Matthew 16–18

16TH CHAPTER

The Pharisees Ask for a Sign from Heaven—Mark 8:11–13a

¹The Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus. So they asked him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven. 

²He responded to them, “In the evening you say that the weather will be fine because the sky is red. ³And in the morning you say that there will be a storm today because the sky is red and overcast. You can forecast the weather by judging the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 

⁴“Evil and unfaithful people look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will be given is that of Jonah.” 

Then he left them standing there and went away. 

The Yeast of the Pharisees—Mark 8:13b–21

⁵The disciples had forgotten to take any bread along when they went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 

⁶Jesus said to them, “Be careful! Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 

⁷The disciples had been discussing among themselves that they had not taken any bread along. 

⁸Jesus knew about their conversation and asked, “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you don’t have any bread? You have so little faith! ⁹Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you filled? ¹⁰Don’t you remember the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you filled? ¹¹Why don’t you understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 

¹²Then they understood that he didn’t say to watch out for the yeast in bread, but to watch out for the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

Peter Declares His Belief about Jesus—Mark 8:27–30; Luke 9:18–21

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

¹⁴They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 

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

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

¹⁷Jesus replied, “Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! No human revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven revealed it to you. ¹⁸You are Peter, and I can guarantee that on this rock^aI will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free.” 

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

Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life—Mark 8:31–33; Luke 9:22

²¹From that time on Jesus began to inform his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem. There he would have to suffer a lot because of the leaders, the chief priests, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be brought back to life. 

²²Peter took him aside and objected to this. He said, “Heaven forbid, Lord! This must never happen to you!” 

²³But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get out of my way, Satan! You are tempting me to sin. You aren’t thinking the way God thinks but the way humans think.” 

What It Means to Follow Jesus—Mark 8:34–9:1; Luke 9:23–27

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me. ²⁵Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will find them. ²⁶What good will it do for people to win the whole world and lose their lives? Or what will a person give in exchange for life? ²⁷The Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory. Then he will pay back each person based on what that person has done. ²⁸I can guarantee this truth: Some people who are standing here will not die until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 

17TH CHAPTER

Moses and Elijah Appear with Jesus—Mark 9:2–13; Luke 9:28–36

¹After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John (the brother of James) and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. 

²Jesus’ appearance changed in front of them. His face became as bright as the sun and his clothes as white as light. ³Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them and were talking with Jesus. 

⁴Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll put up three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 

⁵He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love and with whom I am pleased. Listen to him!” 

⁶The disciples were terrified when they heard this and fell facedown on the ground. ⁷But Jesus touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid!” ⁸As they raised their heads, they saw no one but Jesus. 

⁹On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen. Wait until the Son of Man has been brought back to life.” 

¹⁰So the disciples asked him, “Why do the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that Elijah must come first?” 

¹¹Jesus answered, “Elijah is coming and will put everything in order again. ¹²Actually, I can guarantee that Elijah has already come. Yet, people treated him as they pleased because they didn’t recognize him. In the same way they’re going to make the Son of Man suffer.” 

¹³Then the disciples understood that he was talking about John the Baptizer. 

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy—Mark 9:14–29; Luke 9:37–43a

¹⁴When they came to a crowd, a man came up to Jesus, knelt in front of him, ¹⁵and said, “Sir, have mercy on my son. He suffers from seizures. Often he falls into fire or water. ¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t cure him.” 

¹⁷Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and corrupt generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!” 

¹⁸Jesus ordered the demon to come out of the boy. At that moment the boy was cured. 

¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we force the demon out of the boy?” 

²⁰He told them, “Because you have so little faith. I can guarantee this truth: If your faith is the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”^a

Jesus Again Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life—Mark 9:30–32; Luke 9:43b–45

²²While they were traveling together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to people. ²³They will kill him, but on the third day he will be brought back to life.” Then the disciples became very sad. 

Paying the Temple Tax

²⁴When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter. They asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 

²⁵“Certainly,” he answered. 

Peter went into the house. Before he could speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the world collect fees or taxes? Is it from their family members or from other people?” 

²⁶“From other people,” Peter answered. 

Jesus said to him, “Then the family members are exempt. ²⁷However, so that we don’t create a scandal, go to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that you catch. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Give that coin to them for you and me.” 

18TH CHAPTER

Greatness in the Kingdom—Mark 9:33–37; Luke 9:46–48

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

²He called a little child and had him stand among them. ³Then he said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever becomes like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me. 

Causing Others to Lose Faith—Mark 9:42–50; Luke 17:1–4

⁶“These little ones believe in me. It would be best for the person who causes one of them to lose faith to be drowned in the sea with a large stone hung around his neck. ⁷How horrible it will be for the world because it causes people to lose their faith. Situations that cause people to lose their faith will arise. How horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith! 

⁸“If your hand or your foot causes you to lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life disabled or injured than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire. ⁹If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire. 

¹⁰“Be careful not to despise these little ones. I can guarantee that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father, who is in heaven.^a

The Lost Sheep—Luke 15:1–7

¹²“What do you think? Suppose a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays. Won’t he leave the 99 sheep in the hills to look for the one that has strayed? ¹³I can guarantee this truth: If he finds it, he is happier about it than about the 99 that have not strayed. ¹⁴In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost. 

Dealing with Believers When They Do Wrong

¹⁵“If a believer does something wrong,^bgo, confront him when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won back that believer. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you so that every accusation may be verified by two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If he ignores these witnesses, tell it to the community of believers. If he also ignores the community, deal with him as you would a heathen or a tax collector. ¹⁸I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free. 

¹⁹“I can guarantee again that if two of you agree on anything here on earth, my Father in heaven will accept it. ²⁰Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.” 

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