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Matthew 16

1The Pharisees and Sadducees approached and, to test him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He answered them, “When evening comes, you say, ‘Fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3And in the morning, ‘Stormy weather today, for the sky is red and gloomy.’ You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

5When the disciples came to the other side, they had forgotten to take loaves. 6Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7They discussed this among themselves, saying, “We did not take loaves.” 8Jesus knew this and said, “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you did not take loaves, you of little faith? 9Do you still not understand, or remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you collected? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you collected? 11How do you not understand that I was not speaking to you about loaves? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in loaves, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14They said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But you—who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” 20Then he ordered the disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

21From then on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day. 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “May God spare you, Lord! This will certainly not happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God's concerns, but on human concerns.” 24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26For what benefit will a person have if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28Truly I tell you, some of those standing here will certainly not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Translation notes 7

16:2–3 — Weather sayings. The sayings are present in the base; the edition apparatus records Westcott–Hort marking them with double brackets. Some ancient witnesses omit the passage from “When evening comes” through verse 3. Its originality is uncertain; it is retained without brackets as the provisional base reading. “Face of the sky” preserves the image.

16:5–12 — Leaven and loaves. Leaven is the fermenting agent in bread. The disciples mistake the image for a comment about their supplies; verse 12 explains it as teaching. The two feeding accounts and their distinct basket words are both recalled.

16:17–18 — Flesh and blood; Peter and rock. “Flesh and blood” describes a human source. Peter's name, Greek Petros, and “rock,” petra, form a wordplay. The immediate address connects Peter with the rock; the wording does not settle every later question about succession or church authority.

16:18 — Assembly and Hades. “Assembly” describes Jesus' community, not a church building. Hades is the realm of the dead; the gates evoke death's power. NASB 2020 likewise uses “Hades” here. This is distinct from Gehenna, the judgment term used in 10:28.

16:19 — Binding and loosing. The keys and the binding/loosing language concern authority. The Greek has a future form of “be” with a perfect passive participle, represented by “will have been bound/loosed.” “Will be bound/loosed” is another defensible rendering. The grammar alone does not resolve every question about the sequence of heavenly and earthly decisions.

16:22–26 — Spare you; stumbling; life. “May God spare you” expands a compact expression of wishing mercy or avoidance of disaster; “God” is understood rather than expressed. Peter's rebuke and Jesus' reply are both retained. The cross is an instrument of execution. “Life” is the Greek word also rendered “soul” in 10:28; both its saving and losing remain in view here.

16:28 — Taste death and coming. The death idiom means experiencing death. The coming's precise referent is disputed, including the following mountain revelation, resurrection, and final coming. The promise to some standing there is retained without adding an explanation to the reading text.