Podcasts about Matthew 16

An unhurried daily meditation using the Bible, prayer, and reflection led by Pastor Jon Ciccarelli, Discipleship Pastor of Crosswalk Church in Redlands, CA, and Director of Discipleship for Crosswalk Global.If you are enjoying the podcast please go to Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify and share your rating and a review as your input will help bring awareness of this discipleship resource to more listeners around the world.To learn more about Abide and discipleship go to www.crosswalkvillage.com/discipleshipPlease feel free to reach out to us at jon@crosswalkvillage.com any time with your comments and questions. Thanks and blessings!

Greetings and welcome! This is our daily devotional for February 25, 2026. Today, we continue our series on Matthew in Chapter 16, where Jesus continues to teach His disciples about His Kingdom coming and the importance of His death and resurrection. In doing so, the Lord teaches us a lesson on priorities and reveals the Big Picture. Thanks for joining us!

Greetings and welcome! This is our daily devotional for February 24, 2026. Today, we continue our series on Matthew, specifically in Chapter 16, where Jesus reveals our true calling as His followers: to take up our crosses and follow Him. But what a wonderful promise He gives that by losing our lives, we will find them. Thanks for joining us!

Jesus asked His disciples the most crucial question anyone will ever face: Who do you say that I am? At Caesarea Philippi, surrounded by temples to false gods, Peter gave the perfect answer: You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. This wasn't just human wisdom but divine revelation. Your answer to this question determines your eternal destiny and transforms how you live. Many people acknowledge Jesus existed or admire His teachings, but Christ requires allegiance, not just acknowledgment. The church is built on this foundational truth, and neither death nor hell can prevail against it.

在忙碌的城市生活中，心靈常渴望一處安歇。我們以7–10分鐘的短篇靈修，帶領聽眾在日常節奏裡遇見神。內容涵蓋聖經經文反思、生命見證與屬靈啟示，幫助人在繁忙中停下腳步，重新對齊屬靈方向。 每一集都是與神對話的邀請，讓聽眾透過簡單卻深刻的分享，經歷聖靈更新與心靈滋潤。無論在通勤、休息或安靜時刻，都能透過這平台得到信仰餵養。 《城市使命》 願成為城市中的一盞柔光，照亮屬靈之路，引領你在日常中活出信仰，經歷神的真實同在。 In the hustle and bustle of city life, the soul often longs for a place of rest. We offer 7–10 minute short devotionals to help listeners encounter God amidst their daily rhythm. Featuring biblical reflections, life testimonies, and spiritual insights, we help you pause and realign your spiritual compass. Each episode is an invitation to dialogue with God—a space to experience the Holy Spirit's renewal and soul-deep nourishment through simple yet profound sharing. Whether you are commuting, taking a break, or in a quiet moment, this platform provides the spiritual feeding you need. "CityMission" aspires to be a gentle light in the city, illuminating your spiritual path and guiding you to live out your faith while experiencing God's real presence in the everyday.

What informs you will ultimately form you. In this message from Matthew 16:1–12, Jesus warns His disciples to "beware of the leaven" of the Pharisees and Sadducees—a powerful reminder that small influences can have massive spiritual impact. Just like yeast quietly works through dough, subtle ideas, attitudes, and relationships can shape our faith from the inside out. As religious leaders demanded signs with skeptical hearts, Jesus exposed the danger of bad teaching, a critical spirit, and corrupt company. A little compromise may seem harmless, but left unchecked, it can redirect your worldview, harden your heart, and erode your trust in God. This message challenges us to take inventory: What voices are shaping your understanding of God? Are you hearing truth with surrender—or with critique? Who has the strongest influence in your life? Jesus' warning isn't meant to create fear, but faithfulness. Guard your heart. Guard your mind. Surround yourself with people who strengthen your calling. Because a little leaven can either corrupt your character—or, when rooted in truth, cultivate Christlikeness. Stay vigilant. Protect your faith. Small influences create big impact.  

Greetings and welcome! This is our daily devotional for February 23, 2026. Today, we continue our series on Matthew in Chapter 16, where Peter rebukes Jesus because He doesn't fit into Peter's plans. Make sure you don't miss Jesus because He doesn't fit into your plans, too! Thanks for joining us!

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The sermon centers on the indispensable truth that no cross, no crown—victory for believers is only possible through following Jesus in His suffering, death, and resurrection. Drawing from Matthew 16:21–28, it reveals how Jesus, after His divine identity was affirmed by Peter, began to disclose the necessity of His suffering in Jerusalem, not as defeat, but as the divinely ordained means of conquering sin, death, and Satan. This revelation, met with Peter's vehement rebuke, is met with a stinging correction: Peter, though sincere, is rebuked as Satan because he opposes God's redemptive plan, revealing how human desires for immediate triumph and glory distort the gospel. The sermon underscores that Jesus' path to glory was through the cross, a pattern that defines the Christian life—true discipleship requires denying oneself, taking up one's cross, and following Christ, not as a call to avoid suffering, but as a promise of eternal reward. The message is both a warning against worldly shortcuts and a profound encouragement: even in failure, God sovereignly shapes His people, and every believer, like Peter, can finish the race in faithful endurance, because the victory has already been won through Christ's sacrifice.

The most important question you'll ever answer isn't on a test or a job application — it's the one Jesus himself asks: "Who do you say that I am?" In this message from Matthew 16, Pastor Joel Hastings takes us to one of the most unlikely places in the ancient world — Caesarea Philippi, a city overflowing with pagan temples, chaos, and false gods — and shows us why Jesus chose that backdrop to ask that question. Pastor Joel walks through Peter's bold confession, Jesus renaming Simon to Peter, and what it means that Jesus promised to build his church on the very Gates of Hell. The sermon lands with a challenge: your words about Jesus matter far less than how your life actually answers the question — and no matter what your past looks like, Jesus is the one who gets to rename you and give you a new identity. Here's a couple key takeaways • The world will get close to who Jesus is, but close isn't enough — he can only be a liar, a lunatic, or Lord, and your life (not just your words) reveals what you truly believe. • Jesus renames Peter from "reed" to "rock" — and in the same way, your identity, value, and purpose are determined by what Jesus says about you, not your past. • The Church doesn't hide from the Gates of Hell — it attacks them. You've been given a new name and invited into a mission, so don't shrink back from the broken places around you.

Sermon Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13uHx9NCQBgjqegXRBNAOJ6rfZWbreunm/view?usp=drive_linkSubscribe to our channel:https://www.youtube.com/shepherdshouseazWebsite: shepherdsaz.orgInstagram: @shepherdshouseazFacebook: /shepherdshouseazTiktok: @shepherdshouseazYoutube: /shepherdshouseaz

Matthew 16:13-20 English Standard Version Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. English Standard Version (ESV) The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.ESV Text Edition: 2025.

Lifevineyard.org Lent is a season to slow down, reflect with Jesus, and move intentionally toward the hope of Easter. In this six-week series, The Christ, we explore who Jesus truly is and what His authority means for our lives today. Together we discover His power to save, strengthen, heal, forgive, and make all things new, not just someday, but right now. We meet every Sunday at 10am in Mahomet.   You are welcome and wanted here at Life, we'd love to see you this Sunday. Lifevineyard.org

Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord.  We celebrate this truth throughout life and look ahead to an eternity with our God all because of who Christ is and what he accomplished in saving us from our sins. We also journey through life aware of the dangers that threaten us and seek to drag us away from our God. Matthew 16 urges us to not only be aware of these dangers, but to also flee to our God and his Word for safety and protection.

In this episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony slow down over Christ's words in Matthew 16— especially the phrase “my Church”—to clarify that the Church is first Christ's possession and work, not ours. They trace how Orthodox ecclesiology comes into focus through text and context: Christ's confession, the meaning of rock (Petros/Petra), and the claim that the Church's “locus” is the faith revealed by the Father and preserved in the Church. Finally, they bring Caesarea Philippi into view as a charged setting—“the gates of Hades”—so that Christ's promise reads not as abstract poetry but as a Paschal announcement: hell will not prevail.

Greetings and welcome! This is our daily devotional for February 20, 2026. Today, we continue our series on Matthew in Chapter 16, where Jesus asks His disciples the most important question of all time: "What about you? Who do you say I am?" We answer this question with our words and our deeds. Additionally, does Matthew 16 constitute the office of Pope? Is Peter the first Pope? Thanks for joining us!

Wednesday evening message from Pastor CJ Elwood. February 18, 2026

Greetings and welcome! This is our daily devotional for February 19, 2026. Today, we continue our series on Matthew, specifically in Chapter 16, where Jesus interacts with the Pharisees and Sadducees, and where He also teaches His disciples a valuable lesson. He does the same thing with us, you know. Thanks for joining us!

Matthew 16:13-20 English Standard VersionPeter Confesses Jesus as the Christ13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.English Standard Version (ESV)The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.ESV Text Edition: 2025. 

The Holy Universal Church (Matthew 16:13-18) - Rachel Matson | February 15, 2026The Apostles Creed is one of the oldest and most important summaries of the Christian faith, anchoring us in the unchanging story of who God is and what He's done. It is like a roadmap of what Christians have believed for nearly two thousand years. As we unpack each line over the next few weeks, this series will help us understand what we believe, why we believe it, and how it shapes the way we live.The Way Church is a church in Vancouver joining Jesus in the restoration of all things. For more information, visit our website at http://thewaychurch.caLINKSConnect Form: http://connect.thewaychurch.caKids: http://thewaychurch.ca/kidsYouth: http://thewaychurch.ca/youthAlpha: http://thewaychurch.ca/alpha

