Verse 1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
The Pharisees and scribes did not succeed in their mission of discrediting Jesus in front of His disciples and the people, or of catching Him in a religious crime such as blasphemy, so now the Pharisees were going to try again to trap Jesus with the aid of the Sadducees. The name “Sadducees” means funnily enough “the righteous”. These men were any thing but righteous. They denied many Biblical teachings such as the resurrection of the body, the immortality of the soul, divine predestination and the existence of spirits and angels. Think about the ridiculousness of asking for a sign when they were fully aware of all the miracles that were happening in Jesus’ presence throughout the land of Israel. They, through their man-made doctrines, had not been able to heal the sick, give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, make the crippled walk, remove leprosy, and feed thousands of people in the wilderness. One has to wonder what kind of a sign they were asking for.
Verses 2-3 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
These religious charlatans had access to the Old Testament writings of the prophets. They knew the time table presented in the book of Daniel and would have known that the promised Messiah would be revealed soon. They also knew where the Messiah would be born, that His mother would be a virgin, and multiple other prophesies that would identify the true Messiah when He came. Jesus openly fulfilled all of the prophesies, and yet they could predict the weather better than they could see and understand that Messiah was standing in front of them.
Verse 4 A 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 Greek word translated as “generation” is “genea” and it can mean an age, a space of years such as 40 years, successive members of a family, or a whole multitude of men living at the same time. In the context of the verse above, an age or a multitude of men living at the same time would seem to be the meaning of the word. The time into which Jesus was born was a wicked time with the Herod dynasty ruling under the Roman one world government, and the religious leaders were wicked and teaching a religion that was contrary to what Moses had taught through the inspiration of the LORD. In Scripture, following after false religions is seen by God as adultery. So what was the sign of the prophet Jonas? Just as Jonah spent three days and nights in the stomach of a large fish, so the body of Jesus would spend three days and three nights in the grave. Pay attention to the three days and three nights as this will be addressed later in this study.
Verses 5-11 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11 How 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?
The disciples were still operating in the flesh and looking at things from a physical, worldly perspective. They still could not see the spiritual side of things and so they had difficulty understanding the parables Jesus used and difficulty understanding that the things of this world such as food was not what was important. Jesus spoke in metaphor and the disciples interpreted His words literally. Their faith was shaky as they easily forgot to apply the miracles of the past that they both witnessed and experienced to the problems of the present.
Verse 12 Then 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.
Leaven is metaphor for sin. The false doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees were sin against the one, true God and they were leading the people away from the one, true God.
Application: Today there are in the evangelical “Christian” community/churches a plethora of false bibles, and as a result of these books, false doctrines of men. Just as the religious leaders in Israel were denying Jesus and teaching false doctrines, so today are false religious leaders teaching false doctrine and a different Jesus. Jesus’ warning to beware of the leaven or sin of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees is appropriate and applicable today. It is very easy to be led astray by falsehoods. Be careful who you listen to and always research yourself what you are told from the pulpit or in the Bible study group. And of course, use the only word for word translation of God’s Words in the English language, the King James Bible.
Verses 13-14 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Caesarea Philippi was located near the sources of the Jordan River and was at one time called Paneas. It was rebuilt by Philip the tetrarch and he added Caesarea to the name in honor of Tiberias Caesar who ruled from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberias’ stepfather, Augustus, was the first Roman emperor and Tiberias, a successful general, then became the second Roman emperor and would have been in power during Jesus’ ministry.
Apparently the Jewish people had no difficulty in believing that a person could come back to this Earth after death as the disciples reported that some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist, etc. This idea is contrary to God’s teachings. There is no reincarnation of the dead. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that, “. . . to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Once a person’s spirit leaves the fleshly body in which it was dwelling, the body decays and the spirit dwells elsewhere. For the Christian believer, the dwelling place is Heaven. For the unbeliever that dwelling place is Hell.
Verses 15-17 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And 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.
The title of “Christ” means “anointed or anointed one.” Jesus’ last name was/is not Christ. It is a title just like General Smith or President Smith or Judge Smith. Peter knew this and so he put a “the” in front of Christ. That title confers the position of Messiah upon Jesus. The Hebrew word translated as “Messiah” is “mashiyach” and it means the anointed one. The word occurs 39 times in Scripture but is translated as “anointed” 37 times. Messiah with a capital M only occurs two times in the Old Testament, in Daniel 9:25-26. So Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in Greek are descriptive titles of the body of God or the Son of God who was also the son of man.
Application: Notice that Simon Peter only understood who Jesus was because it had been revealed to him by God. He had not gained an understanding of who Jesus was because he had been told by someone or because he had attended the services at the Temple. Likewise, believers can tell unbelievers about Jesus, but their hearts and minds have to be opened by God in order for them to comprehend what the believers are telling them. The unbeliever has to be called and chosen by God or all the teaching and preaching will fall on spiritually deaf ears and blind eyes so that they cannot see the truth of the Gospel.
