Structure of Matthew Chapter 16
/Structure of Matthew chapter 16 can be divided into five parts:
The Pharisees demand a sign and Jesus responds (verses 1-4)
Jesus' warning to avoid the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (verses 5-12)
Peter's profession of the Christ and the Son of God founds His Church (verses 13-20)
The first prediction of the Passion (verses 21-23)
Jesus states the conditions of discipleship (verses 24-28)
Matthew 16:1-4 ~ The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand a Sign from Heaven
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came and, to test him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He said to them in reply, "(in the evening you say, Tomorrow will be fair, for the sky is red'; 3 and, in the morning, Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times.) 4 An evil and unfaithful [adulterous] generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away. (..) this passage does not appear in all manuscripts; [..] = literal translation (The Interlinear Bible: Greek-English, vol. IV, pages 46-47).
This is the second time Jesus has been asked to produce a "sign" that His authority comes from God (12:38), but this time it isn't just the Pharisees and scribes who are asking. The Sadducees have also come from Jerusalem to demand that Jesus produce a sign from heaven to authenticate His claims (i.e., 9:6). Both groups are refusing to accept His exorcisms and healings as evidence of the authentication of His claims. That they are united in their desire to "test" Jesus (verse 1) may suggest a link to Satan who also tested Jesus (Mt 4:1-11). Jesus has already referred to the Pharisees and scribes who oppose Him as the "sons" of Satan when He called them a "brood of vipers" and accused them of being evil (Mt 12:34).
Question: What did Jesus tell the Pharisees and scribes who demanded a sign in 12:38-42?
Answer: Jesus called them an "evil and unfaithful/adultrous generation" and told them no sign would be given except the "sign of Jonah."
The Sadducees were rivals of the Pharisees; both groups competed for the approval and support of the people. Most of the chief priests were Sadducees. This is the first of several occasions where the two groups will be united in their opposition to Jesus.
Question: Why are they asking for a "sign from heaven"/from God and what kind of sign are they demanding as proof that His authority comes from God if His words of healing of the sick, restoring of the physical disabled, casting out demons and raising the dead are not enough?
Answer: Their purpose is to discredit Jesus in front of the people. They are probably asking for a sign like the Theophany at Sinai.
Matthew 16:2-3 ~ He said to them in reply, "[in the evening you say, Tomorrow will be fair, for the sky is red'; 3 and, in the morning, Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times.] The bracketed passage is not found in a number of important Greek manuscripts of Matthew, but it is similar to a passage in Luke 12:54-56.
Question: What is Jesus' response to their demand for a sign from God in this passage?
Answer: He tells them they apparently know how to read the signs of the weather but cannot read the "signs of the times," meaning they cannot or will not interpret His miracles as signs of His authority and the beginning of the Messianic Age as predicted in the writings of the prophets.
Matthew 16:4 ~ An evil and unfaithful (adulterous) generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away.
Question: When did Jesus make this same charge previously and what is significant about Jesus using the charge of adultery in the literal translation? See the chart "Symbolic Images of the Old Testament Prophets."
Answer: Jesus' accusation that His generation is "adulterous," means that they are unfaithful to Yahweh who is Israel's divine Bridegroom; it is another symbolic image of the prophets "marriage" imagery for Israel's covenant relationship with God. When the Israelites become "unfaithful" to their covenant obligations they are behaving like an adulterous wife. Jesus made the same charge in 12:39.
Question: Once again Jesus tells His opponents that the only sign they will be given is the "sign of Jonah." What is that sign? See 12:39-40 and CCC 994.
Answer: Using the "sign" of the prophet Jonah who was inside the belly of the whale (or great fish) for three days before he was released, Jesus predicted His death and Resurrection as the only sign they will see.
