This commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
5And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
8Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
10Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
There is no man, no flesh and blood who is able to come to Jesus or understand who He is unless God does something first. But notice the Father only gives the ability to come, it is not guaranteed the person will come:
”No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” John 6:44. How does He draw? John 6:45 tells us it is by His word.
The person must listen and respond, Peter did, many Jews were drawn (Hosea 11:4, Jeremiah 31:3, Hebrews 1:1, John 5:37-38) and yet refused this drawing (Hosea 11:5, Zechariah 7:11-12, Nehemiah 9:29, John 5:38)
How has the Father revealed Jesus to people or how has He drawn? In John 6:45 we are told and notice, it is to every man:
“It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”
The Father gave the ability to come to Jesus through hearing and learning from the Father. He is not describing a special mystical act on only a few people, He is describing God’s teaching ministry through Scripture, prophets, and His dealings with Israel. Peter and anyone could understand this if they simply heard and learned what the Father had given.
Furthermore, Jesus has the same voice as the Father. If a person listened to the Father they would then listen to Jesus when He showed up (John 14:10, John 12:49–50, John 7:16, John 8:26, John 17:8).
Peter was blessed because he had ears to hear
Jesus tells us that we must be careful to hear properly. The Jews did not do this and what truth they had was taken from them as Jesus blinded them through parables. They refused God’s drawing through His word and thus were not blessed:
It’s up to us to hear
Luke 8:18 “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
The Jews refused to hear
Matthew 13:15 “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them”
Jesus says we must have ears to hear
Matthew 11:16 ”He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” See also Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:9.
The disciples heard and kept the word of God
John 17:6 “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.” They had good soil as Luke 8:15 tells us they 1) heard and 2) kept the word.
The disciples were blessed because they heard
Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19And 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.
20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
28Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
16
Matthew 16 — Forever Word commentary
King James VersionThis commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
5And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
8Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
10Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
There is no man, no flesh and blood who is able to come to Jesus or understand who He is unless God does something first. But notice the Father only gives the ability to come, it is not guaranteed the person will come:
”No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” John 6:44. How does He draw? John 6:45 tells us it is by His word.
The person must listen and respond, Peter did, many Jews were drawn (Hosea 11:4, Jeremiah 31:3, Hebrews 1:1, John 5:37-38) and yet refused this drawing (Hosea 11:5, Zechariah 7:11-12, Nehemiah 9:29, John 5:38)
How has the Father revealed Jesus to people or how has He drawn? In John 6:45 we are told and notice, it is to every man:
“It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”
The Father gave the ability to come to Jesus through hearing and learning from the Father. He is not describing a special mystical act on only a few people, He is describing God’s teaching ministry through Scripture, prophets, and His dealings with Israel. Peter and anyone could understand this if they simply heard and learned what the Father had given.
Furthermore, Jesus has the same voice as the Father. If a person listened to the Father they would then listen to Jesus when He showed up (John 14:10, John 12:49–50, John 7:16, John 8:26, John 17:8).
Peter was blessed because he had ears to hear
Jesus tells us that we must be careful to hear properly. The Jews did not do this and what truth they had was taken from them as Jesus blinded them through parables. They refused God’s drawing through His word and thus were not blessed:
It’s up to us to hear
Luke 8:18 “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
The Jews refused to hear
Matthew 13:15 “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them”
Jesus says we must have ears to hear
Matthew 11:16 ”He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” See also Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:9.
The disciples heard and kept the word of God
John 17:6 “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.” They had good soil as Luke 8:15 tells us they 1) heard and 2) kept the word.
The disciples were blessed because they heard
Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19And 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.
20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
28Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.