Warnings against the Sadducees and the Pharisees

The Sadducees and the Pharisees seek a sign from Jesus

1) The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
2) He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' 3) and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4) A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.
 

Their remarkable working in unison shows a real anxiety among them; the Sadducees and Pharisees were long-standing enemies; the fact that they can come together against Jesus shows that they regard Him as an extremely serious threat.

Jesus had done many signs and they remain unconvinced; they are looking for sign from heaven (such as calling down fire from heaven, preferably against a Roman legion!), as opposed to the signs "on earth" Jesus had been doing. Tradition held that a sign done on earth could be a counterfeit from Satan, but signs done from heaven (in or from the sky) were assumed to be from God.

Jesus condemns their hypocrisy; they feel confident about predicting the weather from the signs they see around them, but are blind to the signs regarding Jesus' Messianic credentials right before their eyes. The Jews of Jesus' day had a proverb, saying that if all the hypocrites in the world were divided into ten parts, Jerusalem would contain nine of the ten parts.

This reminds that signs, in and of themselves, converts no one; we can place far too much confidence in signs as events which will bring people to faith in Jesus. The problem isn't that the signs are themselves weak, but that they are coming to a wicked and adulterous generation.

However, Jesus promises them a sign, one that will have power to bring people to faith: His own resurrection.

“Signs of the times”: The signs of the end, to know what time it is on God’s clock.

“Sign of the prophet Jonah”: Second time that Jesus has used the prophet Jonah as a “sign of the times” (12:40).

Some scholars believe that this has a double fulfillment. The first fulfillment is, indeed, as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the son of man spend three days and three nights in the belly of the earth: this clearly refers to Jesus’ resurrection.

Some scholars believe that the second fulfillment refers to the nation Israel and will be a sign when they, as a prerequisite condition to the second coming of Jesus Christ, the remnant petitions for Him to save them and after the third day He comes and intervenes.

Jesus cautions the disciples against false teaching

5) When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6) "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7) They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8) Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9) Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10) Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11) How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12) Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

It is easy to be judgmental of the spiritual insensitivity of the disciples, until we take an honest look at our own.

Jesus impresses the importance of being on guard against false teaching; leaven, here, as always, is a sign of corruption, especially that of an insidious nature.

Peter confesses Jesus as Christ

Jesus asks the disciples to tell Him who others say He is?

13) When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

Remember that Jesus is not asking this out of insecurity or a lack of full awareness of who He is; nor is He really seeking a public opinion poll. Jesus is asking this because He wants His disciples to know who He is.

A pointed question and a pointed answer 

14) They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15) "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16) Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
 

The general tendency of people was to underestimate Jesus; to ascribe to Him a measure of respect and honor, but to fall far short of honoring Him for who He really is.

Who do you say that I am? This is the question placed before all who hear of Jesus; and it is we, not He, who are judged by our answer. In fact, we answer this question every day by what we believe and do; if we really believe Jesus is who He says He is, it will affect the way that we live.

Peter boldly exclaims the truth about Jesus; that He is not only the Messiah, but God as well. The Jews properly thought that to be the Son of the living God, in a unique sense, was to make a claim to deity itself.

Jesus commends Peter for His bold, and correct declaration  

17) Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18) And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20) Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
 

Jesus reveals to Peter that he was speaking by divine inspiration, even if he didn't even know it at the time. We too often expect God to speak in strange and unnatural ways; here God spoke through Peter naturally.

You are Peter is not only a recognition of Peter's more Roman name, but it is a promise of God's work in Peter - Peter is, and will be a rock, and God will transform his naturally extreme character into something solid and reliable.

The words this rock have been the source of much controversy; it is best to see them as referring to either Jesus Himself (perhaps Jesus gesturing to Himself as He said this), or as referring to Peter's confession of who Jesus is. Peter, by His own testimony, did not see himself as the rock on which the church was founded; he says that we are living stones, but Jesus is the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-7).

Jesus also offers a promise; the forces of death and darkness can't prevail against or conquer the church; this is a precious promise in the heat of battle - victory is sure.

Notice also Jesus makes a clear claim of ownership; He calls us My church - the church belongs to Jesus. 

Jesus also says that Peter has the keys of the kingdom of heaven; this isn't that he admits people to heaven, but that Peter opened the door of the kingdom to both the Jews (Acts 2:38-39) and the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-44).

The power for binding and loosing may also be thought of in a rabbinic sense; of being able to set the boundaries authoritatively for the New Covenant community - this was the authority given to the apostles and prophets to build a foundation (Ephesians 2:20).

Jesus is pleased that His disciples are coming to know who He is in truth, but He still doesn't want His identity spread abroad before the proper time.

Jesus begins to reveal the full extent of His mission

21) From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

This must have come as quite a shock to His disciples; after fully understanding that Jesus was the Messiah, the last thing they expected was the Messiah would suffer many things and be killed.

Peter's unwitting opposition of Jesus

22) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23) Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
 

Peter's intent was love for Christ, but he was unwittingly used of Satan; you don't have to be demon possessed to be used of Satan and we need to be on guard lest we are unwittingly used.

We must always understand that a sincere heart, with man's thinking, can often lead to disaster.

Jesus' call to disciples

Jesus has announced that He is going to Jerusalem to die, so He expects His followers to follow in His footsteps by dying to self

24) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Death to self is the radical command of the Christian life; to take up your cross meant one thing: you were going to a certain death, and your only hope was in resurrection power.

Death to self is always terrible; if we expect it to be a pleasant experience, we will always be wrong.

Are you God centered or self centered? Jesus presents quite a "grown-up" gospel to us here, one that does not merely pander to our desires, but challenges us in our deepest being.

The paradox: finding life by losing it

25) For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26) What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27) For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Jesus asks us to look beyond immediate gratification, because the immediate loss is worth the ultimate gain, even though the loss is completely repulsive to our flesh.

This ultimate gain is given on that day when He will reward each according to his works; if we live life blind to this truth, we really will lose our own soul.

A promise to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom

28) I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

What did Jesus mean by this? The answer is in the following chapter.

Chapter 17

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