Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah^(A)

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;^(B) others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”^(C)

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”^(D)

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,^(E) but by my Father in heaven.^{(F) 18} And I tell you that you are Peter,^[a](G) and on this rock I will build my church,^(H) and the gates of Hades^[b] will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys^(I) of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^[d] loosed in heaven.”^{(J) 20} Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone^(K) that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Predicts His Death^(L)

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem^(M) and suffer many things^(N) at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,^(O) and that he must be killed^(P) and on the third day^(Q) be raised to life.^(R)

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!^(S) You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.^{(T) 25} For whoever wants to save their life^[e] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.^(U)

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial^(A)

³¹ Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me,^(B) for it is written:

³² But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”^(D)

³³ Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

³⁴ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”^(E)

³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you,^(F) I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Peter Disowns Jesus^(A)

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

⁷¹ Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”^(B) And he went outside and wept bitterly.