1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees were two sects of the Jews with opposing views concerning angels, spirits, and the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8). Yet the two groups were united in their opposition to Jesus. They came asking Him to show them a sign from heaven, hoping that they could find a way to criticize Him. Jesus’ answer focuses on their lack of real spiritual understanding.
The Pharisees and Sadducees’ request used the word “heaven.” In Jesus’ answer, He used the same word “heaven” three times (the word translated “sky” and the word “heaven” are the same word in Greek). Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees that their knowledge of heaven went no farther than what they could see in the sky. He said that they could not discern the already present signs of the times.
Jesus pointed out that there are two kinds of red sky in Israel, one in the evening which indicates fair weather and one in the morning, which combined with dark clouds indicates an impending storm. In Luke 19:43-44 Jesus said concerning Jerusalem, “For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” God had given Israel signs of the times. Jesus’ birth, life, words, and miracles confirmed that He was the awaited Messiah, the Son of God. But the Jews did not recognize that time of their visitation from God. As a result, storm clouds of impending judgment were evident for anyone who had the spiritual discernment to see them. The Pharisees and Saducees’ request for a sign only showed the spiritual adultery toward God that was in their hearts.
Jesus was also asked for a sign in Matthew 12:38. At that time, too, He told the Pharisees that no sign would be given to them except the sign of the prophet Jonah. At that time He said, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” But in this new encounter in chapter 16, Jesus does not repeat His explanation. Verse 4 only says, “He left them and departed.”
5And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Jesus warned His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But the disciples’ focus was on the physical rather than on the spiritual. Maybe they thought that Jesus meant that they’d been so distracted by the Pharisees and Sadducees’ asking for a sign that they’d forgotten to bring bread. Jesus rebuked them for being apprehensive about their next meal even just after they’d seen Him abundantly provide food for more than 5000 and then for more than 4000 people. Jesus said that after seeing those miracles of His provision, their minds ought to have been free from preoccupation with physical food and ready to receive spiritual truth. The disciples then understood that the “leaven” Jesus was talking about was the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
It seems striking that verse 12 speaks of “the doctrine” of these two Jewish religious groups since the two groups greatly disagreed with each other in doctrine. Yet, though they disagreed with each other concerning many issues, the Pharisees and Saducees were united in unbelief. Today also there are many issues about which religious groups disagree. But all false religion is united in one thing: the failure to have genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
In general, the people in Israel saw Jesus only as a prophet. Probably because of His miracles, they, like Herod (14:2), thought that He must be a prophet from the past who had come again. They did not see Jesus as the Messiah because their expectation was that the Messiah would re-establish the Davidic kingdom, and that had not happened yet.
Jesus asked the twelve disciples who they said that He was. He was asking the same twelve disciples who had just been apprehensive about their next meal even after seeing Jesus feed the 5000 and the 4000. Yet, Peter, with wisdom and understanding that did not come from himself, gave the perfect answer; he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus immediately affirmed that Peter’s answer was correct by declaring that this answer had been revealed to Peter by God the Father.
Actually, Jesus Himself also declared His own identity both in His question and in His affirmation to Peter. In His question, He asked, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” When He called Himself “The Son of Man,” He was using a title of the Messiah found in Daniel 7:13-14. Then, in Jesus’ affirmation of Peter’s answer, He said, “…flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Jesus called God His Father. In John 5:17-18, the Jews recognized that for Jesus to call God His own Father was to make Himself equal with God.
Another disciple, Nathanael, had also earlier declared to Jesus, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” Yet Jesus did not respond to Nathanael as He responded to Peter. At that time Jesus said, “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these” (see John 1:45-51). Jesus did not seem to find in Nathanael’s declaration the depth that He saw in Peter’s answer. What was the difference?
Psalm 2 speaks of God’s anointed One (the Messiah), who will be King in Israel. In that psalm, God twice refers to the Messiah as His Son (Psalm 2:7,12). Thus, it would not have been difficult for any Jew to speak of the Messiah as the Son of God. But probably few of them, if any, would have understood that the royal title, “Son of God” actually meant Deity. That is probably why Jesus said to Peter, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Peter had understood that Jesus was not just the coming earthly King; Jesus was God the Son.