Saturday, 14 February 2026   Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28   “Amen! I say to you that they are some of those having stood here who not they should taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told His disciples that the Son of Man is about to come in His kingdom, and then He will give each according to his practice. He next says, “Amen! I say to you that they are some of those having stood here.”   The Greek verb is a perfect participle. As can be seen, the NKJV fails to properly elucidate this, saying, “some standing here.” In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a translation that accurately translates the verb. Instead, they rely on a present tense or present participle rendering. But Jesus' words indicate a completed action, the results of which are still present or relevant, “having stood here.” The same perfect participle is found in the same context in Mark 9:1. Combined with the words, “some...here,” this limits the scope of what is said to those present. Of those referred to, Jesus next says they are those “who not they should taste death.”   A new word is seen, geuomai, to taste. It is used figuratively here to indicate experiencing. It is aorist subjunctive, viewing the whole as a single completed event. In other words, these will not experience death, “until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”   The meaning of this is widely debated. Is this referring to the transfiguration? Does this speak of the resurrection? Is it the beginning of the church at Pentecost? Is it the destruction of the temple in AD70? Is it referring to the millennial kingdom? And so on. Each of these has its supporters. For example, some believe that Jesus' words in John 21:22 mean that John is still alive and he will be one of the two witnesses. One of several problems with that is that the two witnesses will be killed before the Son of Man returns. Further, Jesus' words in Matthew 16:28 are plural, indicating more than one person. One of many problems with the destruction of the temple view is that Jesus didn't return in AD70. If He did, other words of Jesus would be a complete failure, such as Matthew 24:27.   There is no record of such an event, something that would not be lacking. That is an unbiblical attempt by preterists to dismiss any future prophecy, including the restoration of national Israel as a literal, historical event.   The problem with the Pentecost view is that it was the Holy Spirit, not Jesus, who came upon the people in Acts 2. To conflate the meaning of one with the other is stretching the text like a rubber band, which will eventually snap. As for the resurrection view, as Jesus was not in a glorified state at the resurrection, that also seems to be a stretch of the intent.   The account that is noted next at the beginning of Matthew 17 follows in the same manner in all three synoptic gospels, which is a strong hint that tells us that the transfiguration is what Jesus is referring to. It is a kingdom foretaste for the benefit of the disciples. As it is recorded in the word, it is thus provided as a benefit for all.   This glorified state was then viewed by John when he received the book of Revelation, including Jesus' return in Revelation 19. For a fuller and more complete explanation of the details of Matthew 16, please continue reading the life application section of this commentary.   Life application: Chapter 16 of Matthew is a passage that petitions the Jews of the end times to consider who Jesus is based on their own history, comparing it to how He is portrayed in Scripture.   In verse 1, Jesus was approached by the Pharisees and Sadducees, who asked for a sign from heaven. As in Chapter 15, these types of men represent the same thinking and paradigm as the rabbis of Israel today. Jesus told them that they could read the signs in the sky, but they could not discern the signs of the times.   With the coming of the end times, the Jews of Israel would naturally be expected to understand the situation they are in, but they will be clueless about the matter. In verse 4, Jesus said that the generation was wicked and adulterous, something akin to what Peter calls the Jews who rejected Jesus in Acts 2:40. Jesus continued that no sign would be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.   As explained, the sign of the prophet Jonah is the destruction of the temple, it being a year for a day based on Jonah's proclamation, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”   In the end times, the Jews will have to look to their Scriptures, understand that their temple was destroyed and they were exiled for rejecting Jesus, internalize this truth, and then have faith in Him based on that.   As an explanation of the doctrine of faith in the Messiah, in verse 5, the disciples went across the Sea of Galilee. As such, they crossed the Jordan because the Jordan runs through the sea. Being on the other (east) side signifies those who have not come through Christ to be saved. Jesus told them in verse 6 to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. They thought He was talking about bread. But He corrected them by recapping the miracles of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand.   These miracles, anticipating the salvation of Jews and Gentiles, testify to His being the Messiah. What He was warning them about was the doctrine of those false teachers, not about bread. Their doctrine is to be equated with the false doctrine of the rabbis and other law teachers of the end times who have returned to law observance, temple worship, etc. It is a warning that the end times Jews are not to follow those Satan-led examples. Faith in Jesus, as represented by the feeding of the masses, is what brings restoration with God.   In verse 13, it is noted that Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea is derived from Caesar. The idea of being a Caesar is the deification of the individual. He is attributed a god-like status. Philippi is from Philip, a lover of horses. But in Scripture, a horse is metaphorically used as a source of military pride –   “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7   Abarim rightly defines Philippi with the lengthy paraphrase, They Who Lean On Their Military Complex. It is exactly the source of pride that Israel of today is heading towards. Their military superiority is their source of pride and is exalted to god-like status. This will only increase after the battle of Gogd/Magog.   It is in this prefigured end-times state that Jesus asks them who He is. The various answers are answers you could expect from Jews. Jesus was a prophet (or false prophet) or whatever. However, Simon Peter proclaims Him the Christ. What was Jesus' response? “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah.”   The same name that was acknowledged as the sign in verse 4 is now noted by Jesus. He is Simon (Hearer) Son of Jonah. In other words, he represents the Jews who have understood (heard) the sign of Jonah. To be a son signifies identity. The end times Jews who acknowledge Jesus as the Christ are “sons of Jonah,” because they have made the connection by understanding the sign. In essence, “We missed Him when He came, but we know now who He is.”   It is on this proclamation that Jesus will build His out-calling of those in the end times. They will receive the keys to the kingdom of the heavens, entering into the millennial reign of Christ. In verse 21, Jesus spoke of His destiny to suffer and die. Peter's words of admonishment stirred Jesus to turn His back on him, call him Satan, and tell him he was not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.   It is a warning to the end times Jews that they are to accept a crucified Savior as the role of the Messiah. Israel looked, and still looks, for a conquering Messiah, but His role as the crucified Messiah is what God highlights in Him more than all else.   From there, Jesus told the disciples the words about denying themselves and losing their souls in order to save their souls. The thought is "losing their souls (meaning their lives) in order to save their souls."  It is exactly what is seen in Revelation –   “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9, 10  &   “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.” Revelation 15:2   In verse 27, it said, “For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His messengers.” This is exactingly described in Revelation 19:11 –   “And I saw the heaven having been opened. And you behold! Horse, white! And the ‘sitting upon it' being called ‘Faithful and True,' and in righteousness He judges, and He battles” (CG).   Jesus is coming in His Father's glory. In Matthew 24, it notes that in the end times, He will send out His angels (Greek: messengers) to gather His elect.   The final verse of the chapter then said, “Amen! I say to you, that they are some of those having stood here who not they will taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Again, this is exactly what occurs in Revelation. Some of the end times Jews will make it through the entire tribulation, not seeing death until they behold Jesus coming in His kingdom.   These things are gleaned from Matthew 16, forming a picture of what is coming in the future for Israel.   Lord God, how precious it is to know that You will not reject Israel, even when the whole world is imploding, You will be with them and carry them as a people through the tribulation and into the time promised to them so long ago. Thank You for Your covenant faithfulness, even to those of us who fail You constantly. Amen. Matthew 16   16 And having approached, the Pharisees and Sadducees, testing, they queried Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2And answering, He said to them, “Evening having come, you say, ‘Good weather!', for the heaven, it is red, 3and early, ‘This day... inclemency!', for glowering, the heaven, it reddens. Hypocrites! Indeed, you know to discern the face of the heaven, and the seasons' signs, not you can. 4Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and a sign – not it will be given it – if not the sign of Jonah the prophet.” And having left them, He departed.   5And His disciples, having come to the beyond, they overlooked to take bread. 6And Jesus, He said to them, “You behold, and you caution from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”   7And they deliberated in themselves, saying, “Because not we took bread!” 8And Jesus, having known, said to them, “Why – you deliberate in yourselves, little-faithed? Because you took no bread? 9You grasp, not yet, nor you recollect the five loaves – the five thousand, and how many handbaskets you took? 10Nor the seven loaves – the four thousand, and how many hampers you took? 11How not you recollect that I spoke not concerning bread to you! Caution from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they comprehended that not He said to caution from the leaven – the bread, but from the teaching – the Pharisees and Sadducees.   13And Jesus, having come to the allotments – Caesarea, the Phillipi, He entreated His disciples, saying, “Whom they say, the men, Me to be, the Son of Man?”   14And they said, “These, indeed, John the Immerser, and others Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”   15He says to them, “And you, whom you say Me to be?”   16And answering, Simon Peter, he said, “You, You are the Christ, the Son of God, the living.”   17And Jesus, answering, He said to him, “Blessed you are, Simon, Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood not it revealed to you, but My Father, the ‘in the heavens'.” 18And I also, I say to you that you, you are Peter, and upon this – the Rock – I will build My out-calling, and Hades' gates, not they will overpower her. 19And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever, if you may bind upon the earth, it will be ‘having been bound' in the heavens. And whatever, if you may loosen upon the earth, it will be ‘having been loosed' in the heavens.” 20Then He enjoined His disciples that they should say to none that He, He is Jesus the Christ.   21From then He began, Jesus, to show His disciples that it necessitates Him to depart to Jerusalem and to suffer many from the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be roused.   22And Peter, having clutched Him, he began to admonish Him, saying, “Propitious, to You, Lord! No, not it will be, this to You!”   23And, having turned, He said to Peter, “You withdraw behind Me, Satan! Snare, you are, to Me. For you think not these of God but these of men.”   24The Jesus, He said to His disciples, “If any, he desires to come after Me, let him disown himself, and he took his cross, and he follows Me. 25For whoever, if he may desire to save his soul, he will lose it. And whoever, if he may lose his soul because of Me, he will find it. 26For what it benefits a man if he may gain the whole world and he may lose his soul? Or what will he give, man, equivalent his soul? 27For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His messengers. And then He will give each according to his practice. 28Amen! I say to you, that they are some of those having stood here who not they will taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Exploring the Connection Between Matthew 16 and Nehemiah For BibleInTen.com - By DH, 14th February 2026 Welcome back to Bible in Ten! Today, we have another bonus episode as our daily commentary from CG at the Superior Word rounds off Matthew Chapter 16. Matthew's Gospel contains 28 chapters, and remarkably, it mirrors the first 28 books of the Old Testament as arranged in the Christian Bible. So in this episode, having considered Matthew 16, we'll now look at its fascinating counterpart: Book 16 of the Old Testament-Nehemiah. Nehemiah (נְחֶמְיָה / Nechemyah) means “Yah comforts.” That is appropriate because the whole book is comfort through restoration after judgment. Nehemiah functions as a historical “control text,” showing an established covenant pattern that Matthew 16 then re-presents prophetically (while still being literal history in Jesus' life, confirmed by the other Gospel writers).  Isn't the Word of God Amazing?! Let us now take a look at 12 connections which which support the summary of the chapter as detailed in the previous episode.     Unlike pairings between Matthew 14 with 2 Chronicles—where the correspondence spans a wider sweep of history across multiple dispensational stages—the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing is compressed into a narrower prophetic frame (the tribulation-period restoration conflict) and does not proceed step by step.  The lack of a perfectly locked step-by-step sequence is itself instructive.   In Matthew 14 the picture maps a long, ordered panorama where chronology matters as it spans events across Israel's history from the dispensation of law to and prophetic future carries a clearer, more sequential structure. .. But in the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing—focused on the tribulation—Scripture is not chiefly giving a detailed internal timetable; it is giving the shape of the period.   So lets turn to that shape now with these 12 steps. A Demand for a Sign and the First Opposition Matthew 16 opens with the Pharisees and Sadducees coming together to test Jesus, demanding a “sign from heaven.” It is leadership pressure-religious power trying to control the terms. Nehemiah opens with the same kind of pressure appearing as soon as restoration is announced. When Nehemiah arrives with authorization to rebuild, opposition rises immediately: Sanballat and Tobiah are “grieved” that someone came to seek Israel's good (Nehemiah 2:10). They then laugh and scorn: “What is this thing that ye do?” (2:19) The pattern is consistent: when God moves to restore, the entrenched powers demand proof, challenge legitimacy, and attempt to intimidate the work before it begins. “You Can Read the Sky… But Not the Times” Jesus says they can interpret the sky, but they cannot discern “the signs of the times.” The irony is that the very men claiming insight are the ones blind to what God is doing. Nehemiah carries that same irony in restoration form. The enemies act as if they understand the situation and control the outcome—mocking, threatening, and plotting as though the work will collapse on their schedule. But they do not know what's really happening. Their blindness shows in this: they only learn after the fact that their plan has been uncovered. In Nehemiah —“when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought…” (Nehemiah 4:15). They thought they were the ones reading the moment, but they were misreading it completely. The builders knew; the enemies did not. And once the plot was exposed, the intimidation lost its power and the work continued. The Sign of Judgment Remembered With the coming of the end times, the leaders of Israel would be expected to understand the situation they are in—but in Matthew 16 they are shown as unable to read it. Jesus calls them “wicked and adulterous” and says no sign will be given except “the sign of the prophet Jonah.” In the previous episode we learned that, Jonah's “Yet forty days” becomes a prophetic template—forty as judgment time—fulfilled in the temple's destruction about forty years after Christ, and then the long exile that followed. The end-times petition is therefore not, “wait for a new sign,” but: look back, read your history through Scripture, and believe. Nehemiah begins with that same mechanism already in place. The “sign” is not in the sky; it is in the city. Jerusalem stands as a covenant witness—broken, burned, and shamed: “the wall of Jerusalem… broken down, and the gates… burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). And crucially, Nehemiah interprets that ruin as meaning—he does not treat it as mere geopolitics. He confesses, “We have dealt very corruptly… and have not kept the commandments” (1:7), and he appeals to what God had already spoken in the Scriptures about scattering for unfaithfulness and gathering upon repentance (1:8-9). Matthew 16 points Israel to a coming historical sign—temple judgment—meant to force a right reading of Scripture and history. Nehemiah opens with an earlier historical sign—Jerusalem in ruins—meant to do the same. In both cases, the issue is not that God failed to leave evidence. The issue is whether the people will stop being “clueless,” read the sign correctly, internalize what it says about their covenant state, and then return to the Lord in true faith. Crossing Over: From Exile-Space to Covenant-Space The movement across the sea of Galilee (and thus the Jordan-line running through it) pictured a spiritual boundary-those “on the other side” needing to come through Christ. Nehemiah is structured around a grand “crossing” of its own: movement from Persia and the regions “beyond the river” into the land where God's name was set. The restoration work begins when Nehemiah leaves the place of worldly security and goes to the place of covenant accountability. Beware the Leaven: Corrupt Influence Inside the People In Matthew 16, Jesus warns of the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees—doctrine and influence that works invisibly, spreading through the whole lump until everything is affected. The disciples first think He is speaking about bread, but Jesus corrects them: the danger is not what you eat, but what you absorb. Nehemiah gives a historical picture of that same leaven-principle. The enemy does not remain at the gate. He aims for infiltration—to become familiar, acceptable, even respected within the restored community. During the rebuilding, Nehemiah notes that the nobles were already entangled: “For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.” (Nehemiah 6:18). The leaven isn't merely threat from outside; it is sympathy and alliance forming inside—compromise that feels normal because it comes through “our own people.” And when that leaven is left unchecked, it advances from relationships to residence. In Nehemiah 13, Tobiah is not simply corresponding with leaders—he is granted an actual chamber in the temple precincts (Nehemiah 13:4-9). The unclean influence in its mature form, so that what begins as tolerated association ends as sanctioned presence. This is exactly the warning Matthew 16 carries forward. Don't misread the matter as “bread,” as though the issue were external details. The real danger is the teaching, the partnerships, the slow drift—leavened thinking that spreads through the body while everyone tells themselves nothing serious is happening, until the holy space itself is compromised. Power, Pride, and the Military Temptation Caesarea Philippi was highlighted as a picture-space: Caesar as deified man; Philippi as leaning on the “horse” principle-military pride. Nehemiah's rebuilding occurs under constant threat. The people must be armed while they build.  They work with one hand and hold a weapon with the other (Nehemiah 4:17-18). But Nehemiah carefully frames this: the sword is not their salvation. Their security is God, and vigilance is obedience. Necessary defense exists, but pride in defense is a snare. The people are restored, yet always at risk of trusting the wall more than the Lord. “Who Do You Say That I Am?” and the Community's Confession In Matthew 16, we have the God assisted confession: “You are the Christ.” Nehemiah contains an extended sequence where Israel is restored not merely by masonry but by identity-confession through God's Word: “So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8). This leads into confession of sin and confession of God's faithfulness (Nehemiah 9). In the Matthew framework: end-times Jews become true “hearers”- not merely readers of signs, but confessors of what the signs meant. 8. Kingdom-Order, and Covenant Enrollment In Matthew 16, everything turns on identity and confession. Israel can offer many assessments of Jesus—prophet, teacher, threat—but the end-times remnant is identified as those who follow Peter's confession: “You are the Christ.” After this, Jesus blesses Peter with a name that ties back to the only sign granted—Bar-Jonah, “son of Jonah.” In other words, Peter typifies the Jews who have heard the sign of Jonah, interpreted their own history rightly, and therefore confess the Messiah they once missed. That confession marks them out as the out-called, and it is on that proclamation that Christ speaks of kingdom entry—the granting of the keys. Nehemiah provides an Old Covenant “control text” for that same movement: a remnant comes to understanding, confession, and then formalized belonging. After the Scriptures are read and the national confession is made (Nehemiah 8-9), the people do not remain in mere emotion or general agreement. They move into enrollment—a defined act of covenant identity: “And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it” (Nehemiah 9:38; detailed in chapter 10). Names are written. Allegiance is publicly owned. Commitments and boundaries are stated. And the Hebrew meaning of these written names themselves bear connection to tribulation period events described in Revelation. In typology terms, Nehemiah shows a keys-of-the-kingdom counterpart in historical form, a concrete act of authorized inclusion into a defined covenant community. As Bar-Jonah represents those who finally hear and identify the true Messiah, the sealed covenant in Nehemiah represents those who finally own and enter the restored order. 9. A Messiah Who Must Suffer: The Offense of God's Way In Matthew 16, Peter stumbles over the suffering plan. The moment Jesus speaks openly about rejection, suffering, and death, Peter tries to correct Him—and Jesus rebukes him sharply. The warning is against demanding a triumphant, expectation-shaped messiah while rejecting the true Messiah as God presents Him—first crucified, then glorified. Nehemiah provides the historical control picture of that same offense. Restoration there advances through obedience under scorn. The workers are mocked (Nehemiah 4:1-3), threatened (4:7-8), and worn down by discouragement (4:10). Yet the work moves forward because they refuse the “easy” path of retreat, silence, or compromise. That is the typological connection: Peter's impulse—“this shall not happen to You”—is the human instinct to reject a deliverance that comes through suffering. Nehemiah's remnant models the opposite posture: they accept that God often brings vindication after humiliation.   10. Deny Yourself: The Cost of Faithfulness Under Pressure In Matthew 16, Jesus' call to deny yourself is not abstract spirituality—it is a demand for costly allegiance. In the end-times picture drawn, it means refusing the survival-instinct that compromises truth, and choosing fidelity to Christ even when it carries temporary loss. Nehemiah provides a clear historical control of that same principle. He refuses the governor's allowance—he will not enrich himself at the people's expense: “I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor” (Nehemiah 5:14-19).  In both cases the work of God is advanced by those willing to serve faithfully even when they could have claimed their rights. Vindication: God's Work Revealed Before Enemies Matthew 16 ends with the thought of the Son of Man coming in glory with His messengers-a public unveiling of reality. Nehemiah contains a miniature version of that unveiling: The wall is finished, and the enemies “perceived that this work was wrought of our God” (Nehemiah 6:15-16). The point is the pattern: endurance, completion, public recognition that God did it, not man. What is done in faith is later shown to have been of God. A Remnant Standing at the End Some will make it through the tribulation without tasting death when they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. In Nehemiah, the “standing remnant” idea is stated in the narrative milestones that mark survival through the entire pressure campaign to the realized outcome. They survive to completion: “So the wall was finished…” (Nehemiah 6:15). They survive the intimidation campaign and remain in place: after the plot is exposed and collapses, the work continues and the enemies are put to shame (Nehemiah 6:16). They transition from building under threat to ordered life in the city: once the wall is finished, “the doors were set up,” gatekeepers and Levites are appointed, and watch is established (Nehemiah 7:1-3). They are still there as a gathered people at the end of the building phase: “all Israel dwelt in their cities… and all the people gathered themselves together as one man” (Nehemiah 7:73-8:1). They move from completion to public dedication: “at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nehemiah 12:27), culminating in corporate worship and rejoicing (Nehemiah 12:43). Nehemiah doesn't just end with “a wall.” It ends with a preserved community—still present, still assembled, moving from survival under pressure (6:15-16) into established order (7:1-3), unified gathering (7:73-8:1), and dedication/worship (12:27, 43). So the narrative picture of a remnant standing is explicit: some make it through, and they stand in what God established. CONCLUSION: Why This is Controlled Typology In Nehemiah, the question is: Will the returned people truly become God's people again-by truth, separation, and covenant fidelity-rather than by mere structure? In Matthew 16, the question becomes sharper and final: Will Israel discern what their own history meant, reject leavened leadership, confess the true Messiah, accept the suffering plan, and endure to the kingdom? Nehemiah gives the Old Covenant restoration pattern in history. Matthew 16 gives the New Covenant restoration petition in prophecy-picture-centered entirely on Jesus: who He is, what He must do, and what His people must endure in the tribulation period. Nehemiah rebuilds a wall around a city.  Matthew 16 reveals the confession upon which Christ builds His out-calling. Lord God, we thank You for Your word-holy, faithful, and true. Give us discernment for the times we live in. Guard us from leaven-quiet compromise, false teaching, and fear-driven counsel that sounds spiritual but serves another master.  Strengthen us to bear reproach, to deny ourselves, and to endure faithfully until Your purposes are complete.  And may all our confidence rest not in walls, not in strength, not in man-but in the name of the Lord our God. Amen.

