Matthew 26:32 Kommentar

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings,.... Meaning either all that are recorded by this evangelist, all the sermons and discourses of Christ, delivered both to the people of the Jews, and to his disciples; his conversation with the former, and his divine instructions and prudent advice to the latter, together with all his excellent parables, which are largely related in this book; or else what is said in the two preceding chapters, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the world, the state of the church, and conduct of his servants to the end of time, expressed in the parables of the virgins and talents, and concerning the last judgment and final state of all men: he said unto his disciples; who now were alone with him: having finished his prophetic, and being about to enter on his priestly office, he gives his disciples some intimations of its near approach.

Peter answered and said unto him,.... Who was always a forward man, free to speak his mind, and was often the mouth of the rest; observing what Christ had affirmed concerning all of them, that that very night, in a very short space of time, they would be offended because of him; and knowing the strong love he had for Christ, and being persuaded it could never be his case, thus addresses him, though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended: his sense is, that though all the men in the world, friends, and foes, though even all the rest of the disciples, who were his most intimate friends, most closely attached to him, and who dearly loved him, and sincerely believed in him, should be so stumbled at what should befall him, as to flee from him, and be tempted to relinquish his cause, and interest; yet nothing should ever cause him, in the least, to stumble and fall, to desert him, or hesitate about him, or cause him to take the least umbrage and offence at what might come upon him; and this he was positive of would be the case, not only that night, but ever after. No doubt he said this in the sincerity of his heart, and out of his great fervour of affection for Christ; but what he failed in, was trusting to his own strength, being self-confident; and in entertaining greater opinion of himself, and his steady attachment to Christ, than of the rest of the disciples; and in contradicting what Christ had so strongly affirmed of them all, without any exception, and so of himself, and had confirmed by so glaring a prophecy concerning this matter.

Also He foretels this to them, that they who now were somewhat dispersed in consequence of the offence, should be after gathered together by Christ rising again, and going before them into Galilee of the Gentiles. Whence the other disciples were offended in Jesus, but Peter was not only offended, but what is much more, was suffered to deny Him thrice.

He suffers them not however, on the other hand, to wait until the sorrows, but what saith He? "But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee." For not from Heaven doth He appear at once, neither will He depart into any distant country, but in the same nation, in which He had also been crucified, nearly in the same place, so as hereby again to assure them that He that was crucified was the very same that rose again, and in this way to comfort them more abundantly when in sorrow. Therefore also He said "in Galilee," that being freed from the fears of the Jews they might believe His saying. For which cause indeed He appeared there.

(Verse 32.) For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. This is also written in different words by the prophet Zachariah; and (if I am not mistaken) it is said by the voice of the prophet to God: Strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered (Zech. 13:7). In the sixty-eighth Psalm, which is completely devoted to the Lord, this meaning is also in agreement: For those whom you have struck, they have pursued. But the good shepherd is struck, so that he may lay down his life for his sheep; and out of many flocks of errors, one flock is made, and one shepherd (John. X) . This testimony is further explained in the book that we wrote about the Best Way of Interpretation.

He did not leave the disciples with sad expressions but proclaimed the resurrection to them ahead of time, freeing them from grief, and he promised to go ahead of them into Galilee. In this way he shows that he is about to desert the Jews and go to the Gentiles.

Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall stumble and fall because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. As God He foretells what will be. To avoid offending them by seeming to accuse them, He says, "It is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad" (Zechariah 13:7), thus implying, It is I Who have held you together and My departure from you will scatter you. The Father is said to "smite" the Son, in that the Jews crucified the Lord in accordance with the Father's plan of salvation, hence, with His consent. It is said that the Father smote, because He was able to prevent it, yet did not. Then Jesus takes away their grief by announcing to them the good tidings, saying, "I shall rise and go before you, that is, precede you, into Galilee." By this He shows that He will leave Jerusalem and go to the Gentiles, for Gentiles dwelt in Galilee.

Then he foretells the joys of the resurrection: but after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into Galilee; because although the Father raised him, as is said elsewhere, Acts 2:24: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, nevertheless he rose by his own power, because the power of the Father is the power of the Son; 2 Cor. 13:4: for although he was crucified through our weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. Likewise, against what he had said, that the sheep shall be dispersed, he says I will go before you into Galilee. For the sheep follow the shepherd: hence the shepherd gathers them by calling them by name; therefore he says I will go before you. Or it can be referred to what he says, after I shall be risen again. Because some might believe that much time would pass before his resurrection, he therefore said that it would not be long, because I will go before you into Galilee. His custom was that he would stay only a short time in Judea, but would quickly pass into Galilee. He means to say, then: I will rise before you can come to Galilee, so as to show himself to be the one who would appear to them. Therefore they could be sufficiently assured. Likewise, that he says he will go before them gives them assurance. Because in Judea they were suffering persecution, he therefore says that he will go before them into Galilee, so as to free them from fear. And Chrysostom says that it is not to be understood that he first appeared in Galilee: but he appeared here, yet not first; rather, in Jerusalem. Why then does he say into Galilee rather than elsewhere? Galilee is interpreted as "transmigration": hence it is signified that through the resurrection we will pass from mortal life to immortal life: and in this he went before us, because Christ is the first fruits of those who sleep. Likewise, the transmigration of the disciples to the Gentiles is signified: and in this Christ went before, by moving their hearts.

GLORIOUS ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, THAT CHRIST IS RISEN--HIS APPEARANCE TO THE WOMEN--THE GUARDS BRIBED TO GIVE A FALSE ACCOUNT OF THE RESURRECTION. ( = Mar 16:1-8; Luk 24:1-8; Joh 20:1). (Mat 28:1-15) In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn--after the Sabbath, as it grew toward daylight. toward the first day of the week--Luke (Luk 24:1) has it, "very early in the morning"--properly, "at the first appearance of daybreak"; and corresponding with this, John (Joh 20:1) says, "when it was yet dark." See on Mar 16:2. Not an hour, it would seem, was lost by those dear lovers of the Lord Jesus. came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary--"the mother of James and Joses" (see on Mat 27:56; Mat 27:61). to see the sepulchre--with a view to the anointing of the body, for which they had made all their preparations. (See on Mar 16:1-2). And, behold, there was--that is, there had been, before the arrival of the women. a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, &c.--And this was the state of things when the women drew near. Some judicious critics think all this was transacted while the women were approaching; but the view we have given, which is the prevalent one, seems the more natural. All this august preparation--recorded by Matthew alone--bespoke the grandeur of the exit which was to follow. The angel sat upon the huge stone, to overawe, with the lightning--luster that darted from him, the Roman guard, and do honor to his rising Lord.