Note 1 at Mt. 16:21: This is the fourth of 14 times that Jesus prophesied about His death. (1st--Jn. 2:19; 2nd--Mt. 12:39-40; 3rd--Jn. 6:51; 4th--here [Mt. 16:21; Mk. 8:31; Lk. 9:22]; 5th--Mt. 17:9-12; 6th--Mt. 17:22-23; Mk. 9:31; Lk. 9:44; 7th--Jn. 10:17-18; 8th--Lk. 11:29-30; 9th--Mt. 20:17-19; Mk. 10:32-34; Lk. 18:31-33; 10th--Mt. 20:28; 11th--Jn. 12:7-8; 12th--Jn. 12:23-33; 13th--Mt. 26:26-29, Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22:19-20; 14th--Mk. 14:27-28.) Of these times, seven of His statements were made publicly (Jn. 2:19; Mt. 12:39-40; Jn. 6:51; 10:17-18; 12:7-8, 23-33; Lk. 11:29-30) while the remaining seven were made in private to His twelve disciples. Some of these prophecies were in parable form (Jn. 2:19; Mt. 12:39-40; Lk. 11:29-30; Jn. 12:23-32; Mt. 26:26-29 [and corresponding scriptures--the Lord's Supper]), but seven of these prophecies very clearly told of His resurrection on the third day.

Despite these abundant and clear prophecies about His death and resurrection, Jesus' disciples didn't understand or remember Jesus' words until after His resurrection (Lk. 24:5-9). Luke twice records that Jesus' sayings about His resurrection were hidden from the disciples (Lk. 9:45; 18:34). It is interesting to note, however, that the chief priests and Pharisees remembered Jesus' prophecies about His resurrection (Mt. 27:63) when His disciples didn't.

This incident happened approximately six months before Jesus' crucifixion. In the 2.5 years of ministry prior to this, Jesus had only mentioned His death three times, but from this time forth, He began to expound on it more frequently, mentioning it eleven times in the next six months.