Matthew 16
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 16
The Demand for a Sign.[a] 1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to put him to the test they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘Tomorrow there will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning you say, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous[b] generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.[c] 5 In crossing to the other side of the lake, the disciples had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Be careful, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They talked about this among themselves and concluded: “It is because we brought no bread.”
8 Aware of what they were saying, Jesus said, “O you of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and the number of baskets you collected? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How could you fail to see that I was not speaking about bread when I said, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees’?” 12 Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast used in bread but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Peter’s Confession of Christ’s Divinity.[d]When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,[e] he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.” 15 “But you,” he said to them, “who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”[f]
17 Then Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood[g] has not revealed this to you but my heavenly Father. 18 And I say to you: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church,[h] and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”[i] 20 Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell[j] anyone that he was the Christ.
21 Jesus Predicts His Passion. From then onward Jesus made it clear to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and endure great suffering at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be put to death, and be raised on the third day.[k]
22 [l]Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord. Such a fate must never happen to you.” 23 He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as men do.”
24 The Conditions of Discipleship. Jesus then said to his disciples, “Anyone who wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.[m] 26 What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his very life? Or what can he give in exchange for his life?
27 “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone according to what has been done. 28 Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”[n]
Footnotes
- Matthew 16:1 The preaching, works, and extraordinary miracles of Jesus constituted a convincing proof of his Messiahship. The Pharisees and Sadducees demand a sign from heaven, like the stopping of the sun. Jesus flatly refuses to do so. He offers only the sign of Jonah, which foreshadows the mystery of his Death and Resurrection (see Mt 12:38-42).
- Matthew 16:4 Adulterous: i.e., unfaithful to the Lord.
- Matthew 16:5 The disciples at first misunderstand their Master, for whom the nourishment of humans is not reduced to bread alone. Jesus wishes to preserve his own from legalism. The yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees is the rigid teaching of specialists of religion who snuff out freedom, joy, spontaneity, and commitment.
- Matthew 16:13 Following the section of the bread (Mt 14:13—16:12), the evangelist appends a series of episodes that have to do with the revelation of the mystery of Christ. In addition to the text taken from Mark, which sets forth the theology of the Messianic secret and the suffering Servant, he presents the passages that speak of the primacy of Peter (Mt 16:17-19) and the payment of the temple tax (Mt 17:24-27), thus highlighting the theme of the foundation of the Church. The new People of God will then rise not from a Messianic triumphalism but from the mysterious drama of the Messiah’s Passion and Resurrection.
- Matthew 16:13 Caesarea Philippi had been built by Herod Philip near the springs of the Jordan, at the foot of Mount Hermon. The name “Caesarea” was given as an act of homage to the Roman Emperor; since so many cities had the name, some further qualifier had to be added (“Philip’s Caesarea”). “Caesarea in Palestine,” to take one example, was the ordinary residence of the governor (see Acts 23).
- Matthew 16:16 The Son of the living God: in addition to the Messiahship of Jesus found in the other Synoptics at this point, Matthew also has an acknowledgment by Peter of Jesus’ divinity. Many exegetes believe this is an addition based on Peter’s later understanding of the mystery of Christ after the risen Lord appeared to him (see 1 Cor 15:5; Lk 24:34). In any case, Matthew has already mentioned that all the disciples had recognized the divinity of Christ (Mt 14:33).
- Matthew 16:17 Flesh and blood: a Scriptural expression that designates human beings in their weak and fragile condition. Has not revealed this to you but my heavenly Father: the source of Peter’s confession of Christ’s divinity is the heavenly Father.
- Matthew 16:18 You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church: the Aramaic word for “rock” (kepa) is transliterated into Greek as Cephas, the name used for Peter in the Pauline letters (1 Cor 1:12; Gal 1:18), and is translated as “Peter” in Jn 1:42. Church: a word that occurs only here and in Mt 18:17 (twice) in the New Testament. The Church will have Peter as her foundation stone. But of course her real foundation is faith in Jesus, the Son of God. Peter will have the primacy among all the apostles and be the visible head of the Church, as will his successors, the Popes. The gates of the netherworld designate the powers of death. The Church will resist all the vicissitudes of time because of her foundation on a rock.