Matthew 16:5-12 ~ Jesus' Warning against the Teaching of the Failed Leadership of the Old Covenant
5 In coming to the other side of the sea, the disciples had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, "Look out, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 7 They concluded among themselves, saying, "It is because we have brought no bread." 8 When Jesus became aware of this he said, "You of little faith, why do you conclude among yourselves that it is because you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand, and do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many wicker baskets you took up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 11 How do you not comprehend that I was not speaking to you about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
There are some amusing elements to this exchange between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus is still focused on His confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees and uses leaven as a symbol of their false interpretation of the Law and their evil influence that spreads like an infection in the same way yeast expands dough. The disciples, however, are more concerned about their empty stomachs "their focus is more on the material than the spiritual.
Question: How does Jesus point out that it is ridiculous for them to be concerned about the lack of bread?
Answer: He reminds them of the two miracle feedings. If He can feed more than five thousand and more than four thousand He can certainly provide for their needs.
When Jesus repeats His warning, they suddenly understand that Jesus is comparing leaven to the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.(1) A small amount of leaven can ferment the whole batch of dough (13:33) but the wrong amount can also cause the dough to go bad (1 Cor 5:6; Gal 5:9) just as the false doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees threatens to misguide the people (Mt 15:14).
Matthew 16:13-20 ~ St. Peter's Profession of the Christ and Jesus Proclaims the Founding of His Church
13 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 18 And so I say to you, you are Peter [Petros], and upon this rock [petra] I will build my Church [ekklesia], and the gates of the netherworld [Hades] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 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 ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. [..] = literal translation (The Interlinear Bible: Greek-English, vol. IV, pages 47-48 ).
Jesus led His disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi, about 40 km (more than 20 miles) north of the Sea of Galilee). Caesarea Philippi was a town (also described as a collection of villages in Mk 8:27) located on the southern slope of Mount Hermon, strategically located on the border with Syria. It was located in what had been the territory of the Israelite tribe of Dan that was at one time the northern boundary of the Promised Land. At this time it was part of the tetrarchy of Herod the Great's son Philip and had a largely Gentile population. It was near the site of one of the springs that was a source of the Jordan River, the site of which was considered to be a spiritual location from the time of the Canaanite inhabitants who built shrines to Baal-gad (Josh 11:17; 12:7; 13:5) and Baal-hermon (Judg 3:3; 1 Chr 5:23). After the Greek conquest in the 4th century BC, the Greeks dedicated a shrine to Pan (pagan god of nature, shepherds, flocks, the spring and fertility) at the site where the headwaters of the Jordan River emerged from the ground (Josephus, Antiquities, 15.10.3 [364]). They also named the nearly town Panias after the Greek god. Then, in the latter part of the 1st century BC, Herod the Great built a temple to Caesar Augustus near the source of the Jordan River. When Philip became the ruler of the region, he rebuilt the small town of Panias into a Hellenistic city, naming it after the Roman Caesar and adding his own name.(2) In choosing this rocky mountain location to announce the foundation of His Church upon Peter and Peter's proclamation of faith in Jesus as the divine Messiah, Jesus was reclaiming holy ground that had been usurped by the pagans.
Question: Using His favorite title for Himself, what does Jesus ask the disciples and why do they respond the way they do?
Answer: He asks what was the common view of the people concerning His identity, and they respond that some think He is John the Baptist returned from the dead like Herod Antipas (Mt 14:2), others think He is the prophet Elijah who was prophesied to herald the coming of the Messiah (Mal 3:23/4:5), while others say Jesus has come in the spirit of the prophet Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.
All of the men mentioned by the disciples were prophets. While there had been many false prophets, the people realized that the true spirit of prophecy had been absent from the people of God since the last prophet Malachi in the 5th century BC. The coming of God's supreme prophet as promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 and an outpouring of God's Spirit (Ez 36:26-27; Joel 3:1-2) were the signs that the people believed heralded the coming of the Messianic Age. Jesus was teaching with authority, speaking in the symbolic language of the prophets and performing miracles and symbolic acts like the prophets.
