Mat 16 | ESV | STEP | And the Pharisees and Sadducees came , and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven .

1 ^aAnd the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and ^bto test him ^cthey asked him to show them ^da sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit the following words to the end of verse 3} ^f“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ ^gYou know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret ^hthe signs of the times. 4 ⁱAn evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So ^jhe left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^kbeware of ^lthe leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But ^mJesus, aware of this, said, ⁿ“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 ^oDo you not yet perceive? Do you not remember ^pthe five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or ^qthe seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? ^rBeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 ^sThen they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of ^tthe teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 ^uNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say ^vJohn the Baptist, others say ^wElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, ^x“You are ^ythe Christ, ^zthe Son of ^aathe living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, ^ab“Blessed are you, ^acSimon Bar-Jonah! For ^adflesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^aebut my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, ^afyou are Peter, and ^agon this rock ^{▼▼The Greek words for Peter and rock sound similar} I will build my church, and ^aithe gates of ^ajhell ^{▼▼Greek the gates of Hades} shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you ^althe keys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^amwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed ^{▼▼Or shall have been bound . . . shall have been loosed} in heaven.” 20 ^aoThen he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 ^apFrom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that ^aqhe must go to Jerusalem and ^arsuffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on ^asthe third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! ^{▼▼Or “[May God be] merciful to you, Lord!”} This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, ^au“Get behind me, Satan! You are ^ava hindrance ^{▼▼Greek stumbling block} to me. For you ^axare not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^aydeny himself and ^aztake up his cross and follow me. 25 For ^bawhoever would save his life ^{▼▼The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and twice in verse 26} will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For ^bcwhat will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or ^bdwhat shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 ^beFor the Son of Man is going to come with ^bfhis angels in the glory of his Father, and ^bgthen he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^bhtaste death ^biuntil they see the Son of Man ^bjcoming in his kingdom.”