Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
This is one of the most debated statements Jesus makes in all four Gospels. He tells the people standing with him that some of them will not die before they "see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." The title "Son of Man" is one Jesus uses for himself, drawn from the Old Testament book of Daniel, where a heavenly figure is granted glory and authority by God. Scholars have proposed many explanations for what Jesus means: some believe he is referring to the Transfiguration, a dramatic event just a few verses later in Matthew 17, where three disciples see Jesus momentarily revealed in blinding, otherworldly glory. Others point to Pentecost, the explosive growth of the early church, or the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It remains genuinely open, and sitting with that honestly is itself an act of faith.
God, I don't always understand your word — and I am learning that's okay. Give me the courage to sit with mystery instead of forcing easy answers. Help me trust you more than I trust my own ability to explain you. Amen.
Some verses are comforting. Some are convicting. And some are just genuinely hard to explain — and this is one of them. Jesus says something that has puzzled serious, careful readers for two thousand years. If he means the Transfiguration, that happened just days later. If he means something else, the timing gets harder to resolve. But beneath the interpretive fog, something striking remains: Jesus speaks of his coming kingdom as already in motion, not a distant scheduled event. The kingdom wasn't just ahead of his listeners — it was arriving around them, in him, in ways they could barely take in. There's something unexpectedly freeing about sitting with a verse you don't fully understand. You don't have to have every theological question resolved to trust the person speaking. The disciples standing there didn't fully grasp it either — and they still followed. When you hit parts of scripture that are genuinely hard, you have a choice: dismiss them, force them into a tidy explanation, or hold them with open hands and let them expand your picture of who Jesus is. Not every mystery is a problem to be solved. Some are invitations to keep looking.
How do you typically respond when you encounter a Bible verse that seems confusing or doesn't fit neatly into what you already believe? What does that reaction reveal about your relationship with scripture?
Which interpretation of this verse feels most convincing to you, and why? What would it mean for your faith to hold that interpretation a little more loosely?
Does theological uncertainty threaten your faith or deepen it? What is the difference between healthy, honest questioning and the kind of doubt that erodes trust in God?
How do you handle difficult or confusing Bible passages in conversation with people who are skeptical of Christianity — does a verse like this become a conversation opener or something you quietly avoid?
Is there a hard verse you have been dodging or explaining away for a long time? What would it look like this week to sit with it honestly — maybe with a commentary, a pastor, or a trusted friend?
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Matthew 28:18
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:30
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Matthew 24:34
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Matthew 10:23
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
Mark 9:1
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
John 1:51
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Matthew 26:64
"I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
AMP
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.”
ESV
'Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.'
NASB
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
NIV
“Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
NKJV
And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
NLT
This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you standing here are going to see it take place, see the Son of Man in kingdom glory."
MSG