Question: Does Jesus ever refer to Himself as a prophet? See Mt 13:57 and Lk 13:33.
Answer: Yes, Jesus referred to Himself as a prophet during His visit to Nazareth and will again before He goes to Jerusalem to die.
Then Jesus asks His disciples what they believe about His true identity.
Question: How does St. Peter respond to Jesus' question concerning His true identity?
Answer: Peter confesses that He is not only the Messiah but that He is the Son of the Living God.
Question: What does Peter mean using these titles for Jesus in his confession of faith? See CCC 441-42.
Answer: While the usual meaning of the title "son of God" in the Old Testament referred to a form of adoption as "sons" of God for angels, prophets, the children of Israel, Davidic kings, etc., this is not the way Peter offers his confession of Jesus' identity. It is Jesus' response which tells us that Peter understands Jesus' true identity as the divine Son of God the Father.
Matthew 16:17 ~ Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father (emphasis added).
Question: What does Jesus' response reveal to the reader?
Answer: Acknowledging Peter's confession of faith, Jesus blesses him and tells the assembled disciples that Simon-Peter received this knowledge not from any human person ("flesh and blood") but, by the grace of God the Father, Peter has received a divine revelation of Jesus' true nature.
Matthew 16:18 ~ And so I say to you, you are Peter [Petros], and upon this rock [petra] I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld [Hades] shall not prevail against it.
Jesus would have been speaking in Aramaic and the Aramaic translation of the key words for "rock" in Jesus' statement would have been in English: "You are the Rock [Kepa] and upon this rock [kepa] I will build my Church." In response to Peter's confession of faith, Jesus reaffirms the new name He gave him when Jesus first met him on the banks of the Jordan River before He began His ministry in the Galilee. At that time He said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter) (Jn 1:42; emphasis added; also see Mk 3:16 and Lk 6:14 for evidence an earlier name change).
Kephas is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic word kepa which means "rock."(3) In the Greek text Matthew uses the masculine Petros for the Greek feminine word for "rock" which is petra. Bible scholars and historians have not found any evidence that either Kepha or Petros were used as personal names prior to Jesus conferring the name on Simon as the leader of the Apostles to symbolize his change in destiny from humble fisherman to the foundation stone of the Messiah's community of disciples (NJB Study Edition, page 1637, footnote "f").
Notice that Jesus identified the name of Peter's father as "John" (Yehohanan in Hebrew) in John 1:42. This same name for Peter's father is given in John 21:15, 16 and 17. However, in verse 17 Jesus calls him Simeon bar Jonah (Matthew uses the Aramaic word for son, "bar" instead of the Hebrew, "ben"). This is the sixth time Jesus has mentioned the Galilean prophet Jonah (see Mt 12:39, 40, 41 twice, and 16:4 or the chart in handout 1 of Lesson 16), symbolically linking the prophet Jonah to Jesus' mission. This time Jesus links Jonah to Peter's mission.
Question: If Simon-Peter was the son of a man named "John," then why did Jesus call Peter "Simon son of Jonah"? How are Peter's mission and Jonah's mission alike?
Answer: Jonah was a Galilean who was sent by God to the Gentile people of Nineveh, the capital city of the region's super-power, the Assyrian Empire, to tell them to repent and to acknowledge the God of Israel. Jesus will send the Galilean, Simon-Peter, to Rome, the capital city of the region's super-power, the Roman Empire, to tell the Gentiles of the Roman world to repent and to accept Jesus as Lord-God and Savior.
