Matthew Chapter 16 {Verses 1-12 Confusion} {Verses 1-4 Confusion brought by Religion} {The Unholy Alliance - Pharisees join Sadducees and Demands a Sign} 16:1~~Now when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus {testing to discover something - here they are hoping to find a flaw}, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. {Note: The Sanhedran was made of 4 religious groups with different criterion. Two of these made up the nationalist party: 1) the Pharisees-the religious zealots who believed in the supernatural, used legalism and tradition and 2) the Sadducees-the aristocrats of the land, used rationalism and did not believe in anything they could not see. While opposed to each other they were willing to bury their differences long enough to try to eliminate the Lord Jesus Christ, thus the unholy alliance.} {The indictment of the unholy alliance} 16:2-3~~He {Jesus} said, "When evening comes you always say, 'fair weather . . . because the sky is fiery red' . . . 16:3~~ and in the morning, 'stormy weather . . . because the sky is fiery red and cloudy.' You know how to examine the appearance of the sky, but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times." {Note: The signs of the coming of Messiah are the miracles described in Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Zechariah. Jesus has already demonstrated the signs of the Messiah! They should be able to turn to the Word of God and recognize Him as Messiah. They are demonstrating negative volition. Since they reject the signs of miracles He gives them something more powerful - doctrine!} 16:4~~"An unbelieving {poneros} and religious {moichalis} generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." "And He {Jesus}, having left them {phased them out mentally}, went away. {Note: Poneros means wicked. Here it is technical for an unbeliever - they have no justification through faith} {Note: Moichalis means "adulterous" but it is a technical word for "religious". They have committed spiritual adultery through religion} {Note: See Matthew 12: 28-30 for the explanation. Bible doctrine is far superior to miracles} {Verses 1-12 Confusion} {The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees} 16:5~~When the disciples went to the other side {the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee} they had forgotten to take bread. {Note: The disciples are still 'babies in doctrine' and are constantly forgetting things and having a hard time in learning things. Just had two miracles concerning bread, but they forget to bring bread!} {Jesus' Analogy of yeast in bread to an infection of religion} 16:6~~ "Watch out," Jesus said to them, "beware of the yeast/leaven {false doctrine or false criterian} of the Pharisees and Sadducees." {Note: Yeast is the false doctrine of religious or traditional legalism based on false criteria (see Matt.13:33 footnote)}. {Disciples show their low level of thinking power at this point in their spiritual growth} 16:7~~So they pondered among themselves, saying, "because we brought no bread?" 16:8~~ Jesus perceiving this . . . Jesus said, "People of a little faith {saved and that is about it}, why are you reasoning among yourselves about having brought no bread?" 16:9~~"Don't you understand yet {no perception}? Don't you remember {lack of concentration when being taught} the five loaves for the five thousand {men plus the women and children}, and how many baskets you took up?" 16:10~~"Or the seven loaves for the four thousand {men plus the women and children} and how many baskets you took up?" 16:11~~"How could you not understand that I {Jesus} did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" 16:12~~Then they understood that He had not told them to keep on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the {false} doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. {Peter's Confession} 16:13~~When Jesus came to the area {ruled by the tetrarch Herod Phillip in the city}of Caesarea-Philippi, He {Jesus} asked His disciples, "Who do people say I, the Son of Man, am?" 16:14~~They answered, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 16:15~~He {Jesus} said to them over and over, "And who do you say that I am?" 16:16~~Simon Peter answered, "You keep on being The Christ {the Messiah} . . . the Son of the living God {Deity}." {Note: Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union - 100% man and 100% Deity all in one man - Christ.} {A warning to all sophomores - a little doctrine is dangerous - should not be a source of Pride} 16:17~~And Jesus answered Him {Peter}, "You are blessed {have a little doctrine}, Simon . . . son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven! {God the Father is the source of divine viewpoint, the Author of the Plan}" 16:18~~"And I {Jesus} tell you that you are Peter {petros} . . . and upon this Mountain {petra - the God/Man} I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. {Note: Petros means a chip out of rock. A piece of the mountain that came off the mountain, but is not the mountain. SideNote: 'Peter' in Aramaic is Cephus. Paul calls Peter 'Cephus', for example, in I Corinthians.} {Note: Petra means a huge rock or a mountain. Petros and Petra are close words in the Greek but are completely different in meaning. Petra IS the Mountain! Jesus is having a play on Words indicating that Peter is a part of the Body of Christ. But , Jesus Christ is the MOUNTAIN! Jesus is also called 'the cornerstone' on which the church is built - ' THE Rock'. } 16:19~~"I {Jesus} will give {modifies I will build in previous verse} you all {plural - all believers} the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatsoever you shall bind {decisions for Christ} on the earth - maybe you will, maybe you will not - will have been bound in the sphere of heaven {perfect tense means 'with permanent results' -one shot decision with permanent results forever and ever - eternal security of salvation} . . . and whatever you release on earth will have been released from heaven." {Note: The 'keys' are given 10 days before the day of Pentecost. The keys are the prerogative and ability to witness for Jesus Christ. The syntax in John 20:23 is exactly the same as the next verse. You make a deal - declare the gospel and if they respond, it is binding at the 'home office' in heaven. But if they reject the gospel, it is also rejected in heaven.