Matthew 16

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

1 “The Pharisees and Sadducees rolled up on Jesus, trying to test Him. They said, ‘Show us a sign from heaven if You are really from God.’”

2 “Jesus said, ‘You all can tell the weather by looking at the sky: “Red sky at night, it is going to be alright.”’”

3 “‘Or “Red sky in the morning, storms are forming.” But you all cannot figure out what is going on spiritually,’”

4 “‘This generation is wicked and always asking for signs, but the only sign you are going to get is the sign of Jonah.’ Then He walked away.”

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 “The disciples crossed the lake, but they forgot to bring bread.”

6 “Jesus said, ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”

7 “The disciples started whispering, ‘He is mad because we did not bring bread.’”

8 “Jesus knew what they were saying and said, ‘Why are you all stressing about bread, Where is your faith?’”

9 “‘Do you not remember when I fed 5,000 with five loaves, How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?’”

10 “‘And when I fed 4,000 with seven loaves, how many baskets did you collect,’”

11 “‘Why do you not get it, I am not talking about bread. Beware of the teaching (yeast) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”

12 “Then they finally got it, He was not talking about bread but about the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ false teachings.”

Peter Declares Jesus Is the Messiah

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, others say Elijah, and some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’”

15 “Jesus asked, ‘But what about you all, Who do you say I am,’”

16 “Peter said, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’”

17 “Jesus said, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because this was not revealed to you by humans but by My Father in heaven.’”

18 “‘And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church. The gates of hell will not overcome it.’”

19 “‘I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’”

20 “Then Jesus told His disciples not to tell anyone He was the Messiah.”

Jesus Predicts His Death

21 “From then on, Jesus started explaining to His disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of the elders, priests, and teachers of the law, and be killed, but He would rise on the third day.”

22 “Peter took Jesus aside and said, ‘Nah, Lord! This cannot happen to You!’”

23 “Jesus turned to Peter and said, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. You are thinking like a human, not like God.’”

The Cost of Following Jesus

24 “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow Me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Me.’”

25 “‘Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.’”

26 “‘What good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul, What can anyone trade for their soul?’”

27 “‘The Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and He will repay everyone according to what they have done.’”

28 “‘I am telling you the truth, some standing here will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.’”