³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others,^(A) I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.^(B)

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) 26} What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man^(V) is going to come^(W) in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.^(X)

²⁸ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Gethsemane^(A)

³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee^(B) along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow^(C) to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”^(D)

³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup^(E) be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”^(F)

⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me^(G) for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.^(H) The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”^(I)

⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour^(J) has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

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.

Jesus Reinstates Peter

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”^(A)

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”^(B)

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”^(C)

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?”^(D) He said, “Lord, you know all things;^(E) you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.^{(F) 18} Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death^(G) by which Peter would glorify God.^(H) Then he said to him, “Follow me!”^(I)