Jesus changed Simon's name to Kepha "Rock, Petros in Greek and Peter in the English transliteration of the Greek name. A change in the name of a servant of God signifies a change in destiny, as in Hoshea's name change to Yehoshua/Joshua (Num 13:16). In the Old Testament "rock" was a word used to describe Abraham as the physical father from whom the children of Israel were hewn (Is 51:1-2). Rock is not just an adjective used to describe Peter as the spiritual father of the New Covenant children of God. Jesus uses the word as a personal name signifying a change in Simon's destiny as the leader and foundation "rock" of Jesus' Church (CCC 881). The Greek text uses the word ekklesia, meaning "called out." It is a word meant to define Jesus' assembly of believers. It is a word that in English is best translated as "Church" and expresses same meaning as the Hebrew word for the assembly of the chosen people who were the kahal, the "called out" ones "those called out of the world and into covenant with Yahweh.(4)
and the gates of the netherworld [Hades] shall not prevail against it. Hades is the Greek word for the abode of the dead; in Hebrew the realm of the dead is Sheol. This realm of the dead was conceived of as a walled city in which its inhabitants were imprisoned. In this statement Jesus promises that His Church will not be overcome by the power of death "the Church of His heavenly kingdom will overcome death.
Matthew 16:19 ~ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Question: What three spiritual gifts does Peter receive in Jesus' blessing in verses 17-19?
Answer: Peter has been given divine insight, power and authority. He has the authority to forgive sins or to bind sins (thus controlling the entrance into the heavenly kingdom) and is commissioned as the leader of the Apostles and the entire community of believers that will become the New Covenant Church.
Question: Jesus has elevated Simon-Peter above his fellow Apostles to be the leader of Jesus' ministers and the Vicar of His Kingdom. How is the office of the Davidic Vicar/Prime Minister Eliakim described in Isaiah 22:20-25?
Answer:
He wore a garment that identified his high office (verse 21)
He was a "father" to the people of the kingdom (verse 21)
As the Vicar of the King, the Davidic chief minister kept the "key of the house of David" (verse 22)
The key was his sign of authority and gave him the power to "open and shut" "make binding decisions for the good of the kingdom (verse 22)
He is responsible for the glory of his family "from the least to the greatest member ""all the little dishes, from bowls to jugs" (verse 24)
In the same way, Peter is now called to serve as the Vicar of Christ the King and have authority over His Kingdom of heaven on earth, the Church "the "household/family of Christ. Jesus' giving Peter the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" is Peter's official elevation to the office of Vicar of Christ's Kingdom and the shepherd of the whole flock (also see Jn 21:15-17; CCC 553). Peter's office, established by Jesus Christ and the pastoral office of the other Apostles as Christ's lesser ministers forms an apostolic college that belongs to the foundation of the Church. These are offices founded by Christ that are continued in the primacy of the Pope and the universal Magisterium of the bishops (CCC 869, 880-81).
Question: The responsibilities of Peter's high office have been passed down to Christ's Vicars who have succeeded him. How is the authority of the Popes of the Catholic Church, the Vicars of Christ who have succeeded St. Peter, the same as the Davidic Vicars?
Answer:
The Pope wears a garment that identifies his high office
He is a “father” to the people of Christ’s kingdom “the Church
As the Vicar of the King, the Pope has the symbolic “keys of the Kingdom Jesus entrusted to Peter
The keys are his sign of authority and give him the power to “bind and loose” “make binding decisions for the good of the Church
He is responsible for the glory of his family, the community of the world-wide Church “from the least to the greatest members
Question: Unlike the Davidic Vicar in Isaiah 22:22, Peter will be given the "keys" plural. What are the two keys that are in Peter's control?
Answer: The two keys refer to the power Peter has to "bind and loose" sins, controlling the keys that give access to the kingdom of heaven "the key that releases man from the gates of death in Sheol/Hades and the key that provides entry into the gates of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The authority to "bind and loose" will be repeated to Peter and the college of Apostles (Mt 18:18) and is reaffirmed after Jesus' Resurrection when Jesus breaths the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and tells them: "Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (Jn 20:21-23).
Question: What authority did Jesus give Peter and the Apostles and their successors in using the metaphors of binding and loosing? See CCC 553, 1441-45.
