elders and chief priests and scribes": This group represents the official Jewish leadership of the time, emphasizing the paradox of Israel's Messiah being rejected and condemned by its own religious establishment, further demonstrating the radical nature of Jesus' ministry and the spiritual blindness of many leaders.

Matthew 16 21 Bonus section

• Polemics against contemporary beliefs: Jesus' explicit prediction directly challenged and served as a polemic against the predominant Jewish belief in a glorious, powerful Messiah who would overthrow Roman rule and restore the Davidic kingdom without suffering. His revelation of a suffering and dying Messiah was deeply counter-cultural and incomprehensible to His disciples, who held these traditional views. This prepared the ground for the post-resurrection understanding that the Messiah must suffer (Lk 24:25-27).
• Matthew's Structural Significance: Matthew's gospel emphasizes Jesus' teaching and kingship. The placement of this first Passion prediction immediately after Peter's Christological confession strengthens the narrative's theological progression: from identity ("who do you say I am?") to mission ("what I must do"). This phrase, "from that time" (apo tote), functions as a significant narrative marker for Matthew, denoting new phases of Jesus' ministry or teaching. It previously marked Jesus' ministry after John's arrest (Mt 4:17).
• Theological Implications of "Third Day": The emphasis on "the third day" is crucial. While potentially drawing on types like Jonah's three days in the fish, its immediate significance to early Christians was its literal fulfillment as observed historically, becoming a key tenet of the resurrection message (1 Cor 15:4). It signified God's precise timing and the complete reversal of death's dominion, proving Jesus to be the Son of God with power (Rom 1:4).

Matthew 16 21 Commentary

Matthew 16:21 is a theological anchor, delineating the true essence of Christ's messiahship as a mission centered on redemptive suffering. Following Peter's great confession, Jesus reveals the previously hidden truth that His kingship would not be achieved through immediate political conquest, but through obedience unto death. The use of "must" (dei) underscores that His suffering, death, and resurrection were not accidents but divinely predetermined actions, woven into the fabric of God’s plan of salvation as foretold in the Scriptures (e.g., Isaiah 53).

This pronouncement shatters the popular, militaristic messianic expectations of the day and lays bare the costly nature of God’s redemptive purpose. The identification of the "elders, chief priests, and scribes" as the agents of His suffering is significant; it underscores the profound rejection of the Messiah by the very institutions meant to represent God in Israel. Yet, the prophecy culminates in "on the third day be raised," a definitive triumph that transforms apparent defeat into ultimate victory, foundational to the gospel message. This revelation initiated a period of intense spiritual instruction for the disciples, confronting their human hopes with God's divine will, though their struggle to grasp it (as seen in Peter’s immediate rebuke in v. 22) highlights the revolutionary nature of this truth. It teaches us that true glory often comes through humble self-sacrifice and that God’s methods frequently defy human expectations.