16 1 The sign of Jonah. 6 The leaven of the Pharisees, 12 for their doctrine. 13 The people’s opinion of Christ. 17 Faith cometh of God. 18 The rock. 19 The keys. 21 Christ foreshadoweth his death. 24 The forsaking of ourself, and the cross. 25 To lose the life.

Then (A)[a]came the Pharisees and Sadducees, and did [b]tempt him, desiring him to show them a sign from heaven.

But he answered, and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, Fair weather, for the sky is red.

(B)And in the morning, ye say, Today shall be a tempest: for the sky is red and lowering. O hypocrites, ye can discern the [c]face of the sky, and can ye not discern the signs of the times?

(C)The wicked generation, and adulterous seeketh a sign, but there shall no sign be given it, but [d]that sign of the Prophet (D)Jonah: so he left them, and departed.

[e]And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had (E)forgotten to take bread with them.

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have brought no bread.

But Jesus [f]knowing it, said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye thus among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the [g]five loaves, when there were (F)five thousand men, and how many baskets took ye up?

10 Neither the seven loaves when there were (G)four thousand men, and how many baskets took ye up?

11 Why [h]perceive ye not that I [i]said not unto you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

12 Then understood they that he had not said that they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees, and Sadducees.

13 (H)[j]Now when Jesus came into the coasts of [k]Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?

14 And they said, Some say, [l]John Baptist: and some, Elijah: and others, Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets.

15 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 Then Simon Peter answered, and said, (I)Thou art that Christ, the son of the living God.

17 [m]And Jesus answered, and said to him, Blessed art thou, Simon, the son of Jonah: for [n]flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 [o]And I say also unto thee, that thou art (J)[p]Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the [q]gates of hell shall not overcome it.

19 [r]And I (K) will give unto thee the [s]keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt [t]bind upon earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

20 [u]Then he charged his disciples, that they should tell no man that he was Jesus that Christ.

21 [v]From that time forth Jesus began to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the [w]Elders, and of the high Priests, and Scribes, and be slain and be raised again the third day.

22 Then Peter [x]took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, Master, pity thyself: this shall not be unto thee.

23 [y]Then he turned back, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, [z]Satan: thou art an offence unto me, because thou [aa]understandest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.

24 [ab]Jesus then said to his disciples, (L)If any man will follow me, let him forsake himself: and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For (M)whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, shall [ac]find it.

26 (N)For what shall it profit a man though he should win the whole world, if he lose his own soul? or what shall a man give for recompense of his soul?

27 For the son of man shall come [ad]in the glory of his Father with his Angels, and (O)then shall he give to every man according to his deeds.

28 (P)Verily I say unto you, there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the Son of man come in his [ae]kingdom.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 16:1 The wicked which otherwise are at defiance one with another, agree well together against Christ, but do what they can, Christ beareth always the victory, and triumpheth over them.
  2. Matthew 16:1 To try whether he could do that which they desired, but their purpose was naught, for they thought to find some thing in him by that means whereupon they might have just occasion to reprehend him: or else distrust and curiosity moved them so to do, for by such means also is God said to be tempted, that is to say, provoked to anger, as though men would strive with him.
  3. Matthew 16:3 The outward show and countenance as it were of all things, is called in the Hebrews’ tongue, a face.
  4. Matthew 16:4 The article showeth the notableness of the deed.
  5. Matthew 16:5 False teachers must be taken heed of.
  6. Matthew 16:8 Not by others, but by virtue of his divinity.
  7. Matthew 16:9 That five thousand men were filled with so many loaves?
  8. Matthew 16:11 A demand or question joined with admiration.
  9. Matthew 16:11 Said, for commanded.
  10. Matthew 16:13 There are divers judgments and opinions of Christ, notwithstanding he is known of his alone.
  11. Matthew 16:13 There were two Caesareas, the one called Stratonis upon the sea Mediterranean, which Herod built sumptuously in the honor of Octavius, Josephus, lib. 15. The other was Caesarea Philippi, which Herod the great the Tetrarch’s son by Cleopatra built in the honor of Tiberius at the foot of Lebanon, Josephus, lib. 15.
  12. Matthew 16:14 As Herod thought.
  13. Matthew 16:17 Faith is of grace, not of nature.
  14. Matthew 16:17 By this kind of speech is meant man’s natural procreation upon the earth, the creature not being destroyed which was made, but deformed through sin: So then this is the meaning: this was not revealed to thee by any understanding of man, but God showed it thee from heaven.
  15. Matthew 16:18 That is true faith, which confesseth Christ, the virtue whereof is invisible.
  16. Matthew 16:18 Christ spoke in the Syrian tongue, and therefore used not this descanting betwixt Petros, which signifieth Peter, and Petra, which signifieth a rock, but in both places used this word Cephas: but his mind was that wrote in Greek, by the divers termination to make a difference between Peter, who is a piece of the building, and Christ the Petra, that is, the rock and foundation: or else he gave his name Peter, because of the confession of his faith, which is the Church’s as well as his, as the old fathers witness: For so saith Theophylact, That confession which thou hast made, shall be the foundation of the believers.
  17. Matthew 16:18 The enemies of the Church are compared to a strong kingdom, and therefore by Gates, are meant cities which are made strong with counsels and fortresses, and this is the meaning, whatsoever Satan can do by counsel or strength. So doth Paul, 2 Cor. 10:4, call them strongholds.
  18. Matthew 16:19 The authority of the Church is from God.
  19. Matthew 16:19 A metaphor taken of stewards which carry the keys: and here is set forth the power of the ministers of the word, as Isa. 22:22, and that power is common to all ministers, as Matt. 18:18, and therefore the ministers of the Gospel may rightly be called the key of the kingdom of heaven.
  20. Matthew 16:19 They are bound whose sins are retained, heaven is shut against them, because they received not Christ by faith: on the other side, how happy are they, to whom heaven is open, which embrace Christ, and are delivered by him, and become fellow heirs with him.
  21. Matthew 16:20 Men must first learn and then teach.
  22. Matthew 16:21 The minds of men are in time to be prepared and made ready against the stumbling block of persecution.
  23. Matthew 16:21 It was a name of dignity and not of age, and it is put for them, which were the Judges, which the Hebrews called Sanhedrin.
  24. Matthew 16:22 Took him by the hand and led him aside, as they used to do, which meant to talk familiarly with one.
  25. Matthew 16:23 Against a preposterous zeal.
  26. Matthew 16:23 The Hebrews call him Satan, that is to say, an adversary, whom the Grecians call diabolos, that is to say, slanderer, or tempter: but it is spoken of them, that either of malice, as Judas, John 6:70, or of lightness and pride resist the will of God.
  27. Matthew 16:23 By this word we are taught that Peter sinned, through a false persuasion of himself.
  28. Matthew 16:24 No men provide worse for themselves, than they that love themselves more than God.
  29. Matthew 16:25 Shall gain himself: And this is his meaning, they that deny Christ to save themselves, do not only not gain that which they look for, but also lose the thing they would have kept, that is themselves, which loss is the greatest of all: but as for them that doubt not to die for Christ, it fareth far otherwise with them.
  30. Matthew 16:27 Like a King, as Matt. 6:29.
  31. Matthew 16:28 By his kingdom is understood the glory of his ascension, and what followeth thereof, Eph. 4:10, or the preaching of the Gospel, Mark 9:1.

Bible Gateway Recommends