Today's passage describes the event usually called Peter's confession. Indeed, Peter was the first of the apostles to call Jesus the Christ, or, in Hebrew, the Messiah...
Today's passage describes the event usually called Peter's confession. Indeed, Peter was the first of the apostles to call Jesus the Christ, or, in Hebrew, the Messiah (v. 29).
It is not surprising that many who heard Jesus regarded Him as a prophet (v. 28): both His way of life and the form of His preaching most closely resembled the life and preaching of the ancient prophets. Nor is it surprising that some took Him for the ancient prophet Elijah or for John the Baptist, recently executed by Herod. At that time many expected the imminent coming of the Messiah, the Christ, while Elijah, according to ideas widely held among the people, was to return from heaven to earth shortly before that event. Many legends also circulated around John's own name; among other things, people said that God had raised him from the dead, thereby proving that he was right and confirming that the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, was already near. Interestingly, even Herod himself was prepared to believe this (Mk 6:16).
Now the word had been spoken: Peter had for the first time called Jesus the Messiah (Christ) aloud, and the time had come to tell the apostles everything else connected with His messianic ministry on earth, everything about the Cross and the Resurrection (v. 31). Yet Jesus' principal subject here is the “soul,” a word that in the Bible generally means life (vv. 34–38). Jesus points out that there is no true life in all its fullness in the world, and even if a person gains the whole world, he will not find such fullness. On the contrary, having gained everything, he may lose what matters most (v. 36). Nor is it possible to preserve an individual human life: in its separateness it is finite, and sooner or later everyone will have to part with it, for no one can buy his way out of death (vv. 35, 37).
There is only one way out: to widen the bounds of one's individual human life so as to receive the fullness of the life of the Kingdom of God, brought into the world by Christ, and thus to receive, instead of a separate, finite, and limited life, the infinite life of the Kingdom of God in all its fullness—not turning away from Jesus out of fear or shame, but following Him (vv. 34–35, 38).
2
2:1 My brethren - The equality of Christians, intimated by this name, is the ground of the admonition. Hold not the faith of our common Lord, the Lord of glory - Of which glory all who believe in him partake. With respect of persons - That is, honour none merely for being rich; despise none merely for being poor.
2:2 With gold rings - Which were not then so common as now.
2:3 Ye look upon him - With respect.
2:4 Ye distinguish not - To which the most respect is due, to the poor or to the rich. But are become evil - reasoning judges - You reason ill, and so judge wrong: for fine apparel is no proof of worth in him that wears it.
2:5 Hearken - As if he had said, Stay, consider, ye that judge thus. Does not the presumption lie rather in favour of the poor man? Hath not God chosen the poor - That is, are not they whom God hath chosen, generally speaking, poor in this world? who yet are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom - Consequently, the most honourable of men: and those whom Godso highly honours, ought not ye to honour likewise?
2:6 Do not the rich often oppress you - By open violence; often drag you - Under colour of law.
2:7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name - Of God and of Christ. The apostle speaks chiefly of rich heathens: but are Christians, so called, a whit behind them?
2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law - The supreme law of the great King which is love; and that to every man, poor as well as rich, ye do well. Lev 19:18.
2:9 Being convicted - By that very law. Exo 23:3.