18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
When Peter’s brother Andrew first brought him to Jesus, Jesus said, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone” (John 1:42). But now that name took on meaning. After Peter’s right answer concerning Jesus’ identity, Jesus said, “thou art Peter” (Greek: “Πετρος” [“Petros”]), “and upon this rock” (Greek: “πετρα” [“petra”]) “I will build my church….” Jesus did not say, “you are Peter and upon you I will build my church.” Peter is only “a stone,” but the rock (“petra”) that Jesus will build His church on is a boulder of great size. For example, this word (“petra”) is used in Matthew 7:24 to describe the rock that a wise man builds his house on. The rock that Jesus said He would build His church on is not Peter; the boulder that Jesus said He would build His church on is the truth that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The word translated “hell” in “the gates of hell” is the word “Hades.” Hades is not the lake of fire. It is the place where the lost dead now stay until the time of the final judgment (this is the word used in Luke 16:23 and in Revelation 20:13-14). “The gates of Hades” represent the organized strength of Satan and his fallen angels. No assault of Satan and his fallen angels against the church can ever prevail because the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God cannot be altered or removed. That boulder is our foundation.
19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Jesus told Peter that He would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. In the previous verse Jesus told him that He would build His church on Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Surely Jesus did not speak of one building in the previous verse but then say that He would give Peter the keys to a different building in this verse. It seems evident that He is speaking of the same thing in both verses. The kingdom of heaven would first come in spiritual form as the church that Jesus said that He would build. The kingdom of heaven will come later in physical form at Jesus’ second coming (Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14; Revelation 19:11-16).
The word translated “church” (Greek: “εκκλησια”) is a combination of a preposition that means “out of” and a noun that means “that which is called.” The word can be used in a secular sense, too. For example, in Acts 19:32,39,41, this word is used for an “assembly” of people in Ephesus who were worshippers of the idol Diana. An “assembly” is a group of people called out (summoned) for a given purpose. Jesus said He would build His assembly – His church – on the bedrock of the truth of Who He is. There are only three mentions of the church in all of the four Gospels. All three are in Matthew – once in 16:18 and twice in 18:17.
Jesus told Peter that He would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The word “keys” is plural. Peter would one day use these keys to open the door to the church first to the Jews (Acts 2:14-41), then to the half-Jews of Samaria (Acts 8:14-17), and finally to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48). The Jewish leaders, by their unbelief, had sought to shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus will rebuke them for this in 23:13. God will use Peter to give all peoples the opportunity to come in.
In the second part of verse 19, the metaphor changes from keys which lock or unlock a building to an action of binding or loosing. This aspect of Jesus’ words to Peter is repeated in chapter 18 to all of His disciples. In that chapter, in a context of church discipline, Jesus says, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” “Ye” is plural and refers to all of the disciples, not just Peter. In the same context, Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:15-20). “Binding and loosing” refers to actions of discipline in the church and is the responsibility of the entire church. When Jesus returns and establishes the physical kingdom of heaven on earth, binding and loosing in the nations of earth may be the responsibility of believers as they reign with Him (Revelation 5:10; 20:6).
How did Peter use his authority to bind and loose in the early church? One example of Peter’s exercising judgment in the church is found in Acts 5:1-11, where Ananias and his wife Sapphira died because they lied to the church and to God. Peter also rebuked a man named Simon who wanted to buy the authority that God had given to the apostles (Acts 8:18-24).
What about binding and loosing in the church today? There are clear examples in the New Testament to show that God expects each church to take action to restrain evil in its own local body. One example is in I Corinthians 5. In verse 2 of that chapter, Paul rebuked the church in Corinth for failing to exercise judgment against sin among them. He said, “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” In the book of Revelation in the letter to the church at Pergamos, Jesus said, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate” (Revelation 2:14-15). God does not always immediately intervene when there is sin in a church. He expects the church to do the binding and loosing. And, He will hold the church accountable if the church does not fulfill this responsibility. Binding and loosing is a responsibility that God has delegated to the churches.
