Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from you, Lord: this shall not be unto you.
Read Chapter 16
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Peter taking him out of a tender love, respect and zeal for his honour, began to expostulate with him, and as it were to reprehend him, saying, Lord, far be it from thee, God forbid (Witham)
Then; when? When Peter said, Be it far from You, this shall not be unto You; and was told, Get behind me, Satan. Matthew 16:22-23 For He was by no means satisfied with the mere rebuke, but, willing also more abundantly to show both the extravagance of what Peter had said, and the benefit of His passion, He says, Your word to me is, Be it far from You, this shall not be unto You: but my word to you is, Not only is it hurtful to you, and destructive, to hinder me and to be displeased at my Passion, but it will be impossible for you even to be saved, unless you yourself too be continually prepared for death.
Thus, lest they should think His suffering unworthy of Him, not by the former things only, but also by the events that were coming on, He teaches them the gain thereof. Thus in John first, He says, Except the grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit; John 12:24 but here more abundantly working it out, not concerning Him...
But they understood not, but the saying was hid from them, and they feared to ask this; Luke 9:45 not whether He should die, but how, and in what manner, and what this mystery could be. For they did not even know what was this same rising again, and supposed it much better not to die. Therefore, the rest being troubled and in perplexity, Peter again, in his ardor, alone ventures to discourse of these things; and not even he openly, but when he had taken Him apart; that is, having separated himself from the rest of the disciples; and he says, Be it far from You, Lord, this shall not be unto You. What ever is this? He that obtained a revelation, he that was blessed, has he so soon fallen away, and suffered overthrow, so as to fear His passion? And what marvel, that one who had not on these points received any revelation, should have that feeling? Yea, to inform you that not of himself did he speak those other things either, see in these matters that were not revealed to him how he is con...
Peter rightly confessed what had been revealed; in what had not been revealed, he erred: that we may learn that Peter did not utter that great truth without God’s help. Not wanting Christ to suffer, and being ignorant of the mystery of the Resurrection, Peter said, "Be it far from Thee, Lord, this shall not be unto Thee."
