Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, who shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
All Commentaries on Matthew 16:28 Go To Matthew 16
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Thus, inasmuch as He had discoursed much of dangers and death, and of His own passion, and of the slaughter of the disciples, and had laid on them those severe injunctions; and these were in the present life and at hand, but the good things in hope and expectation:— for example, They save their life who lose it; He is coming in the glory of His Father; He renders His rewards:— He willing to assure their very sight, and to show what kind of glory that is wherewith He is to come, so far as it was possible for them to learn it; even in their present life He shows and reveals this; that they should not grieve any more, either over their own death, or over that of their Lord, and especially Peter in His sorrow.
And see what He does. Having discoursed of hell, and of the kingdom (for as well by saying, He that finds his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose it for my sake, shall find it; Matthew 16:25 as by saying, He shall reward every man according to his works, He had manifested both of these): having, I say, spoken of both, the kingdom indeed He shows in the vision, but hell not yet.
Why so? Because had they been another kind of people, of a grosser sort, this too would have been necessary; but since they are approved and considerate, He leads them on the gentler way. But not therefore only does He make this disclosure, but because to Himself also it was far more suitable.
Not however that He passes over this subject either, but in some places He almost brings even before our eyes the very realities of hell; as when He introduces the picture of Lazarus, and mentions him that exacted the hundred pence, and him that was clad in the filthy garments, and others not a few.