Of course this authority that God has given to the churches can be abused. An example is found in III John 9-10: “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.” A church leader named Diotrephes was wrongly putting people out of the church. Probably one of the reasons that God set up church leadership with a plurality of elders is to prevent such abuse. Sadly, an individual church leader can become proud and wrongly use the authority that God has given to the churches.
20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Probably there were at least two reasons that Jesus told His disciples at that point not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. Both reasons will become clearer in the coming verses. First, Jesus’ work as the Christ was not yet complete, and, second, the disciples had not yet understood the work that He would do.
21From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Jesus told His disciples plainly and with some detail what was about to happen. He would go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the Jewish leaders, be killed, and be raised from death on the third day. Peter’s response was very strongly worded. He said, “this shall not be unto thee!” Perhaps Peter thought that if he had been given the authority to bind and loose (v. 19), he would use that authority to prevent anything from happening to Jesus in Jerusalem. But Peter had not yet understood the significance of one of the words that Jesus used; Jesus said that He “must” go and suffer and be killed and be raised. Peter and the other disciples had not yet understood why it was necessary for Jesus to die. By using the word “must,” Jesus was beginning to teach His disciples about the work of the promised Messiah as Redeemer.
Jesus’ answer to Peter was also strongly worded. He said, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Jesus’ death at the cross was necessary to His fulfilling His Father’s will. It was necessary to His completing His work as the Christ. Any attempt to prevent His death and resurrection would be part of Satan’s attempt to prevent the payment of the sins of mankind and the coming of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Peter didn’t understand. He spoke in the pride of his own flesh, and Satan used the moment to seek to turn Jesus from doing the Father’s will.
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34 says, And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Thus, when Jesus said these words to His disciples, He included anyone in the crowd around Him that wished to follow Him.
What did Jesus mean when He said that a person should deny himself? This is the condition He set for anyone who wants to come after Him, so to understand it we should look at Him. He was denying Himself. He was about to go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised from death in order to fulfill His Father’s will. Jesus said that He “must” go to Jerusalem because that was His Father’s will. Before His death, Jesus said to His Father, “…not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). That is what it means for a person to deny himself. It means that a person submits to God’s will regardless of what it will cost.
25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26For 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? 27For 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.
When Jesus said, “whosoever will save his life shall lose it,” He was talking about a person’s choosing not to take up his or her cross and follow Him to die. He was talking about a person’s choosing to avoid physical death at the cross. So what did He mean when He said, “whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it”? He was talking about a decision to be willing to be killed if necessary to be faithful to the will of God. The word translated “life” in verse 25 is the same as the word translated “soul” in verse 26. The issue in these verses is life in this world. We have only one life to live in this world. If we seek to keep our life in this world for our own will, we lose our one opportunity to serve God in this life. If we choose to seek God’s will in our life in this world regardless of the cost, we save our one opportunity to be faithful to Him in this life. If we try to save our life for ourselves, we lose its real value. If we choose to serve God in our life, we save its real value. In Romans 12:1 Paul stated what our mindset should be. He said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” The earlier in our life that we make a decision to follow Jesus no matter what the cost, the more of our life can really have eternal value. Jesus said, “what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” The word “soul” here is the same as the word “life” in the previous verse. Jesus is saying that even a real believer can waste his or her life. If we trade it for things that won’t last, we end up with nothing to be rewarded for. And there is no way to go back and undo it. Verse 27 makes clear that the issue here is reward.
28Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
What did Jesus mean and who was He talking about? There seem to be two deciding considerations in understanding what He meant. The first is in the previous verse, and the second is in the following two verses. In the previous verse Jesus said, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels….” That is His coming in His kingdom. It is the time when He comes in glory. In the following two verses (the first two verses of chapter 17), we read, “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Three of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in His glory, the same glory in which He will return as King.
Jesus will later tell His disciples about His return. In Matthew 24:30, we read, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” In II Peter 1:16, Peter said, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” Peter said that he, James, and John had seen the same majesty of the Lord Jesus that will be revealed at His second coming.
Since Jesus will indeed return as King in great glory and will indeed reward each person according to their work, should not we as believers in Him choose to follow Him now no matter what the cost?
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.