Continuing a study of the Gospels:
(Matthew 16:1) The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and testing desired that He would show them a sign from heaven.
At the end of the last chapter and post, Jesus had just miraculously fed the 4000, and had removed by ship to the coasts of Magdala, which is apparently where this chapter began. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were two different religious sects, and even though they had opposing views on some things, they were united in their hatred against Christ. They came to Jesus testing Him, to see if He would show them a sign from heaven.
(2) He answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather for the sky is red.' (3) And in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowering.' O you hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky, but can you not discern the signs of the times?"
Jesus answered the Pharisees and Sadducees by telling them how they discerned the signs in the skies to determine a weather forecast. A red sky in the evening was almost universally considered to mean fair weather. However, a red sky in the morning, the suns' rays shining through lowering clouds, meant foul weather was coming. Jesus called them hypocrites for they were so learned as to determine a weather forecast by the signs in the sky, but they failed to see the signs before them on earth, the signs that their anticipated Messiah was here in the person of Jesus.
(4) "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall be no sign given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.
Jesus declared that a wicked and adulterous generation sought a sign. He called them adulterous because the Jewish people were the chosen bride of Christ but they instead loved the world. Jesus had already said this same thing to the Pharisees earlier (Matthew 12:30), but it seems they brought the Sadducees along this time to test Him again. Or perhaps there were Sadducees who had not heard His answer before, and themselves sought a sign. This account in Mark said that Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit (Mark 8:12) before answering them. He was apparently greatly affected by their obstinance and spiritual blindness. It is a sad thing for one to be lost and facing an eternity without God. Jesus had already in His miracles and preaching shown signs more than sufficient to demonstrate His divine mission and His divinity. There was only one sign left that had not been shown, and Jesus said He would not show them any more signs, at least not in response to them, until the sign of Jonah. That, as we learned in Matthew 12:40, was that as Jonah was three days in the belly of the fish, so Jesus would be three days in His grave, but would then rise again. He didn't bother further explaining what He meant by the sign of Jonah, as He knew no sign or explanation would suffice for them. He left them and departed from the coasts of Magdala.
(5) And when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
When Jesus's disciples had come to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, having departed Magdala, it was realized they had forgotten to take bread with them.
(6) Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."
Whether Jesus took that opportunity to teach His disciples because they had forgotten bread, or because it was still fresh on all their minds what had just been said to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Jesus gave His disciples that advice. They were to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
(7) And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."
The disciples reasoned among themselves that Jesus was talking about physical bread and the leaven that it might have, because they had forgotten bread. Up to this point, "leaven" was not a word used to describe doctrine, so the disciples did not immediately understand what Jesus meant. There were laws about eating bread made by Gentiles, so the disciples may have supposed that Jesus meant they should not get bread from the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
(8) When Jesus perceived it, He said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves, because you have brought no bread?"
Jesus, of course, knew their thoughts or heard them discussing bread, and calling them of little faith, asked why they talked among themselves about having no bread. Once again, Jesus called them "of little faith," not "no faith;" they certainly had a seed of great faith, but they did not yet understand the limits they had placed on their faith by having just a small amount.
(9) "Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many loaves you took up?"
Jesus asked His disciples if they didn't yet understand what He was talking about. Did they not remember what He had just done with feeding more than 5000 with only five loaves of bread? So then how could they possibly concern themselves with bread they left behind?
(10) "Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?"
Jesus asked if they also remembered when He had fed thousands a second time with only seven loaves, and how much had been left over.
(11) "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But you should beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Because they had witnessed both those miracles of feeding thousands with very little, Jesus asked His disciples how it was that they thought He was talking about physical bread. Why should He be at all concerned about bread, and of course neither should they. He again told them they should beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. How could they think that He meant leaven in a literal sense?
(12) Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
Indeed, at that point, the disciples understood that Jesus could not have meant literal leaven of bread that they were to beware of, but that it was the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees they were to beware. Like leaven affects an entire loaf over time, so would the false doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees gradually pervade the soul. That, of course, is why the disciples were to take heed and beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and they had come to understand that.
(13) When Jesus came to the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?"
There were two places called Caesarea, the original on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and Caesarea Philippi, named by Herod's son Philip. This Caesarea Philippi was actually well inland at the foot of Lebanon at the southwestern base of Mount Hermon. The word that was translated as "coasts" also means "borders." Jesus had come to the outer borders or region of Caesarea Philippi when He asked His disciples who men said that He was.
(14) And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
The disciples answered that some thought He was John the Baptist risen from the dead, as Herod thought. They said some thought He was Elijah, and that was because Malachi had prophesied in Malachi 4:5 that an extraordinary person under the name of Elijah was to come before the Messiah; but that was actually John the Baptist as Jesus said in Matthew 11:14. Some others thought He was Jeremiah or one of the other prophets because of the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:15 that the Lord would raise up a prophet like unto Himself.
(15) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Without any reflection on what they had just told Jesus, He immediately asked His disciples who they thought He was.
(16) And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Very emphatically, Peter answered that He was the Christ, the much anticipated Messiah; the Son of the living God, the one true God, not one of the dead lifeless idols.
(17) And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
Jesus called Peter, Simon Bar-Jonah, that is Simon, the son of Jonah. He told him he was blessed because no man could have told him that, but it could have only been revealed to him by His Father in heaven.