- Matthew 16:19 Receiving the power of the keys, symbol of authority, Peter becomes Christ’s representative on earth. He is given the power to bind and loose, i.e., to condemn or absolve, to prohibit or allow. Peter is the doorkeeper (Mk 13:34) but not the Teacher or the Father (Mt 23:9-10).
- Matthew 16:20 Not to tell: since the Jews were looking for a national and political Messiah, Jesus urged his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
- Matthew 16:21 The apostles now knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but their idea of it was inexact. They thought of a political Messiah, the glorious dominator of peoples. Jesus offers a triple prediction that spells out the last stages of his ministry. He thus prepares them for the scandal of the cross (see Mt 17:22f; 20:17f) and enlightens them concerning the true Messianism, which is spiritual, humble, and suffering.
- Matthew 16:22 Peter unknowingly offers Jesus the facile and worldly Messianism that would put him in opposition to the will of the Father. He unwittingly repeats the temptation of Satan at the beginning of Christ’s ministry (Mt 4:1-11).
- Matthew 16:25 In order to receive eternal life, one must be ready to bear any sacrifice—even the renunciation of earthly life. The Greek word for “life” means either “life” or “soul;” also in v. 26.
- Matthew 16:28 Coming after v. 27, which alludes to the Second Coming of Christ, i.e., as Judge at the end of the world, this verse may refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, which came to be regarded as a punishment from God for the refusal of the Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah. The verse may also refer to Christ’s Resurrection and his appearances thereafter as well as to the Transfiguration, which is a manifestation of his glory.
Mattityahu 16
Orthodox Jewish Bible
16 And the Perushim and Tzedukim approached, to test Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, asking him to present them with an ot (sign) from Shomayim.
2 But in reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, When it is erev, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is fiery red.
3 And in the boker (morning) you say, There will be stormy weather today, for the sky is overcast fiery red and threatening. You have daas to distinguish the signs of the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times? [T.N. See Ro 1:18]
4 A dor rah umnaef (an evil and adulterous generation) demands an ot (sign), and no ot will be given it except the ot of Yonah HaNavi. And having left them, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach went away.
5 When the Moshiach’s talmidim arrived at the other side, they had forgotten to take lechem.
6 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Take special precaution against the chametz (swelling leaven) of the Perushim and Tzedukim.
7 But they began reasoning among themselves, saying, We took no lechem.
8 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, aware of their machshavot (thoughts), said, You men of little emunah, why do you reason among yourselves that you have no lechem?
9 Do you not yet have binah or remember the five loaves of the chamesh elafim (five thousand), and how many baskets full you took up?
10 Or the shevah loaves of the arbaat elafim (four thousand), and how many large baskets full you took up?
11 How is it that you do not chap (grasp mentally) that I did not speak to you concerning lechem? But beware of the chametz (swelling [like evil, like gaavah, pride], all-permeating leaven) of the Perushim and Tzedukim.
12 Then Moshiach’s talmidim understood that Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach did not say to beware of the chametz of the lechem, but of the chametz of the teaching of the Perushim and the Tzedukim.
13 Now, having arrived in the district of Caesarea Philippi, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach began asking his talmidim, saying, Who do men say that [I] the Ben HaAdam am?
14 And Moshiach’s talmidim said, Some say Yochanan of the tevilah of teshuva, and others say, Eliyahu HaNavi, but still others say, Yirmeyah or one of the Neviim.
15 He says to them, But you, who do you consider me to be?
16 And, Shimon Kefa said in reply, You are the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, the Ben Elohim Chayyim!