Friday, 13 February 2026   For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Matthew 16:27   “For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His messengers. And then He will give each according to his practice” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus asked what profit it would be for a man to gain the world but lose his soul. He also questioned what a man could give for his soul. Jesus next says, “For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory.”   What is Jesus talking about here? Ellicott says, “The fact that the Son of Man is about to come to execute judgment, clothes its abstract statement with an awful certainty.” The Pulpit Commentary says, “the final judgment would put things in their true light.” Gill says, “either a second time to judgment at the last day ... or in his power, to take vengeance on the Jewish nation.”   These thoughts of judgment essentially sum up the overall thought of what scholars say the verse is referring to. It is true that Jesus is coming in judgment. However, His words place “about” in the emphatic position. Word for word, it reads “About for the Son of the Man to come.”   With the emphasis on “about...to come,” it is a stretch to tie this into the final judgment. The chapter began with the Pharisees and Sadducees testing Him, asking for a sign from heaven. The contents of the chapter focus on faith in God's plans as the overarching theme.   Jesus is speaking to and about Israel under the law. As this is so, the “about...to come” is likely referring to Israel's judgment for rejecting Jesus. Understanding that this was the sign of Jonah Israel was to expect, as detailed in Matthew 16:4, it seems to be the logical explanation.   However, all three synoptic gospels mention this general idea of Jesus' coming (Matthew 16:27, Mark 9:1, and Luke 9:27). After each, the transfiguration is mentioned. The transfiguration is something only seen by Peter and John. They were told to tell no one what they saw until the Son of Man was raised (Matthew 17:9, Mark 9:9). They complied with this as noted in Luke 9:36.   Jesus is ultimately referring to the judgment of Israel in AD70, but His words at this time are immediately referring to the transfiguration. This continues to be seen in His next words, “with His messengers.”   When Jesus is transfigured, who is He with? Though getting ahead in the narrative, He is with Moses and Elijah. Jesus is not referring to angels. He is referring to those who received His word and passed it to the people of Israel.   Moses and Aaron are called messengers of the covenant in Acts 7:53 and Hebrews 2:2 (yes, those verses are referring to Moses and Aaron – see the corresponding Superior Word commentaries). John the Baptist is called a messenger in Malachi 3. Jesus equates him to Elijah in Matthew 11:14, and he is prophesied to come as the Lord's representative in Malachi 4:5.   These are the messengers Jesus is referring to now. Moses represents the law, while Elijah represents the prophets of the law. They will appear with Jesus at the transfiguration. Only then are the next words stated by Jesus. “And then He will give each according to his practice.”   A new word is seen here, praxis, a practice (Sure sounds like the Klingon planet's moon). HELPS Word Studies says, “a function, implying sustained activity and/or responsibility.”   Almost all translations make this thought a continuation of what has already been said in this verse. However, it is likely a separate sentence beginning with “And then.” There will be the transfiguration, something Peter will refer to in 2 Peter 1:18 as a witness to the truth of God in Christ.   With the testimony of these apostles, the nation of Israel can accept or reject their word. In their rejection of it, judgment will come. And it did come, just as Jesus said concerning the sign of Jonah. The temple was destroyed forty years later.   The judgment of Israel came upon each “according to his practice.” Was their practice faith in Jesus or continued trust in the law which He fulfilled? This is what Jesus is speaking about.   Life application: God's messengers are both earthly and heavenly. The context of the passage determines which is being referred to. The law was not received by angels from heaven. It was received by men who then passed it to the people of Israel.   Angels did not come to earth and sleep with human women in Genesis 6. Rather, the ungodly line of Cain intermingled with the godly line of Seth. Over-sensationalizing the word leads to confusion of thought and a misunderstanding of what God is doing in the redemptive narrative as it has unfolded throughout the ages.   If someone is constantly referring to such sensational things, it would be best to avoid their instruction on them. If that is all they speak about, they should be rejected entirely. The Bible's focus is on man's restoration and relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Keep this in focus, and you will do well.   O God, give us wisdom to rightly discern what Your word is telling us. There are many things that are hard to understand, and there are a lot of teachings that contradict each other. We can easily get lost in a sea of disagreement. So, Lord, lead us to the proper evaluation of what is being said so that we will be rightly trained. Amen.

