THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW ~ Chapter 16
The Pharisees and Sadducees came around and,
to try Him out, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. Yeshua answered
them, “In the evening you say, ‘the weather tomorrow will be fine, for the sky
is red.’ And in the morning you say, ‘we shall have a storm today, for the sky
is red and threatening.’ Yes, you know how to read the signs in the heavens,
but can’t you read the signs of the times? A wicked and immoral generation demands
a sign, but you will get no other sign than that of the prophet Jonah.” Then He
left them and went His way.
When the disciples now went to the opposite
shore, they forgot to take bread along. Yeshua said to them, “Look out! Beware
the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” They started to discuss the matter
among themselves, saying, ‘He said this because we didn’t take bread along.’
Yeshua, observing this said, “Why are you arguing about not having bread? O you
of little faith! Don’t you understand? Can you not remember the 5000 fed by the
5 loaves, and the number of baskets you took up? Have you also forgotten the
4000 fed by the 7 loaves, and how many baskets you again filled? Why can’t you
see that I was not talking about bread when I warned you to be on your guard
against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?” Then it dawned on them that
He had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of
the Pharisees and Sadducees.
As Yeshua came into the neighborhood of
Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people think the Son of Man
is?” They answered, ‘Some say John the Baptist, and others Elijah. Still others
think He is Jeremiah or another of the prophets.’ “But as for you,” He asked, “Who
do you think I am?” Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Mashiach (the Christ) – Ben
Elohim Chayim (the Son of the living God).’ “And you, Simon, son of Jonah,”
Yeshua said, “you are blessed, for no human being has revealed this to you, but
Elohim (My heavenly Father). And now I tell you that you are Peter, and on this
rock I shall build My Church, and the powers of death shall not overthrow it. I
shall give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven; ad whatsoever you make free on earth shall
be freed in heaven.” He then warned His disciples to be sure not to tell anyone
that He was Mashiach.
From that time Yeshua tried to make it clear
to His disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer many things at the
hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes – that He had to be killed but
that He would rise again on the 3rd day. Peter, however, took Him aside
and protestingly said to Him, ‘Elohei (God) forbid! This shall never happen to
You, Adonai (Lord)!’ But, turning to Peter, He replied, “Get behind Me Lucifer!
You are an offense to Me, for your thoughts are not Elohei's thoughts, but man’s.”
Yeshua also said to His disciples, “If anyone
wants to be My disciple, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow
Me. If anyone is anxious to save his life, he will lose it; but he who gives up
his life for My sake, he will find life. For what would it benefit a man if he
gained the whole world but lost his soul? But the Son of man will come in the
glory of the Father. He will be accompanied by His angels, and He will reward
each one according to His works. Truly I say that some of those standing here
will not taste of death until they shall have seen the Son of Man coming into
His Kingdom.”
