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Interpreting the Time(A)

16 When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived, in order to test Jesus[a] they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied to them, “You say,

‘Red sky at night,
    what a delight!
Red sky in the morning,
    cloudy and storming.’

You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, yet you can’t interpret the signs of the times?[b] An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees(B)

When his disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to take any bread along. Jesus told them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!

As they began to discuss this among themselves, they kept saying, “We didn’t bring along any bread.”

Knowing this, Jesus asked them, “You who have little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you don’t have any bread? Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected, 10 or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many baskets you collected? 11 How can you fail to understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

12 Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the yeast used in bread,[c] but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Declares His Faith in Jesus(C)

13 When Jesus had come to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They said, “Some say[d] John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,[e] the Son of the living God!”

17 Then Jesus told him, “How blessed you are, Simon son of Jonah,[f] since flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, though my Father in heaven has. 18 I tell you that you are Peter,[g] and it is on this rock[h] that I will build my congregation,[i] and the powers of hell[j] will not conquer it. 19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom from[k] heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited[l] in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted[m] in heaven.”

20 Then he strictly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.[n]

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection(D)

21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God be merciful to you, Lord! This must never happen to you!”

23 But Jesus[o] turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense[p] to me, because you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts!”

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously. 25 Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it, 26 because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 27 The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to what he has done. 28 I tell all of you[q] with certainty, some people standing here will not experience[r] death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 16:1 Lit. him
  2. Matthew 16:3 Other mss. lack You say. . . the signs of the times?
  3. Matthew 16:12 Other mss. read the loaf of bread
  4. Matthew 16:14 The Gk. lacks say
  5. Matthew 16:16 Or Christ
  6. Matthew 16:17 Or Simon son of John; Lit. Simon bar Jonah; cf. John 1:42
  7. Matthew 16:18 Lit. Petros
  8. Matthew 16:18 Lit. petra
  9. Matthew 16:18 Or church
  10. Matthew 16:18 Lit. the gates of Hades, a reference to the realm of the dead
  11. Matthew 16:19 Lit. of
  12. Matthew 16:19 Or will be prohibited
  13. Matthew 16:19 Or will be permitted
  14. Matthew 16:20 Or Christ
  15. Matthew 16:23 Lit. he
  16. Matthew 16:23 Or a hindrance
  17. Matthew 16:28 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
  18. Matthew 16:28 Lit. taste

The Demand for a Sign(A)

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees(B) came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.(C)

He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.[a](D) A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”(E) Jesus then left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”(F)

They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith,(G) why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?(H) 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?(I) 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.(J)

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah(K)

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;(L) others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”(M)

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”(N)

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,(O) but by my Father in heaven.(P) 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[b](Q) and on this rock I will build my church,(R) and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys(S) of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.”(T) 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone(U) that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Predicts His Death(V)

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem(W) and suffer many things(X) at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,(Y) and that he must be killed(Z) and on the third day(AA) be raised to life.(AB)

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!(AC) You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.(AD) 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.(AE) 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man(AF) is going to come(AG) in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.(AH)

28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 16:3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes … of the times.
  2. Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
  3. Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
  4. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
  5. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
  6. Matthew 16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26.