Thursday, 12 February 2026   For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26   “For what it benefits a man if he may gain the whole world and he may lose his soul? Or what will he give, man, equivalent his soul?” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the importance of following Him, saying, “For whoever, if he may desire to save his soul, he will lose it. And whoever, if he may lose his soul because of Me, he will find it.” In explanation of that, He continues, saying, “For what it benefits a man.”   He is asking what advantage is gained in the proposition He will set forth. If one were to deal with his soul in a supposed trade-up or barter for better, what advantage would result “if he may gain the whole world?”   Here is a new word, kerdainó, to gain. HELPS Word Studies says, “an ancient mercantile term for exchanging (trading) one good for another; (figuratively) to exchange (trade out) what is mediocre (‘good') for the better, i.e. ‘trading up.'”   So, the thought is that this person has a soul, and he trades it for what seems a better deal. It is the old “sell your soul to the devil” idea, where one gets to be a rock star with lots of money, girls, cars, and ten big houses. In the case of this person, he trades his soul, supposedly up, for the whole world. And yet, Jesus says, “and he may lose his soul?”   It is a second new word, zémioó, to injure. In this case, it is to suffer loss. So the person gets the whole world, something once offered to Jesus by the devil in Matthew 4:8 & 9. Despite gaining the world, he isn't eternal. His soul will be required of him at some point.   When that time comes, he is judged and unceremoniously chucked into the Lake of Fire. Was possessing the world worth it? Only a fool, and the world is filled with them, thinks so. Jesus continues, saying, “Or what will he give, man, equivalent his soul?”   A third new word is seen, antallagma, an equivalent or ransom. The word is only found in this context here and in Mark 8:37. What can a man give for the ransom of His soul, securing safety from eternal damnation? The question is answered in Psalm 49 –   “Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? 6 Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, 7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— 8 For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— 9 That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.” Psalm 49:5-9   The answer is that no payment can be obtained, apart from Jesus Christ (as noted in the previous two verses), to reconcile finite fallen man with the infinitely pure and holy Creator. The separation exists, and apart from God's intervention in Christ, man stands condemned. It is what Jesus expressly says in John 3:18 –   “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”   Life application: Paul alludes to exactly what Jesus is saying here in Matthew 16 –   “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11   Paul was given a choice. He chose wisely. Each of us is given a choice. Will we follow Jesus, accepting His ransom payment for our souls, or will we cling to this life, attempt to possess everything, and in doing so, lose it all? To attempt to gain in a world of loss is not a smart decision. But to supposedly “lose” now for a life of eternal gain is infinitely beneficial. Choose wisely.   Lord God, we often put way too much hope in things that are unprofitable. It is hard to shake off the desire for the things of this world. Help us to press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Wednesday, 11 February 2026   For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25    “For whoever, if he may desire to save his soul, he will lose it. And whoever, if he may lose his soul because of Me, he will find it” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus said, “If any, he desires to come after Me, let him disown himself, and he took his cross, and he follows Me.” He now continues the sentiment, saying something similar to Matthew 10:39, “For whoever, if he may desire to save his soul, he will lose it.”   As in Matthew 10, the words seem paradoxical. The psuché, soul, was introduced in Matthew 2:20. It is derived from psucho, breath. The meaning is based on the context, and it can mean the breath of one's life, the seat of affection, the self, a human person, or an individual. The word corresponds to the Hebrew word nephesh.   Jesus is referring to the soul in two ways. The first is the physical humanity of the person. We want to live. It is natural. Animals will respond when their lives are threatened. People are the same. But death is inevitable for all things. Despite this fact, people continue to challenge death, seeking ways to evade it.   However, if a person spends all of his time focused on himself, he will wind up losing the soul he possesses. In this case, it refers to the part of humans that will continue on after death. It is the part that will someday face God for judgment. Jesus next says, “And whoever, if he may lose his soul because of Me, he will find it.”   Jesus mentioned a person taking up his cross and following Him. A cross is an instrument of death. To take up one's cross means that death may be ahead for that person. However, for the person who follows this path, it means that he will find life through Christ. This is the main subject that has been discussed, meaning, “Who is Jesus?”   Peter rightly answered that Jesus is the Messiah. Therefore, a part of the role of being the Messiah is granting life to His people. But it must transcend this earthly life if the people are bearing a cross while following Him. Referring to the thought in Matthew 10 is needed –   “The ‘having found his soul,' he will lose it, and the ‘having lost his soul' because of Me, he will find it.” Matthew 10:39   With that remembered, the structure of Jesus' words in Matthew 16 can be evaluated –   *If any, he desires to come after Me, let him disown himself, +and he took his cross, ^and he follows Me.   *For whoever, if he may desire to save his soul, he will lose it. +And whoever, if he may lose his soul ^because of Me, he will find it.   Jesus directly equates coming after Him to that person saving his soul. He also equates taking his cross with losing his soul (meaning the earthly life he lives). But in following Him with his cross, the person will find his soul (meaning his eternal life). The similarity to Matthew 10 is more readily apparent when the structure is rightly understood.   To find one's soul refers to self-preservation in this life, something that will not obtain eternal life. However, to lose one's soul, and act of pursuing God in Christ, will obtain the desired outcome.   Of course, these things must be taken in the context of Jesus' audience and what it means to be Jesus the Christ. He will go to His cross in Jerusalem. There on the cross, He will die. Pursuing Jesus will no longer mean what it meant. Rather, to look to the cross of Christ in faith is what the epistles proclaim leads to life, meaning eternal life.   With the boxes aligned and in considering all things in their proper dispensation, the matter of what Jesus is referring to is clear and without contradiction.   Life application: Peter admonished Jesus inappropriately. But because he did, we have the words of Jesus' response to him, along with His continued words to the others, to more fully instruct us on what His mission was.   Remember, these men heard Jesus' words. They saw His miracles. They walked with Jesus and learned from Him. And yet, when He was crucified, they lost hope, having completely misunderstood what He came to do.   His mission was not to redeem Israel for their glorification among the nations. His mission was to redeem them from sin so that they could be glorified in the presence of God. Sin is the problem. It is a problem that was not and will not be corrected through animal sacrifices.   Those things only pointed to what Jesus would do. Israel still has not learned this lesson. The apostles and disciples did, but only after His work was complete. Israel is going to go back to temple worship and animal sacrifices.   This is not glorifying of God. Coming to Jesus is. With that in mind, and because Israel has the knowledge of the truth, even though they rejected it, what does that mean for them? Hebrews explains it –   “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:26-29   Until Israel is willing to come to Jesus, they will not save their soul. The words of Jesus are to individuals, but they also are a truth presented to Israel to hear and understand.   Lord God, thank You that we have Jesus to free us from sin's consequences. We pray for the nation of Israel today. They know what Christians believe, but they have rejected that message. May many eyes be opened as they continue to reject the only hope of salvation available to humanity. Amen.

