But I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, the Son of man will confess him also before the angels of God;
Jesus is preparing His followers to speak for Him in a world that will oppose them. He answers the fear that silences people: what it costs to be known as His. So what does open acknowledgement look like, and what does He promise in return?
Note: some quotes below use an older translation. It says "confess Me before men" where the ESV says "acknowledges me."
This chapter looks ahead to the time when His followers would stand for Him alone. One writer describes where they stand and what it may cost.
Luke 12 puts the disciples into this place of testimony by the power of the Holy Spirit, with the world opposed to them, after the Lord's departure. It is the word and the Holy Spirit, instead of the Messiah on the earth. They were neither to fear opposition, nor to trust in themselves, but to fear God and trust His help... Their calling was to show God in the world at all costs... It might cost them dear before men: Jesus would confess them before angels.
Another writer weighs the cost against the gain.
The hatred and opposition of men was to lie as a liability upon them: but what marvellous assets are these — the friendship of Christ, the care of God, the teaching of the Holy Spirit. And in addition to this, their confession of Christ before hostile men would be rewarded by His confession of them before holy angels.
One writer shows why those two words are the whole test.
Notice how the Lord knows how to put His finger on the very point of the difficulty: "If you confess Me before men." It is not whether they could think of Him in their private rooms. Of course they could do that, if they cared for Him at all. But that is not it. Do they "confess Me before men?" How often we cannot find courage to confess Christ openly "before men," when we can do it in private. But this is simply a test of how far the fear of man has more power over our souls than God.
The same writer adds a guard. Daniel kept obeying God and had to suffer for it. But the Lord would not have us thrust ourselves on people. So "let us take care that we are suffering for doing God's will, and not in doing our own will."
Luke's wording differs from Matthew's. One commentator marks the difference.
Luke 12:8 — "The Son of Man"; Matthew has "I" (10:32). The introduction of the title in this connection is peculiar to Luke; but in Mark 8:38 also the Lord has spoken of Himself as Judge in the character of Son of Man.
Another writer draws courage from the title itself.
The term "Son of Man" involves His relationship with all mankind: He is in control over all of them. Blessed incentive for our courage of faith!... What a test of whether our motives are really for His glory! In confessing Him we make it clear that we are fully on His side.
The Lord will speak the believer's name before the angels. One writer uses a picture from army life to show what that is worth.
Imagine for one minute that the time has come when the Lord will reward His people. Down here in this world there has been a humble Christian who has made a habit of confessing the name of the Lord Jesus, delighting to speak His name... I have been told, and I believe it is true, that an officer in the army during a campaign covets nothing so much as to be mentioned in the dispatches about a battle that has been fought... but how much greater the joy to the simple Christian, wherever he may be, or in a small circle unnoticed day by day, whose delight it is to mention the name of Christ. What an immense honour to have one's name told out by the lips of the Lord Himself in the presence of all the angels!
The promise is future, but it changes how a believer walks now.
It is not only that God cares for us. The Lord is also going to confess us before the angels of God, if we confess Him here. That is the sense of His eye being upon us, and that He knows just what our pathway is. By and by the Lord will recognise your path and my path, as we have gone through this scene. How this cheers a saint!
- Cost — Jesus sends His followers into a world set against them, and speaking for Him there may cost them a great deal.
- Test — the words "before men" mark the hard part. Thinking of Him in private is easy. Speaking out shows whether the fear of man beats the fear of God.
- Judge — only Luke puts the title "Son of Man" here, where Matthew has "I". The One who will speak is in relationship with all mankind.
- Reward — He answers our word about Him with His word about us. He names the unnoticed believer before the angels.
- Comfort — because that day is coming, His eye is on the path now. He knows just what your pathway is.
but he that shall have denied me before men shall be denied before the angels of God;
Jesus has just told His disciples not to fear people who can only kill the body. Here He states the other side of His promise, and it raises a hard question: who exactly is He describing — a believer who fails once, or a life that says no to Him?
The verse closes a section that starts with a warning about hypocrisy. One writer links that pretence to the fear behind it.
The Lord warned His disciples to beware of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees... Closely linked with this warning is the fear of man, which is another form of opposition to the grace of God. It is often because of fear that we act like hypocrites. But the limit of man's persecution is the killing of the body. Believers have no right reason to fear men. God, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell. It is God who is really to be feared.
One writer, commenting on the parallel warning in 2 Timothy, separates a single failure from a settled course, and points to Peter.
Denying the Lord is not impossible for a servant of His. Scripture shows it happened to one of the most honoured of them, who had thought that for him, of all men, it was impossible; yet Peter was on the edge of it. No doubt it was only a passing act, however shameful and sad, and however often he repeated it that night; yet the all-conquering, all-forgiving grace of Christ rose above it and wiped it out. But where it is a course of life — the older wording is "if we shall deny Him," not a single act — the result is, as it should be, that God must vindicate His own majesty, which has been insulted: "He also will deny us." God would stop being God if He quietly accepted the dishonour of His Son.
The wording allows no exception. One writer takes it that the Lord is not describing a believer's slip, but someone who only claims the name of Christ.
Now He turns to the other side, and it is very solemn. It does not apply to a Christian because the statement is absolute... but there may be many who only profess to be Christians and deny Him. It is a very solemn thing if a Christian does even once deny the Lord, but the Lord Jesus is not speaking of Christians in this verse.
Commentators differ on how far the principle reaches. Another writer applies the same words by degree, measured in how openly the Lord owns us:
In the fullest sense, denying Christ would mean abandoning the faith altogether, and the "us" covers everyone who professes to be a Christian. But there are important applications to those who are truly Christians. The more openly they confess Him, the more they enjoy His open favour. I have no doubt that the boldest confessors are (if they are real) the happiest possessors.
The verse leaves two groups only. One writer presses this through Reuben, Joseph's brother, who tried to save him without ever taking a stand.
He tries in a weak, half-hearted way to save Joseph's life, but he makes sure it costs him nothing; and he suffers with his wicked brothers just as if he had taken the leading part... You cannot occupy a neutral place between this Christ-rejecting world and an open confession of His name. You may think in your heart that you have some respect or regard for Jesus; but let me tell you, this will not help you in the coming day.
The two outcomes mirror what happened to Christ Himself.
Glory before the angels of God would answer back for shame before men. The one who denied Him before men would be denied by Him before the angels of God. Christ had taken His shame here below, but everything in God's presence would melt before Him, and so own Him. He was content with shame, though He felt it far more deeply than anyone, because His feelings and His love were perfect.
The remedy is not gritted teeth but a full heart.
I want you, dear young people, especially to remember this, because there are many temptations to conceal that you are Christians. We all know the temptations, but the Lord brings in the blessed encouragement. Don't conceal that you belong to Him. Let your heart be so full of Him that you will delight to speak of Him, and then He will by and by confess your name before the angels of God.
- Fear — the fear of man is what makes a disciple act the hypocrite.
- Denial — the verse describes a course of life, not a single fall. Peter denied Him, and grace wiped the act away.
- Absolute — the sentence has no exception. One writer says it describes the professing Christian, not the believer; another applies it by degree, to how openly we own Him.
- Neutral — there is no third place between this world and open confession. A private regard for Jesus will not help in the coming day.
- Exchange — Christ took shame before men and receives glory before God. Before the angels, He will name the side each of us took here.
and whoever shall say a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him; but to him that speaks injuriously against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.