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I. OUR LORD'S PRAYER. Brethren, "He ever liveth to make intercession for us," and if "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," what are we to think of that Intercessor whom the Father heareth always? It was the privilege of Jacob's family to have a friend at court, and that friend was their own brother. It was the privilege of David to have a friend at court, and that friend was the king's own son. Ah, Christians, both these are combined in your privilege; you have both in Him who now appears in the presence of God for us.

II. OUR LORD'S INQUIRY. "He asked them, Whom say the people that I am?" This is a frequent question, arising not only from curiosity, but vanity. It would be indeed well if we were anxious to know what God says of us, for "it is a light thing to be judged of men: He that judges us is the Lord," and upon His decision depends our happiness or misery. But how frequent is the inquiry, "What do people say of me?" As to some, the answer would be, "Why, nothing at all; they do not even think of you; they do not know enough of you to make you the theme of their discourse." "But what do people say of me?" asks another. Why, they say, "Your tongue walketh through the earth; some call you 'the Morning Herald,' and others, 'the Daily Advertiser.'" "But what do people say of me?" asks another. They say that you are very hard-hearted and closefisted; that you are a "busy-body in other men's matters"; they say that you are such a Nabal that a man cannot speak to you; they say that you are wiser in your own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. It would be well in certain respects if we knew what people say of us — what friends say of us; yes, and what enemies say of us, too. I remember Archbishop Usher says in an address to God, "Lord, bless me with a faithful friend; or, if not, with a faithful enemy, that I may know my faults, for I desire to know them." But Jesus was meek and lowly of heart; He, therefore, did not ask this question from pride or vanity. Nor did He ask it from ignorance. He knew all the numerous opinions afloat concerning Him. But this question seems designed to affect them, to bind them to Himself, and to furnish them with further instruction upon it.

III. Observe THE CHARGE here given. "And He straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing." We should rather have supposed that He would have ordered His disciples to go and publish it, but His thoughts are not as ours; "There is a time for every purpose under the heaven." It seems to be a general law of heaven, that knowledge of every kind should gradually spread. There are some things which must precede others, and make way for them. It is thus you deal with your children, keeping back for a time things from their knowledge. Thus a wise instructor will do with his pupils, he will teach them as they are able to bear it. And this was the method of our Saviour Himself in dealing with His disciples. Had our Lord then immediately proclaimed Himself as the Messiah, it is easy to suppose what insurrections might have taken place by those who would have endeavoured to make Him a king, and to keep Him from suffering. Besides this, the prohibition was only for a limited period. After His resurrection from the dead He appeared to His disciples, and said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel, beginning at Jerusalem"; and Peter, to whom He here spake, filled Jerusalem with His doctrine, and said to the murderers of the Savour, "God hath made this same Jesus whom ye crucified both Lord and Christ."

IV. Observe HIS SUFFERINGS. "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be slain." You see, first, that He foreknew them. Secondly, He foretold them, to prepare His disciples for their approach. Thirdly, He describes them.

V. Observe His GLORY. "And be raised the third day." We have demonstrations in proof of this. See the witnesses as they come before their adversaries. Believers have other kinds of evidences. They have the witness in themselves; they know the power of His resurrection; they have felt it raising them from a death of sin to a life of righteousness; that "like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so should they also walk in newness of life."

(W. Jay.)

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KJV: And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

WEB: It happened, as he was praying alone, that the disciples were with him, and he asked them, "Who do the multitudes say that I am?"