Tuesday, 10 February 2026   Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24   “Then Jesus, He said to His disciples, ‘If any, he desires to come after Me, let him disown himself, and he took his cross, and he follows Me'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus turned and said to Peter to get behind Him because Peter was an offense to Him. Peter was being mindful of the things of men rather than God. Matthew next records, “Then Jesus, He said to His disciples.”   Mark and Luke add more detail. Mark says, “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also.” Luke apparently confirms this, saying, “Then He said to them all.” There is no contradiction. Matthew is focusing on the disciples. What Jesus says is, “If any, he desires to come after Me.”   Many translations say, “If any man will come after me...” Unless you are using the word to mean “desire,” which it doesn't always mean, the thought is insufficient. The word theló signifies a determined intent, such as want, desire, etc. To say, “If any man will,” might include those who do, but don't desire to do so.   Jesus is referring to those who voluntarily follow in His footsteps. Of them, He continues, “let him disown himself.”   It is a new word, aparneomai, to deny utterly or disown. It is an intensification of arneomai, to deny. There is a sense of an utter refusal to identify with the original source involved. In essence, “I once followed this path. It was my general walk of life. However, I am now following Jesus' path and utterly reject the one I once followed.”   There is a break from the old to take up the new. In this new path, He next says, “and he took his cross, and he follows Me.”   Notice how Jesus doesn't say, “And he takes up My cross and follows Me.” This is similar to Matthew 10:38 –   “And who not, he receives his cross, and he follows after Me, not he is worthy of Me” (CG).   In both instances, Jesus instructs His hearers to receive their cross, not His. This, then, is the beginning and fundamental error of ten thousand commentaries and sermons over the years. Does what Jesus just said square with these words –   “The allusion is, to Christ's bearing his own cross, and Simeon's carrying it after him, which afterwards came to pass.” John Gill, et. al.   It is true that Jesus has alluded to His suffering and death, but that is future. He is not asking them to pick up His cross at all. They have a cross to bear in following Him at this time. Whatever burden He bears, they should be willing to follow Him. They have no idea that He will die on a cross, and when it happened, they were utterly dejected and confused. In fact –   “Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, ‘Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?' 19 And He said to them, ‘What things?' So they said to Him, ‘The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.'” Luke 24:18-21   These disciples, indicative of all of them, failed to understand anything at all about Jesus' cross. When Jesus tells them to pick up their cross, He is telling them that whatever burdens they have on His path, even if it results in death, is a path they must choose. This is why Jesus rebuked Peter over His appeal concerning the things He would suffer.   In the new dispensation, the dispensation of grace, which began after Jesus' completed work, we are not instructed to take up our cross at all. That is failed sermon speak. What does Paul say? In Galatians 6, the answer is seen –   “For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.” Galatians 6:13-15   Jesus was on a trek to fulfill the law and die in fulfillment of it. Those who followed Him were to see this, understand that this was what had to take place (as He explicitly told them), and to take up their own cross, following Him.   With Jesus' work complete, we now accept peace with God through His cross.   Life application: The dispensational model is correct. God is working in certain ways at certain times to reveal and complete His plan of redemption. The problem is that even dispensationalist teachers and preachers fail to keep the boxes straight.   We do not have a cross to bear in the sense that people speak of when they evaluate Matthew 16:24. Rather, we have a cross to accept, revel in, and boast about, meaning the cross of Jesus Christ. Pay attention to what Jesus says in the context in which He says it.   Consider the full scope of what He is referring to, including the stunned reaction of those who saw Christ crucified and thought, “We had a failed hope.” Then consider the victory of what really transpired. Jesus Christ did redeem Israel. He also redeemed all of Adam's fallen seed who are willing to come to Him through His cross.   We don't have to give up this life to obtain it, except in the sense that we are converted to a new life in Christ positionally. We can continue as plumbers, executives, store clerks, or whatever other profession we find ourselves in. We can continue to live in our homes, remain married to our spouses, and so on.   Revel in the new life you have been given, even as you continue to live out your current life in the presence of God who sent His Son to redeem you unto Himself. Yes, revel in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord.   Lord God Almighty, You are great and greatly to be praised. All glory, honor, and majesty belong to You, forever and ever. Thank You for Jesus Christ and His cross. May that always be our boast. To Your glory, amen.

Monday, 9 February 2026   But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:23   “And, having turned, He said to Peter, ‘You withdraw behind Me, Satan! Snare, you are, to Me. For you think not these of God but these of men'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Peter, without proper thought, admonished Jesus for His words concerning His destiny in Jerusalem. Because of his words, it now says of Jesus, “And, having turned.”   We can only speculate what this means. Was Jesus not directly facing Peter until he spoke, but after hearing his words, Jesus turned toward him? Did Jesus turn towards the disciples to allow them to clearly hear what He was going to say, or did Jesus turn His back to Peter, while speaking as a sign of contempt and admonishment?   The latter seems the most likely. Peter would probably have been facing Jesus. With his words contradicting what Jesus said, Jesus probably turned around with His back now to Peter. With this symbolic act accomplished, the next words would have full effect: “He said to Peter, ‘You withdraw behind Me, Satan!'”   The turning, then, would be a metaphor for the words themselves, confirming His words as an object lesson to Peter. It is the same thought, with the added object lesson, that Jesus said to Satan in Matthew 4:10, “You withdraw Satan!” Peter has taken over the bidding of Satan in his unwitting attempt to frustrate God's plans for man's redemption.   This would be what Luke was referring to in Luke 4:13 –   “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”   The devil took full advantage of Peter's overzealous and unintelligent utterance to tempt Jesus. But Jesus was already prepared to defend the Father's will by standing against such an appeal. With His object lesson and admonishment accomplished, Jesus continues, saying, “Snare, you are, to Me.”   The word skandalon has already been seen. It signifies a trap-stick that is used to snare an animal. It is quite often translated as a stumbling block. Jesus is saying that Peter's words are Satan's attempt to trip Jesus up, causing Him to falter through sin.   Once one is in a snare, he is entrapped. Sinning, which it would be for Jesus by denying the Father's will for Him, would be the result if He were so ensnared. But Jesus prevailed over this. His words continue, saying, “For you think not these of God but these of men.”   Peter had just been told that because of his proclamation, revealed to him by the Father, he would possess the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And yet, he still had an earthly view of God's plans. He was a work in progress, something that continued on long after Jesus had completed His earthly ministry.   Life application: Paul uses the same term, skandalon, when referring to the crucifixion of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 1:23 and Galatians 5:11. His crucifixion is the basis for the gospel of salvation. In fact, in 1 Corinthians, he directly makes the connection –   “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block [skandalon] and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Corinthians 1:20-25   A trap is something that is hidden and unnoticed. If someone knew he would be trapped, he would simply avoid the thing. However, people overlook what they don't see. This is what the gospel is like. It is so simple and unassuming that people miss its significance. But in denying the efficacy of the cross, people deny the only means of restoration with God.   The world has many different ways of confusing the issue. The term “all paths lead to God” may sound good, but it isn't a very well-thought-out sentiment. Religions, by their very definition, are contradictory to other religions. It would be a ridiculously inept Creator who would send His Son to the cross to die for the sins of the world, but who would then accept people into His list of saved people who denied the very thing He had done.   Maligning Jesus, spitting on His cross, etc., are the same as spitting on God who sent His Son to die. Use wisdom as you hear people's ideas about God, heaven, restoration, etc. It is so easy to be misled by catchphrases, fine-sounding arguments, and appeals to emotion. But such things normally have nothing to do with the reality of what God has done.   Lord God, help us not to be a hindrance to others as they seek the truth of the gospel. Unlike Peter in his admonishment of Jesus, we need to stop and consider things carefully, and then present them in a manner that will glorify You through right instruction concerning Jesus and His complete work. Help us in this, O God. Amen.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus declares a cosmic declaration of war at Caesarea Philippi, a site steeped in pagan history and symbolizing the spiritual stronghold of evil, where Mount Hermon stood as the false counterpart to God's holy mountain. By stating He will build His church on this rock and that the gates of Hades will not prevail, Jesus announces His divine mission to overthrow the fallen angelic powers that have ruled the nations since the rebellion of Genesis 6 and the Tower of Babel, fulfilling the Old Testament vision of God reclaiming the earth from demonic dominion. This victory is secured through Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, which disarmed and disgraced the spiritual rulers, enabling the church to be equipped with apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors to carry out the mission of evangelism as spiritual warfare. The church, therefore, is not merely a religious institution but the instrument of Christ's cosmic conquest, destined to one day rule with Him over the nations and judge the fallen angels, calling believers to live with eternal purpose, knowing they are part of a redemptive drama that began in Eden and will culminate in the restoration of all things.

Sunday, 8 February 2026   Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” Matthew 16:22   “And Peter, having clutched Him, he began to admonish Him, saying, ‘Propitious, to You, Lord! No, not it will be, this to You!'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told the disciples about the trials ahead for Him in Jerusalem, including being killed. He also told them about the resurrection on the third day. Peter, who had just stepped forward and proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, now has something to say about Jesus' words. Matthew notes, “And Peter, having clutched Him, he began to admonish Him.”   A new word is seen, proslambanó, to take aside. It is from pros, signifying motion toward something, and lambanó, to take. In this case, the word pros is used to indicate interacting with, and so it means to “aggressively receive, with strong personal interest” (HELPS Word Studies). A suitable single word that can be taken both literally and figuratively would be clutch.   Peter either actually or figuratively clutched on to Jesus because of His words and began to admonish Him over His words, “saying, ‘Propitious, to You, Lord!'”   Another new word, the adjective hileós, is used. It signifies “propitious.” In Attic Greek, it was used to indicate appeasing divine wrath. It is related to the Greek word hilastérion used in Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 9:5 to indicate the mercy seat of the Ark, which prefigured Christ as our propitiation before God.   Peter's use of it here is idiomatic. He is essentially saying, “For heaven's sake!” or “God forbid!” In such an exclamation, it then indirectly signifies, “May God be propitious to you.” However, behind Peter's intent is, “No way, Jose!” Thus, “God forbid” is a good paraphrase. Having said that, he continues with an emphatic “No, not it will be, this to You!”   The double negative adds heavily to the negative intent of the idiomatic expression. Peter is adamant that Jesus is not going to suffer. And whatever Jesus meant by “be killed” is not going to happen.   As is common with Peter, he has failed to stop and think his words through. Even without understanding that Jesus is God, he is admonishing his Lord, Teacher, and Guide. This is something that is wholly inappropriate for a person in his position. He also acted without further questioning, such as, “What do you mean by...”   But if he had stopped and evaluated Jesus' words before blurting out his admonishment, the most obvious question of all would be, “What do you mean by, ‘and the third day be roused.'” Whatever Jesus meant by “be killed,” that topic is then qualified by the words “be roused.”   Not having a clue about what Jesus was saying, he should have stopped, formed a question, and then asked in a respectable manner. It may be that his zeal is appropriate, but his approach with that zeal is unacceptable.   Life application: In Galatians 4:17, Paul says, while speaking of Judaizers, “They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them.” There are times when having zeal is good. This is especially so when it is in the service of God, honoring our duties as citizens of our nation, or for the benefit of family, friends, the downtrodden, etc.   However, if we don't put curbs on our zeal, we can fall into the same personal trap Peter did. Our good intentions will turn out to be inappropriate because we didn't consider all the facts. Likewise, if our zeal is misdirected to start with, like the Judaizers in Galatia, we err in whatever we are doing. Peter found this out when he fell into their trap.   If our misdirected zeal is doctrinal in nature, we are working against what God has ordained. That is why when people shoot off their mouths about doctrinal matters without properly understanding what the Bible says about them, they cannot be pleasing to God.   A simple example is the rapture. We have to determine one of two things first. Does the Bible teach there will be a rapture or not? The answer to that needs to be fully understood before talking about the matter in an instructive manner. Only one answer will be correct. The other will be a false teaching.   The next question would be, does the Bible teach about the general timeframe concerning when it will happen? This would mean pre-trib, mid-trib, pre-wrath, post-trib, etc. Only one answer can be correct. The other answers will be contrary to what God expects of us in our instruction.   The next question might be, “Am I maintaining the proper context for my conclusions?” In other words, a person may be using Jesus' words from Matthew XX to support his rapture conclusions. Is that appropriate, or is it out of the context of what Jesus taught?   Next, a good question is, “Now that the general timeframe of the rapture has been rightly understood, can I pinpoint the precise timing of it, or is that going to be unknown to us until it happens?”   The Bible does tell us. So if we take a contrary position, we are harming, not helping, with proper instruction on this matter. Our conclusions are false, and thus we are teaching falsely. Those who teach falsely have become false teachers. And what does the Bible say about such people?   These are only a few of the many parameters to be understood about a single lesser doctrine that is found in Scripture. How much more should we be prepared before speaking about the more important doctrines that can lead people to a complete misunderstanding about who God is, how to be saved, etc.?   No wonder James says that not many should become teachers. Unless we are willing to do the hard work to rightly understand and teach what the word of God says, we will be more stringently judged for our words. Read the Bible! Study to show yourself approved!   Lord God, You are wonderful, forgiving of our transgressions because of Jesus. But we still must consider that You are holy and Your word is sacred. May we never attempt to run ahead without thinking things through carefully. We do not want to do Satan's bidding while intending to honor You. Give us wisdom in this, O God. Amen.  

