Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

The Leaders Ask for a Miracle

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus. They wanted to trap him. So they asked him to show them a miracle to prove that he was from God.

² Jesus answered,^[a] “When you see the sunset, you know what the weather will be. If the sky is red, then you say we will have good weather. ³ And in the morning if the sky is dark and red, then you say that it will be a rainy day. You see these signs in the sky, and you know what they mean. In the same way, you see the things that are happening now. But you don’t know their meaning. ⁴ Evil and sinful people ask for a miracle as a sign. But they will have no sign—only the sign of Jonah.”^[b] Then Jesus left them and went away.

Guard Against Wrong Teachings

⁵ Jesus and his followers went across the lake. But the followers forgot to bring bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “Be careful! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

⁷ The followers discussed the meaning of this. They said, “Did Jesus say this because we forgot to bring bread?”

⁸ Jesus knew that they were talking about this. So he asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small. ⁹ You still don’t understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the 5,000 people? And remember that you filled many baskets with bread after the people finished eating? ¹⁰ And remember the seven loaves of bread that fed the 4,000 people? Remember that you filled many baskets then also? ¹¹ So I was not talking to you about bread. Why don’t you understand that? I am telling you to be careful and guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” ¹² Then the followers understood what Jesus meant. He was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread. He was telling them to guard against the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ

¹³ Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. He said to his followers, “I am the Son of Man. Who do the people say I am?”

¹⁴ They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah. And others say that you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ Then Jesus asked them, “And who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah. No person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. ¹⁸ So I tell you, you are Peter.^[c] And I will build my church on this rock. The power of death will not be able to defeat my church. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The things you don’t allow on earth will be the things that God does not allow. The things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.” ²⁰ Then Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Jesus Says That He Must Die

²¹ From that time on Jesus began telling his followers that he must go to Jerusalem. He explained that the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law would make him suffer many things. And he told them that he must be killed. Then, on the third day, he would be raised from death.

²² Peter took Jesus aside and began to criticize him. Peter said, “God save you from those things, Lord! Those things will never happen to you!”

²³ Then Jesus said to Peter, “Go away from me, Satan!^[d] You are not helping me! You don’t care about the things of God. You care only about things that men think are important.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his followers, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. He must be willing even to die on a cross, and he must follow me. ²⁵ Whoever wants to save his life will give up true life. And whoever gives up his life for me will have true life. ²⁶ It is worth nothing for a man to have the whole world if he loses his soul. He could never pay enough to buy back his soul. ²⁷ The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will reward everyone for what he has done. ²⁸ I tell you the truth. There are some people standing here who, before they die, will see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.”

Jesus with Moses and Elijah

17 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John the brother of James up on a high mountain. They were all alone there. ² While they watched, Jesus was changed. His face became bright like the sun. And his clothes became white as light. ³ Then two men were there, talking with him. The men were Moses and Elijah.^[e]

⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I will put three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While Peter was talking, a bright cloud covered them. A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son and I love him. I am very pleased with him. Obey him!”

⁶ The followers with Jesus heard the voice. They were so frightened that they fell to the ground. ⁷ But Jesus went to them and touched them. He said, “Stand up. Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When the followers looked up, they saw Jesus was now alone.

⁹ When Jesus and the followers were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the things you saw on the mountain. Wait until the Son of Man has been raised from death. Then you may tell.”

¹⁰ The followers asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first, before the Christ comes?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah is coming. And it is true that Elijah will make everything the way it should be. ¹² But I tell you, Elijah has already come. People did not know who he was. They did to him everything they wanted to do. It will be the same with the Son of Man. Those same people will make the Son of Man suffer.” ¹³ Then the followers understood that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Sick Boy

¹⁴ Jesus and his followers went back to the crowd. A man came to Jesus and bowed before him. ¹⁵ The man said, “Lord, please help my son. He has epilepsy^[f] and is suffering very much. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your followers, but they could not cure him.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. Your lives are all wrong. How long must I stay with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you? Bring the boy here.” ¹⁸ Jesus gave a strong command to the demon inside the boy. Then the demon came out, and the boy was healed.

¹⁹ The followers came to Jesus when he was alone. They said, “Why couldn’t we force the demon out?”

²⁰ Jesus answered, “You were not able to drive out the demon because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth. If your faith is as big as a mustard seed,^[g] you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And the mountain will move. All things will be possible for you. ²¹ [That kind of spirit comes out only if you use prayer and give up eating.]”^[h]

Jesus Talks About His Death

²² Later, the followers met together in Galilee. Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man will be given into the control of some men. ²³ They will kill him, but on the third day he will be raised from death.” And the followers were filled with sadness.

Jesus Talks About Paying Taxes

²⁴ Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. There some men came to Peter. They were the men who collected the Temple tax. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

²⁵ Peter answered, “Yes, Jesus pays the tax.”

Peter went into the house where Jesus was. Before Peter could speak, Jesus said to him, “The kings on the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who are the people who pay the taxes? Are they the king’s children? Or do others pay the taxes? What do you think?”

²⁶ Peter answered, “Other people pay the taxes.”

Jesus said to Peter, “Then the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes. ²⁷ But we don’t want to make these tax collectors angry. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth. Inside its mouth you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors. That will pay the tax for you and me.”