27 “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:27–28 ESV)
The title Son of Man is a reference to Jesus’ deity and not His humanity. The phrase is taken from Daniel 7:10 and 13 and Zechariah 14:5. It is also the most frequent phrase Jesus used to identify Himself (Matt. 24:30; 25:31; 26:64; John 1:51).
“Jesus’ use of “Son of Man” language in the New Testament Gospels draw on Jewish traditions regarding the phrase found in both the Old Testament and apocalyptic literature. In particular, Jesus’ “Son of Man” sayings reflect the connection between the themes of suffering, enthronement, and authority that appear in the narrative of Daniel’s vision. There are four general ways in which Jesus uses “Son of Man” language in the New Testament Gospels: 1) to refer to Himself; 2) to describe His authority and earthly ministry; 3) to anticipate His suffering and death; and 4) to anticipate His future exaltation and glory,” explains the Lexham Bible Dictionary.
In today’s text, Jesus declared that He was “going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” Within the immediate and preceding context, this description of Jesus’ identity and behavior was probably what the disciples, especially Peter, were looking for during the Lord’s earthly ministry. They did not anticipate an ugly and ignoble death on a cross (Matt. 16:21-23). They wanted an eternal kingdom (Matt. 16:13-19). God’s kingdom would come but only after the cross. It would be then that the Lord would judge each person to what they had done (Rev. 19:11-16; 20:11-15).
“There is coming a time of rewards in the future for believers (1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:8–10; Rev. 22:12). Here, however, the Lord was concerned with the reward of the ungodly—final and eternal judgment (Rom. 2:5–11; 2 Thess. 1:6–10),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
Jesus then said, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” What did Jesus mean by this additional statement.
“In all three of the synoptic Gospels, this promise is made immediately prior to the transfiguration (Mark 9:1–8; Luke 9:27–36). Furthermore, the word for “kingdom” can be translated “royal splendor.” Therefore, it seems most natural to interpret this promise as a reference to the transfiguration, which “some” of the disciples—Peter, James, and John— would witness only six days later (Matt. 17:1),” states Dr. MacArthur.
“The point that Jesus is making when he says that there are some standing here who will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom is that there are some to whom he is speaking who will not die before the prophecy of Daniel 7 is fulfilled, in other words, before Jesus receives the kingdom from his Father,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“A comparison of Matthew 16:28 with its parallels in Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27 lends support to this interpretation. All three sayings are set within the same context immediately before the Transfiguration, yet whereas Matthew speaks of some living long enough to see the coming of the Son of Man, Mark and Luke speak of some living long enough to see the coming of the kingdom of God. The coming of the Son of Man then is simply another way of saying the coming of the kingdom of God.”
Soli deo Gloria!
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