17 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said in reply to him, Ashrey atah (happy are you), Shimon Bar Yonah, because basar vadahm (flesh and blood) did not give you this hisgalus (revelation), but Avi shbaShomayim.
18 And I also say to you that you are Shimon Kefa [Petros] and upon this TSUR I will build my Kehillah, my Chavurah (the Community of Moshiach) and the shaarei Sheol (gates of Sheol) shall not overpower it.
19 I will give you the maftechot Malchut HaShomayim (keys of the Kingdom of Heaven); and whatever you shall bind as asur (prohibited) on haaretz shall be bound as asur (prohibited) in Shomayim, and whatever you shall loose as mutar (permitted) on haaretz shall be loosed as mutar (permitted) in Shomayim.
20 Then Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach gave the directive to his talmidim that they should tell no one that he was the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
21 From that point he began to explain to his talmidim that it was necessary that Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach go to Yerushalayim, and suffer many things from the Zekenim (Elders), and the Rashei Hakohanim (the Chief Priests) and the Sofrim (Scribes) and it was necessary for Moshiach to be killed and have his histalkus (passing), that he would undergo the Techiyas HaMoshiach (Resurrection of Moshiach) on Yom HaShlishi.
22 And Kefa took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Chas vshalom (G-d forbid)! Adoni, this shall never happen to you!
23 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach turned and said to Kefa, Get behind me, Hasatan! You are a michshol (stumbling block) to me; for you are not setting your mind on the things of Hashem, but the things of Bnei Adam!
24 Then Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to his talmidim, If anyone wishes to come after me, let him turn in hinnazrut (self-denial), and take up his etz shel hakarav atzmo (tree of self-sacrifice), and follow me.
25 For whoever wishes to save his nefesh shall lose it; but whoever loses his nefesh on account of me [Moshiach] shall find it.
26 For what will a man be benefited if he acquires the whole world and forfeits his neshamah, or what will a man give in exchange for his neshamah?
27 For the Ben HaAdam [Moshiach] is about to come in the kavod of his Av with his malachim and will then recompense every man according to his maasim.
28 Omein, I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Bias of the Ben HaAdam [Moshiach] coming in his Malchut.
Matthew 16
American Standard Version
16 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and trying him asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But he answered and said unto them, [a]When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the heaven is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the heaven is red and lowering. Ye know how to discern the face of the heaven; but ye cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of Jonah. And he left them, and departed.
5 And the disciples came to the other side and forgot to take [b]bread. 6 And Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, [c]We took no [d]bread. 8 And Jesus perceiving it said, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have no [e]bread? 9 Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many [f]baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many [g]baskets ye took up? 11 How is it that ye do not perceive that I spake not to you concerning [h]bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 12 Then understood they that he bade them not beware of the leaven of [i]bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say [j]that the Son of man is? 14 And they said, Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say unto thee, that thou art [k]Peter, and upon this [l]rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20 Then charged he the disciples that they should tell no man that he was the Christ.
21 From that time began [m]Jesus to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. 22 And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, [n]Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his [o]deeds. 28 Verily I say unto you, There are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Footnotes
- Matthew 16:2 The following words, to the end of verse 3, are omitted by some of the most ancient and other important authorities.
- Matthew 16:5 Greek loaves.
- Matthew 16:7 Or, It is because we took no bread.
- Matthew 16:7 Greek loaves.
- Matthew 16:8 Greek loaves.
- Matthew 16:9 Basket in verses 9 and 10 represents different Greek words.
- Matthew 16:10 Basket in verses 9 and 10 represents different Greek words.
- Matthew 16:11 Greek loaves.
- Matthew 16:12 Greek loaves.
- Matthew 16:13 Many ancient authorities read that I the Son of man am. See Mk. 8:27; Lk. 9:18.
- Matthew 16:18 Greek Petros.
- Matthew 16:18 Greek petra.
- Matthew 16:21 Some ancient authorities read Jesus Christ.
- Matthew 16:22 Or, God have mercy on thee
- Matthew 16:27 Greek doing.
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