Matthew 16
English Standard Version
The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs
16 (A)And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and (B)to test him (C)they asked him to show them (D)a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,[a] (E)“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ (F)You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret (G)the signs of the times. 4 (H)An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So (I)he left them and departed.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and (J)beware of (K)the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But (L)Jesus, aware of this, said, (M)“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 (N)Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember (O)the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or (P)the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? (Q)Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 (R)Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of (S)the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
13 (T)Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say (U)John the Baptist, others say (V)Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, (W)“You are (X)the Christ, (Y)the Son of (Z)the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, (AA)“Blessed are you, (AB)Simon Bar-Jonah! For (AC)flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, (AD)but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, (AE)you are Peter, and (AF)on this rock[b] I will build my church, and (AG)the gates of (AH)hell[c] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you (AI)the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and (AJ)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[d] in heaven.” 20 (AK)Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 (AL)From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that (AM)he must go to Jerusalem and (AN)suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on (AO)the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord![e] This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, (AP)“Get behind me, Satan! You are (AQ)a hindrance[f] to me. For you (AR)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him (AS)deny himself and (AT)take up his cross and follow me. 25 For (AU)whoever would save his life[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For (AV)what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or (AW)what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 (AX)For the Son of Man is going to come with (AY)his angels in the glory of his Father, and (AZ)then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not (BA)taste death (BB)until they see the Son of Man (BC)coming in his kingdom.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 16:2 Some manuscripts omit the following words to the end of verse 3
- Matthew 16:18 The Greek words for Peter and rock sound similar
- Matthew 16:18 Greek the gates of Hades
- Matthew 16:19 Or shall have been bound… shall have been loosed
- Matthew 16:22 Or “[May God be] merciful to you, Lord!”
- Matthew 16:23 Greek stumbling block
- Matthew 16:25 The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and twice in verse 26
Matthew 16
The Voice
16 They came to Him together, a band of Pharisees and a band of Sadducees, trying to trick and trap Him.
Now at this time in Judea, the Jews, the children of Israel, are a diverse bunch. One group of Jews, which Jesus has already encountered, is called the Pharisees. Another group of Jews is called the Sadducees. The two groups do not agree about how to read Scripture, they do not see eye-to-eye, and they do not get along. They rarely partner with each other, but here they are partnering—because they are so perplexed, befuddled, and panicked about this Jesus.
They asked Him for a sign from heaven.
Jesus: 2 At evening time, you read the sky as a sign—you say, “The weather will be fine because the sky is shading red,” 3 and in the morning, you read the sky as a sign, saying, “The red, stormy sky tells me that today we will have storms.” So you are skilled at interpreting the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times? 4 Only a cheating and evil generation such as this would beg for a miraculous sign from heaven. The only sign you will get will be the sign of Jonah.
And then Jesus left them and went away.
5 When next the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee, they forgot to bring any bread with them.
Jesus: 6 Be careful; avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
7 The disciples were not quite sure what Jesus meant, so they discussed His warning among themselves.
Disciples: He must mean not to buy any bread from a baker who associates with the Pharisees or Sadducees. He must have given us this warning because we showed up here without any bread.
8 Jesus knew what the disciples were saying among themselves, and He took them to task.
Jesus: You men of little faith, do you really think that I care which baker you patronize? After spending so much time with Me, do you still not understand what I mean? So you showed up without bread; why talk about it? 9-10 Don’t you remember that we fed 5,000 men with five rounds of flatbread? Don’t you remember that we fed 4,000 men with seven rounds of bread? Don’t you remember what excess, what abundance there was—how many broken pieces and crusts you collected after everyone had eaten and was sated? 11 So when I speak about leaven, I am not talking about what we will eat for dinner. I say again, avoid the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
12 And then the disciples understood: Jesus was not talking about the bread you eat, but about the food that feeds your soul. He was speaking in metaphor; He was warning them against imbibing the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Jesus then went to Caesarea Philippi.
Jesus (to His disciples): Who do people say the Son of Man is?
Disciples: 14 Some say John the Baptist.[a] And some say Elijah. And some say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.
Jesus: 15 And you? Who do you say that I am?
Peter: 16 You are the Anointed One. You are the Son of the living God.
Jesus: 17 Simon, son of Jonah, your knowledge is a mark of blessing. For you didn’t learn this truth from your friends or from teachers or from sages you’ve met on the way. You learned it from My Father in heaven. 18 This is why I have called you Peter (rock): for on this rock I will build My church. The church will reign triumphant even at the gates of hell. 19 Peter, I 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.
With Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Anointed One, the foundation of the church is laid. In the days ahead, the church will storm the gates of hell and nothing will be able to stop it. No darkness, no doubt, no deception—not even death will be able to stand against it.
