Matthew 16–17

THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES

16The Pharisees and Sadducees approached,^b and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven.^{c 2}He replied, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ ³And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You^A know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times. ⁴An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of^D Jonah.”^d Then he left them and went away.

⁵The disciples reached the other shore,^D and they had forgotten to take bread. ⁶Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”^e

⁷They were discussing among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith,^f why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? ⁹Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you collected? ¹⁰Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you collected?^{g 11}Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?”^{h 12}Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.ⁱ

PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH

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

¹⁴They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”^k

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

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”^l

¹⁷Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,^Hm because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.^{n 18}And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,^o and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,^p and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound^I in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed^J in heaven.” ²⁰Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was^L the Messiah.^q

HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED

²¹From^r then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.^{s 22}Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no,^L Lord! This will never happen to you!”

²³Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns^M but human concerns.”^t

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.^{u 25}For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.^{v 26}For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?^{w 27}For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father,^x and then he will reward each according to what he has done. ²⁸Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”^y

THE TRANSFIGURATION

17After six days^z Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.^{aa 2}He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light.^{a 3}Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. ⁴Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up^A three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”^b

⁵While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”^{c 6}When the disciples^d heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified.

⁷Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.”^{e 8}When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them,^f “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised^C from the dead.”

¹⁰So the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”^g

¹¹“Elijah is coming^D and will restore everything,” he replied.^{Eh 12}“But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”^{i 13}Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

THE POWER OF JESUS OVER A DEMON

¹⁴When they reached the crowd,^j a man approached and knelt down before him. ¹⁵“Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures^F and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”^k

¹⁷Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”^{l 18}Then Jesus rebuked the demon,^G and it^H came out of him,^m and from that moment^I the boy was healed.

¹⁹Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁰“Because of your little faith,” he^A told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of^B a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.ⁿ Nothing will be impossible for you.”^o

THE SECOND PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH

²²As^p they were gathering together^D in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. ²³They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised up.” And they were deeply distressed.

PAYING THE TEMPLE TAX

²⁴When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”^q

²⁵“Yes,” he said.

When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first,^E “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes? From their sons or from strangers?”^Fr

²⁶“From strangers,” he said.^G

“Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him. ²⁷“But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin.^H Take it and give it to them for me and you.”^s