Chapter 8:27-38 Peter's Confession of Christ

8:27 And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

It was Christ’s usual way, when He took a walk with His disciples, to beguile the time with holy conversation. It would be well if we always did the same. saying unto them; whom do men say that I am? - not that He needed any information of this; but He put this question, in order to bring out their sense of, and faith in Him.

8:28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

John the Baptist; which was the opinion of Herod, and others:
but some say Elias; whom the Jews in general expected in person before the coming of the Messiah and imagined that Jesus was he: and others one of the prophets; as Jeremiah or Isaiah or some other.

8:29 And He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, Thou art the Christ.

That is the main point. It matters little to you what other men say about me;-whether they are right, or wrong, may not concern you; but what is your own opinion? What do you know about me? ‘Whom say ye that I am?

8:30 And He charged them that they should tell no man of Him.

*He enjoined them silence for the present, That He might not encourage the people to set Him up for a temporal king; 

*That He might not provoke the scribes and Pharisees to destroy Him before the time.

8:31 And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

He said it freely and plainly, and did not wrap it up in ambiguous expressions.

8:32 And He spake that saying openly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him.

Peter opposed it; He took Him, and began to rebuke Him - Here Peter showed more love than discretion, a zeal for Christ and His safety, but not according to knowledge. 

8:33 But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

He turned about, as one offended, and looked on His disciples, to see if the rest of them were of the same mind, and concurred with Peter in this, that, if they did, they might take the reproof to themselves, which He was now about to give to Peter; and He said, Get thee behind Me, Satan. Peter little thought to have had such a sharp rebuke for such a kind dissuasive, but perhaps expected as much commendation now for his love as he had lately for his faith.

Peter spoke as one that did not rightly understand, 

nor had duly considered, the purposes and counsels of God.

8:34 And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

And when He called the people - To hear a truth of the last importance, and one that equally concerned them all. Let him deny himself - His own will, in all things small and great, however pleasing, and that continually: And take up his cross - Embrace the will of God, however painful, daily, hourly, continually.

8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

For whosoever will save his life - Life is a valuable thing, and all that a man has he will give for it; self preservation is a principle in nature; but whoever is willing to save it, when it is called for to be laid down for Christ's sake; and rather than lay it down, will deny Christ, and give up a profession of Him, and His Gospel,
shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's; that is, shall willingly part with it when He is called to it, rather than deny Christ and His Gospel, the same shall save it: 

8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

For what shall it profit a man, if he should gain the whole world, and all the wealth, honor, and pleasure, in it, by denying Christ, and lose his own soul? True it is that life is sweet, and death is bitter, but eternal death is more bitter, and eternal life is more sweet.

8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? - To deliver it out of its miserable state and condition; all the riches of the world, and the whole world itself, are not an equivalent to it, or a sufficient ransom for it.

8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words - That is, avowing whatever I have said both by word and action. of him also shall the son of man be ashamed - will not own such an one.

Chapter 8:22-26 The Blind Man of Bethsaida

8:22 And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought him to touch him.

They bring a blind man unto Him - Christ went about to do good, and wherever he came he found some good to be done;

8:23 And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw ought.

And He took the blind man by the hand - Giving him a proof of His readiness to help him.
In this cure we may observe,
1. That Christ used a sign; He spat on his eyes and put His hand upon him. He could have cured him, as He did others, with a word speaking, but thus He was pleased to assist his faith which was very weak, and to help him against his unbelief. And this spittle signified the eye-salve wherewith Christ anoints the eyes of those that are spiritually blind.
2. Because it should be to the patient according to his faith; and perhaps this man's faith was at first very weak, but afterward gathered strength, and accordingly his cure was. Not that Christ always went by this rule, but thus He would sometimes put a rebuke upon those who came to Him, doubting.

8:24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

I see men as trees, walking - His sight was so imperfect that he could not distinguish between men and trees, only by the motion of the former.

8:25 After that He put His hands again upon His eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

And saw every man clearly - But instead of ἁπαντας, all men, several excellent MSS., and the principal versions, have ἁπαντα, all things, every object; for the view he had of them before was indistinct and confused.

8:26 And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Saying, neither go into the town - or "that town", as the Syriac, the town or city of Bethsaida: nor tell it to any in the town; to any of the inhabitants of the town that He should meet with any where or at any time: the reason of this was not merely or only because Christ would have the miracle concealed; but chiefly because the inhabitants of this place were notorious for their impenitence and unbelief. 

Christ had done many wonderful works among them and yet they repented not; nor did they believe in Him; but despised Him, His doctrine and His miracles; and therefore for their neglect and contempt of such means He was determined to withdraw them from them.