Sermon By: Pastor Roman Folia (The Gospel of Matthew pt. 56)

As we finish up our journey with Simon Peter we see how pride can move us from a place of following to trying to lead Jesus. 

Saturday, 7 February 2026   From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Matthew 16:21   “From then He began, Jesus, to show His disciples that it necessitates Him to depart to Jerusalem and to suffer many from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be roused” (CG).   In the previous verse, Matthew said that Jesus enjoined the disciples that they should tell no one He was the Christ. Matthew continues with, “From then He began, Jesus...”   Some manuscripts add the word “Christ” after Jesus. This seems forced and unnatural, but it is included because of the proclamation that was just made. If it said, “Jesus the Christ,” it would seem more natural. It would also be a suitable contrast for what will be said in the next verse by Peter. But almost all translations, despite using that text for their work, omit the word.   There is an obvious change in the tone of the words. “From then” and “began” signify that something new is introduced and ongoing henceforth. A point in the ministry had been reached that necessitated this new direction. Understanding this, Matthew continues with “to show His disciples that it necessitates.”   A new word, dei, what must happen, is introduced. It is a form of deó, to bind. Thus, there is a binding effect on the matter that cannot be avoided. In this case, because it is a matter of Jesus' destiny as the Messiah, it will be necessitated as part of fulfilling His divinely set purpose for coming.  Specifically, it was first for “Him to depart to Jerusalem.”   Jerusalem is the place appointed for the events He necessarily needed to go through or accomplish to occur. If one has read the Bible through several times, a short exchange that realizes this thought, and which gives a sense of foreboding, is –   “On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, ‘Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.' 32 And He said to them, ‘Go, tell that fox, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” 33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.'” Luke 13:31-33   Matthew next records, “and to suffer many.”   Another new word is seen, paschó, to feel heavy emotion, especially suffering. Thayer's says, “the feeling of the mind, emotion, passion.” This is an alternate form of pathos, the etymological root of our modern word pathos, a word that gives the sense of suffering, experience, and/or strong emotion. Matthew next notes this would be “from the elders and chief priests and scribes.”   To this point, Jesus has been somewhat hounded by these people as they verbally challenged Him. Matthew 12:14 even indicated the thought that they went out and plotted against Him about how they might destroy Him.   Despite this, there has not been any physical attack against Him at this point. Things were to change, however, when He and the disciples began to minister in Jerusalem. Matthew continues to note what Jesus said, “and be killed.”   The word “killed” is plain enough. It is the Greek word apokteinó, first used in Matthew 10:28. It is an intensified form of kteino, to kill. Because of Jesus' use of this word, one would think the apostles would have understood His death as being a part of what should be expected, because it was told them far in advance.   Peter's words in the next verse point to his dissatisfaction with what Jesus says. But it includes more than just killing, meaning the suffering of many things. Therefore, it could be that they thought Jesus was speaking in hyperbole or metaphorically. The word is used this way two other times –   “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed [apokteinó] me.” Romans 7:11   “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death [apokteinó] the enmity.” Ephesians 2:14-16   As such, Matthew's next words, though understood by us because we know the outcome of the story, may also have been completely misunderstood by the disciples. He records, “and the third day be roused.”   The word signifies to awaken or rouse. Strong's says, “literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively, from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence.” With such a broad use of meanings, the confusion of the disciples is completely understandable. Of Jesus' words here, Vincent's Word Studies notes –   “This first announcement mentions his passion and death generally; the second (Matthew 17:22, Matthew 17:23), adds his betrayal into the hands of sinners; the third (Matthew 20:17-19), at length expresses his stripes, cross, etc.”   Life application: Jesus has acknowledged that He is the Messiah. He has noted that the basis of Peter's proclamation, meaning that He is the Christ, would be that upon which He would build His out-calling. As such, it is completely understandable that the disciples would think His words were not really literal. How could someone who was dead do any building of a group of people?   It is easy for us to think of how dull they were, but we hear things like this all the time and don't take them seriously. A football team may be on its way to an important game without three key members. They got thrown into jail for partying too much and have left the team vulnerable.   The head coach attends a press conference where he says that all will be great. They are the “Messiahs of madness” and would prevail. And yet, in the next two minutes, not knowing his mic is still on, he says to his offensive coordinator, “We are going to get killed down there.” It becomes a sensational story. And more, the Chiefs got totally slaughtered by the Eagles.   Nobody took them at their word, and other than getting proverbially slaughtered, all the players returned home. In tears, yes, but still very much alive.   Be sure to give an ounce of grace to the disciples. We were not there and cannot know all that was on their minds as the days of the life of Jesus and His ministry continued to unfold before their eyes.   Lord God, help us to have a clear perspective of what is going on in Your word. There are things that seem so obvious, and yet, we cannot grasp why they occur. In such instances, give us the wisdom to think through what is said and try to understand it from other perspectives so that we can come to the right conclusion about it. Thank You for being with us in our study of Your superior word. Amen.

Today's reading is Matthew 16-18. . . . . This month, we will be reading from the ⁠⁠⁠Christian Standard Bible.⁠⁠⁠ . . . . Your ratings and reviews help us spread the Gospel to new friends! If you love this podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! You can do the same on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday, 6 February 2026   Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. Matthew 16:20    “Then He enjoined His disciples that they should say to none that He, He is Jesus the Christ” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus explained to Peter what it meant to possess the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. Next, Matthew records, “Then He enjoined His disciples.”   A new word is seen, diastelló, to enjoin. It is from dia, through, and stelló, to set fast. Thus, the sense is to thoroughly set firmly. To enjoin, in a legal sense, means to prohibit someone from performing by issuing an injunction. This is just what Jesus is doing here. He is thoroughly ensuring “that they should say to none that He, He is Jesus the Christ.”   The emphasis is on Jesus. People have been hailed as the Messiah in Israel many times. This was probably true at Jesus' time as well. However, Jesus did not want this to be revealed at the time because it would distract from His ability to complete His ministry. If people wanted to suppose He was the Christ based on what He did, that was their choice.   Likewise, to proclaim Him the Christ without a full revelation of what that meant could be injurious to the very meaning of the word. Christ Jesus had to suffer and die as God's Messiah. To proclaim Him the Messiah before that occurred would lead to a great deal of confusion among the people when He was crucified.   However, afterward, that could become a part of the full confession of what it meant to be the Messiah. And this is exactly what Peter explained to the people in Acts 2 –   “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”' 36 ‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.'” Acts 2:29-36   Proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah before the work of the Messiah was complete would be putting the cart before the horse. However, noting after the resurrection that Scripture actually taught that the Messiah would suffer, die, and yet not see corruption due to the resurrection, would allow the true meaning of what it meant to be the Christ to be fully expressed.   Life application: Quite often, we withhold information from others to avoid having setbacks in the process of completing whatever necessary things must be done. For someone to go ahead and pronounce a matter before the proper time will only cause problems. Something as simple as someone having access to a company speech before it is given, maybe for editing or uploading to a website, and then revealing its contents before it is released, may cause harm. Maybe the person has last-minute changes that need to be worked into it. It may be that he is going to appeal to a certain person or group and wants his words to be carefully spoken when the speech is given.   To reveal the content in advance may harm such things. It is the CEO's sermon to give. Revealing it without his permission is thus inappropriate. This is true with company board meetings, military engagements, etc.   If the president is going to attack another nation, say a nation called Aleuzenev, and the Congress were to find out about it in advance, it is certain that those in the opposing party, like the Marxist Representative COA from New York, would leak the details in an attempt to harm the military operation.   Such examples show us that it is important to keep what we know about unrevealed things to ourselves. When the time is appropriate, the information will get out as it should. There is nothing to be gained from being the first to reveal what should not be revealed.   God has a plan and a set timeline for His redemptive process to be complete. If He were to give the timing of the rapture in advance, for example, instead of getting out and telling others about Jesus, people would sit around doing nothing until that day. It would be harmful and unproductive. Wait, maybe that is not the best example. People do sit around all day doing nothing but speculating about the rapture. See! We need to focus on our duties, not on what others are doing. In the case of the rapture, let God accomplish His plan as He sees fit.   Lord God, help us not to be busybodies by sharing things without restraint. Rather, may we be the type of people who can be trusted with quietly and diligently doing our part as we await Your plan to unfold. The rapture will happen exactly when it should. Until that day, we have work to do. May we do it to Your glory. Amen.

