Matthew Chapter 16 — Peter's Confession and the Cost of Discipleship

¹The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

²But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’

³In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!

⁴An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

⁵The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread.

⁶Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷They reasoned among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”

⁸Jesus, perceiving it, said, “Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, because you have brought no bread?

⁹Don’t you yet perceive or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up,

¹⁰or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

¹¹How is it that you don’t perceive that I didn’t speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

¹²Then they understood that he didn’t tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹³Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

¹⁴They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

¹⁸I also tell you that you are Peter,*Peter’s name, Petros in Greek, is the word for a specific rock or stone. and on this rock †Greek, petra, a rock mass or bedrock. I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades‡or, Hell will not prevail against it.

¹⁹I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”

²⁰Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

²¹From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”

²³But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.

²⁶For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

²⁷For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will give to everyone according to his deeds.

²⁸Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”