(18) "And I say also to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Jesus at that point said that he was to be Peter, not Simon Peter, not Simon Bar-Jonah, but "Peter," the original word "petros" meaning rock. Jesus said that on that rock He would build His church, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. When Jesus first called Peter to be a disciple, the account in John said that He called him Cephas from the beginning which also meant rock. This is not to say that Peter alone was the foundation of Jesus's church. He said on that rock He would build His church. Jesus was called the foundation stone or the cornerstone in other scriptures, including prophetic ones (Psalm 118:22, Matthew 21:42, et al.). Jesus was the cornerstone of the church, but that confession of Peter's would be the foundation of believers. The disciples could be considered foundation stones for the church, as stated in Ephesians 2:20, "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the cornerstone." But again, that same verse stated that Jesus was the cornerstone. Peter himself in his writings spoke of "lively stones (who) built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5), but the next verse speaks of Jesus being the chief corner stone. The gates of hell will not prevail against Christ's church. Although the workers of spiritual darkness may seem to rule the world, they can never prevail against Christ's church. Christ conquered death and Satan, and those of His church will also conquer eternal death because of Him.
(19) "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Although Jesus may have been talking to just Peter at the time, it in no way means that Peter alone had the keys to the kingdom of heaven and he alone was the rock upon which the church was founded. This the Catholics use as their basis for making Peter their first pope and founder of the church. Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom, and with these keys, his understanding of the Messiah and His kingdom of heaven on earth, he would open the door of faith to the Jews and even the Gentiles. The phrases "to bind" and "to loose" were often used by the Jews regarding prohibiting and permitting. Note Jesus said "whatever" not "whoever;" whatever the apostles taught with regard to laws of the church would be accepted by God in heaven, as they were led by Christ and the Holy Spirit. Some of the customs of man they would forbid or bind, and some things they would loose or permit, as they, as Jesus did, would be teaching the spirit of the law, not what had become hypocritical legalistic adherence to it. Once again, these keys were not given to Peter alone, as in a future statement, Jesus would give all His disciples the power to bind and loose (Matthew 18:18).
(20) Then He charged His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Jesus commanded His disciples not to tell anyone He was the Messiah, as it was not yet time for His death and resurrection, and the fact would be all the more proven after His resurrection.
(21) From that time forth Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and raised again the third day.
From the time that Peter had confessed that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, and Jesus told His disciples He would build His church, He began sharing to them more about what He was to go through. He said that He must go to Jerusalem, the chief city of Israel, where the sanhedrin sat, and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes. It would not be mere dismissing of Him as before, but with formal, although false, charges, and physical suffering. He told them He would be killed, but He would rise from the dead on the third day afterward.
(22) Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you."
Peter, who was of an impetuous spirit, often said and did things on impulse. He wasn't rebuking Jesus out of any disrespect, but out of deep love and concern, that what Jesus had told them certainly couldn't be allowed to happen.
(23) But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but those of man."
I am sure it was much to Peter's surprise that the Lord turned to him and cried out for Satan to get behind or away from Him. Christ was not calling Peter, Satan, but was talking to the spirit that had taken advantage of Peter's impetuousness to dissuade Him from His purpose. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against...spiritual wickedness..." (Ephesians 6:12) Jesus may have been speaking to Satan, but certainly Peter's words were an offense to Him, because they were not of God, but of carnal man's desire to save himself, or in this case, to save his loved one. Peter did not take the time to learn from the Lord that this was His divine purpose, but he rashly asserted himself and sought to interfere with it.
(24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."
Jesus then went on to tell all His disciples that in order to really follow Him, they would have to deny themselves and be willing to bear any affliction or suffering that might come as a result of it. Note that the Lord said "If any man will..." He does not force anyone to go through suffering to follow Him, but if they are willing, they must be willing to do whatever is necessary to persevere.
(25) "For whoever will save his life shall lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
Jesus told them that whoever fought to save his own life by denying his cross, those afflictions and persecutions that might come his way if he followed Christ, would ultimately lose his eternal life, but whoever denied himself and his own mortal life for Christ's sake would find eternal life.
(26) "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Jesus posed the question to His disciples about what a man really profited even if he gained power over the entire world, if it meant he would ultimately lose his eternal soul. What was it that a man was willing to give in exchange for his soul? That is the very real life question every one of us must ask himself. And we should have great pity for those who choose the world over Jesus, for we understand the end they have chosen.
(27) "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to his works."
The reason a person may save or lose his soul is because Jesus will most assuredly return to judge all people. He will return in glory with His angels and with full authority of His Father to recompense every man according to his works on earth.
(28) "Verily, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom."
Jesus said that there were some with Him there who would not die until they saw the fruition of Jesus's kingdom on earth, His Christian church. All except Judas would live to see the Day of Pentecost when His Holy Spirit was poured down in an extraordinary manner, and the Gospel began to be spread throughout the world. John lived to see the destruction of the temple and the Jewish nation, and the Christian church and its gospel message established throughout the known world. At the point Jesus was speaking, the "church" was very small and feeble, and not much more than a message, albeit the essential and most important gospel message; but some of His disciples would live to see that all important message grow into a huge religious movement, the Christian church, Christ's kingdom on earth.
In this chapter, we see Jesus's Kingdom on earth expanding. The disciples had come to realize that Jesus was indeed their anticipated Messiah, and He revealed to them the truth about His coming death and resurrection. He told them He would build a church against which the gates of hell could not prevail, and that He would give them the keys to that kingdom on earth. At least some of them would live to see that church grow throughout the known world. Although Jesus told them that discipleship was costly, they surely were encouraged to know that their employment in the establishment of Christ's kingdom on earth would be successful.
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