Thursday, 5 February 2026   And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19   “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever, if you may bind upon the earth, it will be ‘having been bound' in the heavens. And whatever, if you may loosen upon the earth, it will be ‘having been loosed' in the heavens.” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus proclaimed Simon Pétros, Peter. He also said that on the Rock, He would build His out-calling, noting that the gates of Hades would not overpower her. Now, still speaking to Peter, He says, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.”   A new word, kleis, a key, is introduced. The word is used both literally and figuratively. In this instance, it is figurative. A key is what provides access. An example of that is seen in Isaiah 22–   “Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; 21 I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. 22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open. 23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father's house.” Isaiah 22:20-23   Eliakim was given the key, meaning access, to the house of David. In Luke 11:52, Jesus refers to the key to knowledge. Again, the use is figurative to indicate access to knowledge. Jesus is giving Peter the keys to heaven. He next explains what that means, saying, “And whatever, if you may bind upon the earth, it will be ‘having been bound' in the heavens.”   Access to heaven is through faith in Jesus. That is something ahead at this time for Peter. Hence, the future tense, “I will give.” The seal of salvation based on that faith is the Holy Spirit. Peter is being told that he will be the one to bind, meaning prohibit, that which is prohibited in the heavens. That is seen with the use of the perfect participle, having been bound. Likewise, Jesus says, “And whatever, if you may loosen upon the earth, it will be ‘having been loosed' in the heavens.”   To loosen means to undo and thus to allow. Peter, along with the other apostles, was given the authority to make decisions concerning what was to be done or not done in the church, confirming that which was bound in heaven. It is not a sleight of hand to include the other apostles. Those who wrote the epistles are demonstrating the same authority.   Peter is singled out here as the first to bear this authority. But in what sense? The answer is found in Acts, where the establishment of the church is recorded. From there, its continued expansion is followed throughout its pages. Who first addressed the people of Israel after Christ's ascension at Pentecost? It was Peter, in Acts 2.   “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?' 38 Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.' 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.' 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”   Again, in Acts 8, the message spread to the Samaritans. The people believed, just as those in Jerusalem, but something was missing. Therefore –   “Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:14-17   And again, in Acts 10, the message was sent to the Gentiles, specifically Cornelius and his household –   “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” Acts 10:44-46   What is the common element in each account? Peter was present to verify what had already been bound in heaven. The Spirit, the proof of salvation, was poured out on the Jews through Peter's evangelism. Salvation next went to the Samaritans, but the proof of that salvation awaited Peter's presence. Salvation then went to the Gentiles when Peter was instructed to testify to the work of Jesus.   God's plan of salvation was intended for all people. This is the intent of Peter's having been given the “keys” to what was bound in the heavens. The structure of Acts makes it clearly evident that the focus of the book is on Peter from Acts 1 through 12. However, the narrative then shifts to Paul in Acts 13-28. Those things Peter did are repeated through Paul in a precise and meticulously recorded manner.   Peter, being the apostle to the circumcision, verified what God had planned. He spoke the gospel, and he possessed the keys. However, Jesus' words in no way restrict that same ability and authority from any other person. It simply began with Peter's witness of the unfolding events in God's redemptive narrative.   Life application: Something quite common in Christianity is for people to claim they can “bind” a spirit, “loosen a prophetic word,” etc. When you hear this, don't be fooled that they are somehow super spiritual or possess some gift or authority that you don't. Such people are tossing out catch phrases that actually mean nothing.   We don't have such authority. The Bible is written. It is our guide and authority for what we are to do in the church. We don't need to witness proof of anyone's salvation. That is up to God to decide. Mormons claim they are saved. Jehovah's Witnesses do too. And yet, their doctrine is false, and their teachings are heretical.   We are to tell people about Jesus, pray for them when they have needs, rightly instruct them about the faith, and let God be God. Don't get caught up in goofy catchphrases that actually mean diddly. Be sound in your doctrine. That is sufficient. We don't need to impress others. We need to do what God has instructed us to do.   Glorious Lord God, may we not be like those who claim authority that we have no right to. The pope claims he sits in Peter's seat and has the authority to decide things he has no authority over. Help us to stick to Your word, in context, and not get misdirected by false teachings that profit nothing. Amen.  

Jim Franks discusses Matthew 16:18—“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Wednesday, 4 February 2026   And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  Matthew 16:18   “And I also, I say to you that you, you are Peter, and upon this – the Rock – I will build My out-calling, and Hades' gates, not they will overpower her” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus noted that Simon Bar-Jonah was blessed because it wasn't flesh and blood that illuminated his proclamation. Rather, it was the Father in heaven who did. He continues, saying, “And I also, I say to you.”   Jesus is going to illuminate more concerning what Peter said, expanding on it to ensure that what was said is highlighted and magnified. With that understanding, Jesus emphatically declares, “that you, you are Peter.”   The name Peter has already been seen and explained. It is a masculine noun, Pétros, meaning rock. It is generally a piece of a rock, like a small rock or stone, found along a path. Jesus continues with, “and upon this – the Rock – I will build.”   The word now is petra, a feminine noun signifying a mass of rock, such as a projecting cliff. HELPS Word Studies, citing Zodhiates, says, “(Pétros) always means a stone . . . such as a man may throw, . . . versus 4073 (pétra), a projecting rock, cliff" (S. Zodhiates, Dict).   Of this difference, Ellicott [et al] says, “it would seem clear that the connection between Peter and the rock (the words in the Greek differ in gender, πέτρος [Pétros] and πέτρα [petra], but were identical in the Aramaic, which our Lord probably used) was meant to be brought into special prominence.”   This conclusion may or may not be correct, but the basis for it is inane. The New Testament is written in Greek, not Aramaic. Therefore, the difference cannot be ignored or downplayed. There is obviously wordplay seen, but a definite distinction is being made between Pétros and petra.   As for what Jesus is talking about, there are several prominent views. One is that He is referring not to Peter, but to his proclamation: “You, You are the Christ, the Son of God, the living.” Others believe Jesus is referring to Himself as the Rock. Still others say that it is, in fact, referring to Peter, but without all of the later-added Roman Catholic baggage that has nothing to do with the simple pronouncement.   Further, what is lacking in Jesus' words is as telling as what He has stated. Jesus does not simply state, “and upon you I will build...” However, in the coming verse, Jesus will directly speak to Peter with words concerning his position and authority. Therefore, Jesus is not speaking of Peter in His words now.   Letting Scripture interpret Scripture, both testaments tell us who the Rock is. Again and again, in typology and in direct metaphor, the Lord is called the Rock. A couple of the many such examples –   “He is the Rock [tsur], His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4   “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock [tsur]! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.” Psalm 18:46   In the New Testament, Paul and Peter both refer to Christ in this way –   Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock [petra] that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4   Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock [petra] of offense.” 1 Peter 2:7, 8   As such, the Rock is both the proclamation and the Person. Peter wasn't speaking about an ethereal concept. He was asked to identify who Jesus was. His proclamation is that of Jesus being the Rock, the Lord Yehovah, who is the Christ, whether Peter realized that or not. Jesus was thinking in human terms, but Scripture, and thus Jesus, is referring to God's means and mode of redemption.   This is all the more certain because the cornerstone is what Paul refers to as well. It is the setting stone of a foundation –   “For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God, which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:9-11   Jesus, probably pointing to Himself, acknowledging Peter's confession and what it means, said that He is the Rock. God's building is not set upon Peter. It is set upon Christ. This building is, as Jesus says, “My out-calling.”   It is a new word, ekklésia, an out-calling. It is derived from ek, from or out of, and kaleó, to call. Thus, it is an out-calling, a group of people called out for a particular purpose. This is the group that Paul calls “God's building” in 1 Corinthians 3:10. Jesus says that His people will be built upon Himself, “and Hades' gates, not they will overpower her.”   Another new word, katischuó, to overpower, is used. It is an intensification of ischuó, to have or exercise force. The prefix kata, down, thus gives the sense of overpowering. What is Jesus referring to here? Unfortunately, it is often claimed as a tool for effective evangelizing, as if saying, “We have the power to storm hell itself!”   That is great for sermons, but it has nothing to do with the intent. Gates have two purposes. The first is a defensive barrier that can be opened to allow people in. The second is containment, such as when the gates are shut to keep someone from getting out, a spy or a prisoner, perhaps.   The gates of Hades are gates of containment. Hades (Old Testament Sheol) is the place of the dead. It is where all humanity is destined to go, including saved believers at this time. This is made clear time and again in the New Testament. But a day is coming when the Lord's out-calling will be taken from there, and the victory Jesus refers to now is realized –   “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.' 55 ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?' 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-57   It is true that proclaiming the gospel will change a person's ultimate destiny, but it is not by our power that Hades' gates are overcome, but by the power of Jesus, the Subject of the gospel, who had already overpowered Hades' gates.   Life application: The Roman Catholic coopting of this verse to claim Peter is the first pope and that all popes after him have infallible authority to act and make decrees is utter nonsense. That assumes too much, and it lays hands on that which belongs to God alone.   If Peter were the “rock” spoken of here by Jesus, then it would mean he was the foundation of the church, as they claim. But Peter and Paul laid the same foundation, as noted above. This is then confirmed elsewhere –   “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22   The “foundation” here is not speaking of the apostles and prophets, as if they are the foundation. Rather, it refers to their proclamation, which is Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 16. Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone, which is the basis of the foundation. He is also the entire foundation as proclaimed by God's messengers.   Sound theology always points to Jesus, not the Roman Catholic Church.   Lord God, thank You for our sure Foundation and Cornerstone, Jesus! We have a Rock, who is faithful and true, upon which our hope is grounded. Nothing, not even the gates of Hades, can separate us from You. Thank You that when we depart, it will not be forever from Your presence. Rather, a day is coming when we will be gathered to You forever. Hallelujah and Amen.

