Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 16 - New King James Version (2024)

The Pharisees and Sadducees Seek a Sign^(A)

16Then the ^(B)Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. ²He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; ³and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ ^[a]Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. ^4(C)A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of ^[b]the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees^(D)

⁵Now ^(E)when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. ⁶Then Jesus said to them, ^(F)“Take heed and beware of the ^[c]leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

⁷And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”

⁸But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you ^[d]have brought no bread? ^9(G)Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? ^10(H)Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? ¹¹How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the ^[e]leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹²Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the ^[f]doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ^(I)

¹³When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ^(J)“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

¹⁴So they said, ^(K)“Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or ^(L)one of the prophets.”

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

¹⁶Simon Peter answered and said, ^(N)“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, ^(O)for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but ^(P)My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I also say to you that ^(Q)you are Peter, and ^(R)on this rock I will build My church, and ^(S)the gates of Hades shall not ^[g]prevail against it. ^19(T)And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth ^[h]will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

^20(U)Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(V)

²¹From that time Jesus began ^(W)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 be raised the third day.

²²Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ^[i]“Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

²³But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, ^(X)Satan! ^(Y)You are ^[j]an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him^(Z)

^24(AA)Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and ^(AB)follow Me. ²⁵For ^(AC)whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶For what ^(AD)profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or ^(AE)what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷For ^(AF)the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father ^(AG)with His angels, ^(AH)and then He will reward each according to his works. ²⁸Assuredly, I say to you, ^(AI)there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”