20 And Jesus ordered His disciples to keep these teachings secret.
Jesus: You must tell no one that I am the Anointed.
21 Then Jesus began to tell the disciples about what would happen to Him. He said He would have to go to Jerusalem. There the elders, chief priests, and scribes would meet Him; He would suffer at their hands; and He would be killed. But three days later, He would be raised to new life.
22 As Jesus spoke of the things to come, Peter took Him aside. Sad and confused, and maybe a little bit prideful, Peter chastised Jesus.
Peter: No, Lord! Never! These things that You are saying—they will never happen to You!
Jesus (turning to Peter): 23 Get away from Me, Satan!
This is the very thing He said to the devil during those wilderness temptations.
You are a stumbling block before Me! You are not thinking about God’s story; you are thinking about some distorted story of fallen, broken people. 24 (to His disciples) If you want to follow Me, you must deny yourself the things you think you want. You must pick up your cross and follow Me. 25 The person who wants to save his life must lose it, and she who loses her life for Me will find it. 26 Look, does it make sense to truly become successful, but then to hand over your very soul? What is your soul really worth? 27 The Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory, with His heavenly messengers, and then He will reward each person for what has been done. 28 I tell you this: some of you standing here, you will see the Son of Man come into His kingdom before you taste death.
Footnotes
- 16:14 Literally, John who immersed, to show repentance
Matthew 16
New English Translation
The Demand for a Sign
16 Now when the Pharisees[a] and Sadducees[b] came to test Jesus,[c] they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.[d] 2 He[e] said, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’[f] You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky,[g] but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then[h] he left them and went away.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 When the disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread. 6 “Watch out,” Jesus said to them, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees[i] and Sadducees.”[j] 7 So[k] they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “It is because we brought no bread.” 8 When Jesus learned of this,[l] he said, “You who have such little faith! Why are you arguing[m] among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000, and how many baskets you took up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many baskets you took up? 11 How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 12 Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter’s Confession
13 When[n] Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,[o] “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,[p] and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered,[q] “You are the Christ,[r] the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him,[s] “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood[t] did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[u] will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” 20 Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.[v]
First Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
21 From that time on[w] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer[x] many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law,[y] and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him:[z] “God forbid,[aa] Lord! This must not happen to you!” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”[ab] 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower,[ac] he must deny[ad] himself, take up his cross,[ae] and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life[af] will lose it,[ag] but whoever loses his life because of me[ah] will find it. 26 For what does it benefit a person[ai] if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.[aj] 28 I tell you the truth,[ak] there are some standing here who will not[al] experience[am] death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”[an]
Footnotes
- Matthew 16:1 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
- Matthew 16:1 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
- Matthew 16:1 tn The object of the participle πειράζοντες (peirazontes) is not given in the Greek text but has been supplied here for clarity.
- Matthew 16:1 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
- Matthew 16:2 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” The construction has been simplified in the translation and δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 16:3 tn Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).
- Matthew 16:3 tn Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”
- Matthew 16:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Matthew 16:6 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
- Matthew 16:6 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
- Matthew 16:7 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ saying about the Pharisees and Sadducees.
- Matthew 16:8 tn Or “becoming aware of it.”
- Matthew 16:8 tn Or “discussing.”
- Matthew 16:13 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 16:13 tn Grk “he asked his disciples, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant and has been left untranslated.
- Matthew 16:14 sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.
- Matthew 16:16 tn Grk “And answering, Simon Peter said.”
- Matthew 16:16 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
- Matthew 16:17 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokritheis) is redundant, but the syntax of this phrase has been modified for clarity.
- Matthew 16:17 tn The expression “flesh and blood” could refer to “any human being” (so TEV, NLT; cf. NIV “man”), but it could also refer to Peter himself (i.e., his own intuition; cf. CEV “You didn’t discover this on your own”). Because of the ambiguity of the referent, the phrase “flesh and blood” has been retained in the translation.
- Matthew 16:18 tn Or “and the power of death” (taking the reference to the gates of Hades as a metonymy).sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13-14). Some translations render this by its modern equivalent, “hell”; others see it as a reference to the power of death.
- Matthew 16:20 tc Most mss (א2 C W Γ 579 1241 M lat bo) have “Jesus, the Christ” (᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ Χριστός, Iēsous ho Christos) here, while D has “Christ Jesus” (ὁ Χριστὸς ᾿Ιησοῦς). On the one hand, this is a much harder reading than the mere Χριστός, because the name Jesus was already well known for the disciples’ master—both to them and to others. Whether he was the Messiah is the real focus of the passage. But the addition of “Jesus” is surely too hard a reading: There are no other texts in which the Lord tells his disciples not to disclose his personal name. Further, it is plainly a motivated reading in that scribes had the proclivity to add ᾿Ιησοῦς to Χριστός or to κύριος (kurios, “Lord”), regardless of whether such was appropriate to the context. In this instance it clearly is not, and it only reveals that scribes sometimes, if not often, did not think about the larger interpretive consequences of their alterations to the text. Further, the shorter reading is well supported by א* B L Δ Θ ƒ1, 13 565 700 1424 it sa.tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
- Matthew 16:21 tn Grk “From then.”