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Tuesday, 3 February 2026   Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:17   “And Jesus, answering, He said to him, ‘Blessed you are, Simon, Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood not it revealed to you, but My Father, the ‘in the heavens'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Peter said to Jesus that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Matthew next records, “And Jesus, answering, He said to him, ‘Blessed you are.'”   This is the first time that Jesus has said such a thing directly to a person. So far, His blessing statements have been general in nature, such as –   “Blessed – the pure of heart, For they – God they will see.” Matthew 5:8   His words, then, bear a special highlight that is explained as the verse continues. As for who is blessed, Jesus says, “Simon, Bar-Jonah.”   The name Bar-Jonah means “Son of Jonah,” bar being the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ben. Both mean “son.” The name Jonah is derived from the Hebrew yonah, a dove.   It is the same name as the prophet Jonah. Some translations say, “son of John” instead of “son of Jonah.” The names are interchangeable from the Greek transliteration. But it is likely Jonah is correct for several reasons, including Old Testament typology, of which the Book of Jonah fits nicely in with events from the life of Peter.   Using the father's name instead of his given name is common in the Bible. Saying a person's first name signifies general talk. Using the father's name can be as an honorific, a term of joking familiarity, a term of indifference, a term of contempt, etc.   The context determines which. But it is a way of highlighting the person when speaking to or about him. Jesus continues, “for flesh and blood not it revealed to you.”   The word haima, blood, is introduced here. The word's origin isn't certain, but it signifies blood both literally, as in that of people or animals, and figuratively, as in juice, such as grapes. It can be used substantially when referring to Jesus' atoning blood. Thus, it refers to His bloodshed and, thus, His death.   The meaning of Jesus' words is that Peter didn't just hear this from someone or when people were speaking. Nor was it something that was derived from earthly facts that he could put together to conclude that Jesus is the Christ of God. Rather, his deduction was one based on God the Father working through Jesus. That is seen in the next words, “but My Father, the ‘in the heavens'”   In other words, there have been lots of people who have been proclaimed the Messiah throughout the years, but those have all been regular people with no basis for the claim. The Person of Jesus is on an order of magnitude so much greater than any other supposed Messiah. Observing Him and seeing His works, Peter saw and understood that He was revealing God in Christ, nothing less.   Having said that, this doesn't mean that Peter was under divine inspiration or that he understood that Jesus is God. At this point, his limited view of Jesus was that God was working in Him. That is not contradictory. Jesus had to explicitly say it to him and the other disciples later in His ministry –   “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.' Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.'” John 14:8-11   Despite this clear presentation of Himself, these men still did not understand. Only after the resurrection did the muddied waters of their thinking begin to clear.   Peter has gone as far as his mind could take him at this point concerning who Jesus is. But what he has contemplated is of divine origin as God has revealed Himself through Jesus, whom he and the other disciples have so closely interacted with.   Life application: A noted pastor was speaking on the blood of Jesus. He essentially said, “It isn't the blood, the substance, that was special but what it signified.” Oh boy, was he barbecued and called a heretic. The know-it-all community pulled out their blood samples from Jesus' cross and proved that he was wrong.   Obviously, that didn't happen. Nobody knows what Jesus' blood is like. The speculation about it could go on and on, but without evidence, we are left with what then must be what is on God's mind, which is exactly what the preacher was trying to communicate.   In the Bible, blood and life, and thus blood and death, are taken synonymously. One of many such examples is found in Leviticus 17 –   “And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Leviticus 17:10, 11   To pour out an animal's blood was to pour out its life. When Jesus died, He is said to have poured out His soul (Isaiah 53:12), meaning the lifeblood. Thus, it is a direct analogy to death. This is explicit from Deuteronomy 12:23, where the soul is said to be the blood –   “Only you must seize to failure of eating the blood. For the blood, it the soul, and not you will eat the soul with the meat” (CG).   Be sure that the preacher was not teaching heresy. He was making a point about what the blood signifies. Don't get caught up in every “heresy” accusation that is flung around by people. Think such issues through, and be ready to defend proper theology when someone is in the right.   Glorious God, we thank You for the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ. In His death, we have life everlasting, if we will just accept it as our atonement. We have sinned, and do we ever need a Savior! He has come! Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Monday, 2 February 2026   Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16   “And answering, Simon Peter, he said, ‘You, You are the Christ, the Son of God, the living'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus, in a question bearing emphasis, asked the disciples who they say He is. A response is given in a similar emphatic form. Matthew begins this statement with, “And answering, Simon Peter, he said.”   Simon Peter is generally the one to step forward and speak for the others. He was a bit impetuous, and he was not sound in backing up his faith at times, such as on the night of Jesus' crucifixion and at the time when Judaizers had come to Antioch. At that time, he waffled in his convictions, withdrew from the Gentiles, and had to be sharply rebuked by Paul for his stand, as recorded in the book of Galatians.   However, he was able to clearly express his thoughts to Jesus about who the disciples agreed Jesus was, saying, “You, You are the Christ.”   The emphatic “You, You” is given as a response to Jesus' carefully structured question. The word Christ is the same as the Hebrew mashiakh, Messiah, both of which mean “anointed.” This was both a recurring thing and a unique thing, depending on the situation.   Kings were anointed for their position. The high priest was anointed for his. Even Cyrus is called the Lord's anointed in Isaiah 45:1. It was as if the Lord had personally anointed Cyrus with oil to accomplish a particular task. These and other examples of anointing meant the person was a messiah, a Christ.   However, Peter's words were indicative of One on a completely different level. There was to be a particular Messiah who would come, anointed of God, to fulfill a role that none other could fulfill. This Messiah was to be the specific representative of God on earth.   It is true that various scholars and sects had varying opinions about what this would mean, but it was generally agreed within society that One was coming who would be Israel's redeemer, leading them to a golden “messianic” age where they would lead the nations of the world.   At the time of the Roman Empire, the people thought this Messiah's role would include casting off the Roman oppression and putting Israel over Rome and all other foes. It is certain that none of them, even these disciples, saw Jesus' role as One who would die for the sins of the people. It is equally certain that none of these people actually believed that the Messiah would be God incarnate. He may be a “god” to the people, but not Yehovah in the flesh. This was a totally unknown aspect of who Jesus would be.   And more, they never, in a thousand lifetimes, would have thought that His messiahship would level the field for Gentiles as well as Jews, offering them the same benefits in the commonwealth of Israel that they would receive. Such an idea would have been totally repugnant to them.   As such, Peter's statement, though true, was not something that meant a whole lot in regard to Jesus' actual ministry and mission. It was a truth, it was an anticipation of Jesus being the fulfillment of their Scriptures, but it was an almost wholly misunderstood proclamation. And that is fine. Jesus would slowly reveal this to them, including things that would only be understood after His work was complete and He ascended to heaven. In some cases, like speaking to Gentiles such as Cornelius in Acts 10, it would cause confusion in their minds and generate hostility among one another. The Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 clearly reveals this. As for Peter's words, he continues with, “the Son of God, the living.”   As noted, this doesn't mean they understood Jesus to be God incarnate. The term “son of the God” is something that was applied to people throughout the Jewish Scriptures, beginning in Genesis 6:2. Even Gentiles were called “sons of the God” in Job 1:6 and 2:1. It is a title that indicates sonship in an adoptive sense.   Peter's proclamation is an indication that Jesus is One who is set apart in a preeminent position, even if it was still misunderstood exactly what that meant. One other point is that this was something that was already known to Peter quite some time before –   “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah' (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas' (which is translated, A Stone).” John 1:40-42   As such, this proclamation of Peter is an adamant assertion of something he and the other disciples already knew. However, Jesus asked it to form the basis of another proclamation that needed to be made at this time.   Life application: The most important question any person can ever answer is, “Who is Jesus to you?” In fact, it is a great question to ask when you are about to evangelize someone. The answer to the question will mean where a person spends their eternal existence.   If someone says, “I don't know,” he needs careful instruction. If he says that Jesus was a “good person,” though true, it tends to imply that they have been indoctrinated by liberal ideology to accept Jesus as someone who will illuminate one's path, but who is on the same level as Buddha, Muhammad, or Gandhi.   If the person says, “Jesus is the Savior,” that still needs to be further defined. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons will say Jesus is the Savior, but their understanding of what that means is so vastly different from what is biblical that they are referring to “another Jesus” who proclaims “another gospel.”   Jesus is the Yehovah Elohim, the Lord God, in human form, nothing less. If this is not accepted and believed, they are following the wrong Jesus. Be sure to be precise and properly instruct others on who He is and what He means to the people of the world. There is no other subject that is as important as this.   Lord God, may we carefully convey the message of who Jesus is to those we interact with. Help us to be bold in our proclamation while being correct in our doctrine concerning Him and what He has done. The world needs Jesus! May we be responsible in telling others about Him so that they may be saved. Amen.  

The sermon centers on Matthew 16:13–20, presenting a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry where Peter confesses Him as the Messiah, the Son of the living God—a confession that reveals Jesus' divine identity and sets the foundation for the church. Through a three-part dialogue—first an indirect question about popular opinion, then a direct challenge to the disciples, and finally an authoritative declaration—Jesus establishes that true faith comes not from human reasoning but from divine revelation, and that the church is built on the rock of His identity and mission. The sermon emphasizes that the church is not a human institution but a divine enterprise, uniquely established by Jesus to overcome spiritual enemies through the proclamation of the gospel, with Peter's role being significant yet subordinate to Christ as the cornerstone. The passage's full meaning, the sermon argues, hinges on overlooked details such as the location of Caesarea Philippi and the symbolic power of the gates of Hades, which point to the church's ultimate mission of spiritual conquest, not merely evangelism. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to live as transformed worshipers, fully committed to spreading the gospel, because the eternal destiny of every person depends on rightly answering the question: who do you say that I am?

Sunday, 1 February 2026   He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15   “He says to them, ‘And you, whom you say Me to be?'” (CG).   In the previous verse, the disciples answered Jesus' question concerning who people say He is. They answered, saying that some say John the Baptist or Elijah. Others, however, said He was Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Now that Jesus has been told the general speculation floating around about Him, “He says to them, ‘And you, whom you say Me to be?'”   The emphatic nature of the question sets the disciples apart from the others, such as, “Yes, that is fine, but what I am most curious about is who you...  you say I am!” He is looking to see where their understanding of Him rests. But it isn't that He didn't already know. Rather, He is getting them to think through what they already know and verbally proclaim it.   They have seen the miracles, and they have heard the wisdom of His instructions. They already know what they think about Jesus, but the information needs to be unpackaged and properly presented. Once that is out, they can then reinforce that belief, build upon it, and more boldly proclaim it.   Life application: If you ever want to get your thoughts straightened out about something, maybe something you didn't even know you wanted straightened out, have someone interview you.   For example, a college student is told that one of his assignments is to interview three people from three different religions, asking them what they believe and why. The student decides to interview a Muslim, an orthodox Jew, and a Christian radio host.   When he interviews them, he has a list of various questions about their faith, why they do certain things, how they perceive God, etc. It is with all certainty that all three of them will come away with more information about themselves than they ever realized.   The Muslim is a Muslim because his parents were Muslims. He does XX and XX because that is what he grew up doing. Asked where the basis of that comes from, he has no idea. Asked if it is found in the Koran, he admits he has no idea. Rather, he has never read it.   The same is true with the other two as well. They have gone through life never thinking about why they believe what they believe. They just KNOW it is right... well, they think. After the interview, they have no idea exactly why they believe what they believe. Even the Jew spent more time defending his faith from a personal viewpoint than from a valid, researchable, and verifiable source.   The Jew said, “We Jews get along really well with Catholics. We are always going to functions with Catholics.” When asked why, his answer was, “We're a lot alike. Jews and Catholics live for this life. They let the rabbi or priest take care of the next life for us.”   He had never thought that through before, but now he is forced to think through why he associates with some and not with others. Hopefully, he will see how exceedingly dangerous his position is. Letting someone else take care of your eternal state! Didn't Jim Jones do that for his flock in Guyana?   Don't be afraid to put yourself under the microscope and have your views challenged. And don't be afraid to ask probing questions of others that may help them realize how tenuous their position on faith really is.   People need Jesus. If you can't defend why you believe in Jesus when asked about Him, you will not be a very good representative for His cause. So have someone interview you. Their questions are bound to be like others' questions. You will be preparing yourself for the inevitable questions that people really want answers to. This is what Jesus has done with His disciples. Now they must stand up and explain themselves. How will that go?   Lord God, help us to find ways of properly unpackaging our thoughts so that we know what we actually think and believe. We may know something, but not know why we know it or how to properly defend it. It may even be that we know something that is actually indefensible. Help us to get all of this sorted out. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Sermon By: Pastor Roman Folia (The Gospel of Matthew pt. 55)