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16
The Demand for a Sign
1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him, they asked Him to show them a sign out of heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When evening comes you say, ‘Fine weather, for the sky is red’. 3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ Hypocrites! Indeed you know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And leaving them behind He went away.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they forgot to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, “Look out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
7 But they were reasoning among themselves, saying, “We did not take bread.”
8 But Jesus, knowing about it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why are you reasoning among yourselves, because you did not take bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many hampers you took up? 11 How is it you do not perceive that I did not speak to you about bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?” 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter Confesses Christ
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was questioning His disciples, saying, “Who do men pronounce Me, the Son of Man, to be?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others say Elijah, and yet others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you pronounce Me to be?”
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on the earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will have been loosed in heaven.”
20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go off to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised the third day.
22 And taking Him aside, Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, “God be gracious to You, Lord! This shall by no means 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 mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
The Cross and Self-Denial
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of Me shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will render to each according to his works. 28 Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who will by no means taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

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© 2014 Dr. Paul W. Esposito