- Matthew 16:21 sn The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.
- Matthew 16:21 tn Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
- Matthew 16:22 tn Grk “began to rebuke him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
- Matthew 16:22 tn Grk “Merciful to you.” A highly elliptical expression: “May God be merciful to you in sparing you from having to undergo [some experience]” (L&N 88.78). A contemporary English equivalent is “God forbid!”
- Matthew 16:23 tn Grk “people.”
- Matthew 16:24 tn Grk “to come after me.”
- Matthew 16:24 tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.
- Matthew 16:24 sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.
- Matthew 16:25 tn Grk “soul” (throughout vv. 25-26). See the discussion of this Greek term in the note on “life” in Matt 10:39.
- Matthew 16:25 sn The Greek word translated life can refer to both earthly, physical life and inner, transcendent life (one’s “soul”). In the context, if a person is not willing to suffer the world’s rejection and persecution in order to follow Jesus but instead seeks to retain his physical life, then that person will lose both physical life and inner, transcendent life (at the judgment). On the other hand, the one who willingly gives up earthly, physical life to follow Jesus (“loses his life because of me”) will ultimately find one’s “soul” (note that the parallel in John’s Gospel speaks of “guarding one’s ‘soul’ for eternal life” (John 12:25).
- Matthew 16:25 tn Or “for my sake.” The traditional rendering “for my sake” can be understood in the sense of “for my benefit,” but the Greek term ἕνεκα (heneka) indicates the cause or reason for something (BDAG 334 s.v. 1).
- Matthew 16:26 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
- Matthew 16:27 sn An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.
- Matthew 16:28 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
- Matthew 16:28 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mē) is the strongest possible.
- Matthew 16:28 tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
- Matthew 16:28 sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Christ’s role in the Church; (5) the destruction of Jerusalem; (6) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to six days later in 17:1 seems to indicate that Matthew had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration would be a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (in vv. 21-23), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.
Matthew 16
New Century Version
The Leaders Ask for a Miracle
16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, wanting to trick him. So they asked him to show them a miracle from God.
2 Jesus answered,[a] “At sunset you say we will have good weather, because the sky is red. 3 And in the morning you say that it will be a rainy day, because the sky is dark and red. You see these signs in the sky and know what they mean. In the same way, you see the things that I am doing now, but you don’t know their meaning. 4 Evil and sinful people ask for a miracle as a sign, but they will not be given any sign, except the sign of Jonah.”[b] Then Jesus left them and went away.
Guard Against Wrong Teachings
5 Jesus’ followers went across the lake, but they had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
7 His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we forgot to bring bread.”
8 Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small. 9 Do you still not understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the five thousand? And remember that you filled many baskets with the leftovers? 10 Or the seven loaves of bread that fed the four thousand and the many baskets you filled then also? 11 I was not talking to you about bread. Why don’t you understand that? I am telling you to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” 12 Then the followers understood that Jesus was not telling them to beware of the yeast used in bread but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ
13 When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his followers, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and still others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 Then Jesus asked them, “And who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because no person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. 18 So I tell you, you are Peter.[c] On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; the things you don’t allow on earth will be the things that God does not allow, and the things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.” 20 Then Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone he was the Christ.
Jesus Says that He Must Die
21 From that time on Jesus began telling his followers that he must go to Jerusalem, where the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law would make him suffer many things. He told them he must be killed and then be raised from the dead on the third day.
22 Peter took Jesus aside and told him not to talk like that. He said, “God save you from those things, Lord! Those things will never happen to you!”
23 Then Jesus said to Peter, “Go away from me, Satan![d] You are not helping me! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about the things people think are important.”
24 Then Jesus said to his followers, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. 25 Those who want to save their lives will give up true life, and those who give up their lives for me will have true life. 26 It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. They could never pay enough to buy back their souls. 27 The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will reward them for what they have done. 28 I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom before they die.”
Footnotes
- 16:2–3 answered Some Greek copies do not have the rest of verse 2 and verse 3.
- 16:4 sign of Jonah Jonah’s three days in the fish are like Jesus’ three days in the tomb. The story about Jonah is in the Book of Jonah.
- 16:18 Peter The Greek name “Peter,” like the Aramaic name “Cephas,” means “rock.”
- 16:23 Satan Name for the devil, meaning “the enemy.” Jesus means that Peter was talking like Satan.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