Verse 18 And 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.
This verse is one which the Catholic church uses to declare that their church is the only true church, that it is built upon the apostle Peter, that he was the first Catholic Pope, and then they falsely claim that he is buried under the church buildings in Rome. Well, Peter was married and so did not qualify as a Pope, and Peter’s body was found some years ago buried on the Mount of Olives. So what did Jesus really say in the verses above? Peter’s name means a little rock or stone. This little pebble of truth that Peter expressed would become the hard truth: the true identity of Jesus. So upon the understanding of the true identity of Jesus, which Peter stated in the verses above, the Church would be built. Peter was a fallible man who made many mistakes. The Church could only be established and built upon the foundation established by God, the true rock and cornerstone, Jesus Christ.
Verse 19 And 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.
Peter was the apostle who first preached to the Jews, then to the Samaritans, and finally to the Gentiles. The keys to the Kingdom were in the message Peter preached: repent, be baptized, and be filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit. This is what each person must do to become a Christian believer and part of the spiritual Kingdom of God. See Acts 2:37-40 for Peter’s first major sermon. The remainder of the verse above is repeated by Jesus more than once. It means that whatever a believer allows will be allowed, and whatever a believer forbids, will be forbidden. Christian believers have power and can interfere in demonic activities and bring forth Godly activities when they exercise the power they have through the presence of the Holy Ghost/Spirit.
Verse 20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Why? There may have been many reasons that Jesus did not want His true identity known. Perhaps the timing was not right. Perhaps He wanted people to figure out His identity on their own by watching the miracles that were happening and by watching the increasing political and religious pressure occurring as a result of His ministry. Perhaps the reason was because Bible prophecy had to be fullfilled down to the tiniest details. You decide.
Verse 21 From 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.
The Jews were waiting for a Messiah. However, they believed that their Messiah would be a conquering Messiah, bringing to an end the Roman dominion over their land and establishing a Jewish kingdom that would be like the kingdoms during the time of King David and King Solomon. They wanted to be a sovereign nation again and they wanted to rule the Earth. The disciple understood this, and so having a Messiah that was killed was not what they would have been anticipating. Jesus was preparing them for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy that was being ignored by their religious leaders: the suffering Messiah.
Verses 22-23 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But 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.
Whether Peter could not accept this teaching from Jesus because he loved and cared about Jesus, or whether it was because it went against everything he had been taught is unclear. But Peter was honest and expressed his feelings openly while the remaining disciples kept quiet. This writer has to admire Peter for his truthfulness and for his fearlessness in voicing his questions and his concerns. He did not give in to peer pressure from the other disciples and he did not worry about being “politically correct”.
Application: The name “Satan” means adversary. Some Christians believe that Jesus was just likening the attitude of Peter to Satan because Peter was being an adversary or opposing the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Jesus was born to die for human sins so that there could be a way for mankind to be forgiven of their trespasses and sins and inherit eternal life. Other Christians believe that Peter’s response to Jesus was motivated by the presence of Satan at that moment. They are not suggesting that Satan was possessing Peter, but that Satan was giving Peter thoughts and ideas so that he would oppose Jesus and the plan of salvation. You decide. What is clear here is that to oppose the plan and will of God is to be operating in the flesh and not operating in the Spirit, and to be cooperating with evil spirits.
Verses 24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 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?
Application: The soul is the mind, the will, and the emotions of an individual. At death, the spirit of the person leaves the fleshly body, taking the soul with it. The body remains to decay in the ground. The spirit and soul go either to Heaven or to Hell for eternity, depending on which destination the person chose while in life. The reality is that to give up some things this world has to offer in order to serve Jesus results in living forever in Heaven. The person who spends his/her time here on Earth serving themselves and getting stuff will spend forever in a very nasty place. So self-sacrifice for the Kingdom of God has its rewards later. To gain all the goodies of this world will result in the spiritual death of the individual and in the loss of spirit and soul to Hell.
Verses 27-28 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. 28 Verily 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. (Matthew 16)
Notice that “every man” will be rewarded when Jesus returns to Earth with His angels. Some will be rewarded for their righteousness and others for their unrighteousness. This will be the ultimate payday where each person reaps what they have sown in their fleshly life. If the person has sown good works, there will be a good reward. If the person has sown evil works, their will not be a good reward. While people often scoff at the idea of being judged by the LORD for their actions, words and thoughts, the Scripture says it will happen. So be prepared to face the LORD and stand before His judgement which is final.
When Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured on the mount, they received a small preview of what is to come. That is what Jesus was referring to in verse 28 above. This event will be discussed in the next chapter.