} {Interim command for the disciples} 16:20~~Then He {Jesus} commanded His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ {Jesus had to present Himself to Israel per Old Testament Scriptures}. {Note: Verse 20 is the interim command. The interim is the time from which Jesus spoke here . . . until the beginning of the Church Age. "Then he charged his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." The word "charge" means to command, a strict command. Why? Jesus must finish His ministry of signs, He must finish His ministry to Israel, He must speak for Himself, He must present His own credit card, and the keys will not be given out until the day of Pentecost. Therefore they must recognize that Jesus must present Himself. There is another reason also . . . the disciples are not ready to present Him, they are still a little short on doctrine.} {Jesus' First Prediction of His Death and Resurrection} 16:21~~From that point of time on Jesus began to keep on clearly revealing to His disciples - to their advantage- that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes {experts in the law}, and receive {spiritual} death . . . and on the third day be raised. {Jesus taught them this over and over} {Note: This 'point in time' refers to the time Jesus began to prophesy about the Church Age, which was never heard of before.} {Note: The active tense of 'go to Jerusalem and suffer' indicates His positive volition to do so. In contract, the passive voice on death indicates he RECEIVED death and this is spiritual death in view here and He did not raise Himself - God the Father AND God the Holy Spirit raised Him.} {Peter's bad advice} 16:22~~So Peter admitted {proslambano} Him into his society and began to mildly keep on rebuking Him {dative of dignity - as an equal}, and kept on saying and saying, "Far be it, Lord! {idiom meaning- 'God help you, Lord (God)'} This {Jesus' spiritual death on the cross} must not happen." {Note: Proslambano means to admit someone into your society. This is a little fat-headedness from Peter. Just correctly called Jesus God and is now arrogantly talking as if they were equals.} {Stiffest Repute to any disciple - Jesus to Peter} 16:23~~But He whirled about aggressively and said to Peter, "Go away, Satan!" "You are a stumbling block to Me, because you do not think the things of God {divine viewpoint} . . . but the things of man {human viewpoint}." {Note: Peter was hard headed. Jesus hit him over the head with a shovel by calling him Satan! He was not Satan and both knew it! And, Jesus said 'Hupago Satanas'. We would say 'Drop DEAD SATAN! This is very similar to what Satan tempted Jesus with in Matthew 4 - bypass the cross and have the kingdom by worshiping me (Satan) - only said 'nicer'. Jesus rejects the 'human good' viewpoint of Peter wanting to save Jesus the physical pain and blood of the cross! But He HAD to go to the cross to save all mankind - Divine viewpoint! At this point in time, Peter just does not understand doctrine yet!} {Note: A 'stumbling block' here refers to any believer who is ignorant of Bible doctrine or divine viewpoint. They are a stumbling block to the Plan of God. The cross MUST come before the Kingdom!} 16:24~~Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone keeps on desiring to 'come after'/follow Me {positive volition - being occupied with Christ} - and you do - disregard self {rejection of human good - and it is an order} and pick up your cross {execution of divine good} and keep on following Me." {Note: This 'cross' is not Calvary's cross. Instead it is the cross of Peter in Phase II . . . the same as with us also in Phase II. It refers to the willingness to set aside that which the world counts important (human good) and substitute for it God's plan (divine good). In other words, forget human viewpoint (walking in the flesh) for divine viewpoint (walk by the Filling of the Holy Spirit.} {Amplification on principal on Phase II} 16:25~~"For whoever keeps on desiring to save his soul {through salvation - entrance into Phase I - Faith in Christ} - maybe you will, maybe you will not - will make it null and void {the 'soulish man' dies - no human good}. But whoever shall lose his soul {setting aside legalism and energy of the flesh} on account of Me . . . shall find it {finds divine good and your very own spiritual life - no 'energy of the flesh works' only divine good produced under the filling of the Holy spirit. And, the future tense here indicates this is a logical progression}." {Note: To lose your life refers to phase II - giving up your own life of human good, you belong to the Lord. Analogous to picking up your cross} {Emphasizes the Necessity of the Cross} 16:26~~"For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world {as his own profit} - maybe he will, maybe he will not - but lose his soul? {There IS NO PROFIT} Or what can a person give in exchange for his soul?" {YOU can not pay anything! All human good is EXCLUDED! You can NOT buy salvation! Instead Jesus redeemed you from the slave market of sin at the cross. He made the payment in full - YOU can not even pay the tip!} {The Transfiguration} {Chapter 17 should begin here per RBT -and end in the middle of 18} 16:27~~For the Son of Man {title for Jesus with emphasis on His humanity} is destined to come {at the 2nd Advent} in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each one on the basis of their production. 16:28 In truth, there are some standing here who will not taste {physical} death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." ************************************************ This page is sponsored by Kenneth Sidley, CPA, an Orange County California CPA (949) 706-3133. Please call Ken for high quality, low cost CPA services in Orange County California. This includes audit, review, compilation, tax returns, Quickbooks, and business consulting services. This page is sponsored by Moxxor For Pain Free Living. Moxxor is a highly concentrated Omega 3 product that has reduced inflammation in this writer. 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