Answer: The power to bind and loose is exercised by Christ's Vicar and the Magisterium:
To forgive sins and to pronounce penance for sins to reconcile sinners to the Church
To give authoritative teaching and make judgments concerning correct doctrine
To discipline the congregation of the faithful when some fall into error by imposing or later lifting the ban of excommunication
From this time forward, the acknowledgement of Jesus' divine sonship will become the confession of apostolic faith revealed by God, first spoken by Peter and the Apostles and disciples, and repeated by the faithful across the world today; it is on the rock of this faith, confessed by Peter, that Christ built His Church (CCC 424).
Matthew 16:20 ~ Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. According to the Gospel of St. John, this is the second year of Jesus' ministry. Jesus warns the disciples not to reveal His true identity. Such a declaration would serve to intensify the enmity of the Pharisees and Sadducees and it is not yet time for the climax of salvation history's great drama of the revelation of the Messiah. However, now that His disciples know His true identity, Jesus will begin to prepare them for the traumatic events they are destined to experience.
Matthew 16:21-23 ~ Jesus' First Prediction of the Passion
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." 23 He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Verse 21 announces a turning point in Jesus' ministry. This is the first of three predictions that Jesus gives concerning His Passion (also see Mt 17:22-23; 20:17-19). In sharing this secret with the disciples, Jesus is correcting the common misperception that the Messiah is coming in triumph and glory to vanquish Israel's enemies and to re-establish the Davidic kingdom on earth just as it had been in the past in the glory days of kings David and Solomon. Jesus' revelation of His suffering and death in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies of the Suffering Servant (Is 52:13-53:12) marks a new phase in Jesus' ministry, as Matthew introduces with the phrase "From that time on ..." (Mt 16:21). See the chart Isaiah's Suffering Servant fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
The reference to the "third day" in verse 21, in addition to being a link to the "sign of Jonah" may also be meant to recall Hosea 6:1-2: In their affliction, they shall look for me: "Come, let us return to the LORD, for it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds. He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence.
Question: Why does Peter resist what Jesus has told the disciples about His suffering and death, and why does Jesus rebuke him so harshly? Hint: Peter may be thinking of the fate of other chief priests opposed God's plan in favor of their own (see Lev 10:1-2).
Answer: Peter now understands that Jesus is the divine Messiah "He is God Himself come to gather His scattered people and fulfill the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 34. Peter knows the Temple hierarchy has no power over the Christ and so he cannot comprehend why Jesus would allow Himself to be killed by those in authority over the Church of the Sinai Covenant when He could simply consume them in holy fire like the rebellious priestly sons of Aaron. Jesus rebukes Peter because he has voiced opposition to God's plan when he should be humbly accepting God's plan and assisting Jesus in His mission.
The Hebrew word satan means adversary. Whenever one stands as an adversary to God's plan for man's salvation that person is indeed acting as Satan in human form. Jesus' rebuke of Peter is similar to His rebuke of Satan in Matthew 4:10.
Matthew 16:24-28 ~ Jesus States the Conditions of Discipleship
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. 28 Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Jesus uses the image of a cross, an instrument of death in the execution of criminals, as a shocking metaphor for the obedience of discipleship.
Question: What is Jesus condition for true discipleship?
Answer: The willingness to disown one's self interest to the point of being willing to die for Jesus.
Verse 27 is a prophecy of the return of Christ (the Parousia) after His Ascension and the Last Judgment, but in the next verse Jesus says that there are those standing in His presence who will witness the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. The coming in His glory and the coming of His Kingdom are two different events.
Question: What is "the Kingdom" of Jesus Christ in verse 28? See Mt 13:38 and 41.
Answer: According to the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat, the Kingdom of the Son of Man is the world and the Church is the place where His kingdom is manifested.
Jesus' sovereignty over the world will be established in His glorious Resurrection when He has defeated sin and death. His sovereignty over the world precedes His Second Coming in glory in the event of the Parousia. Those who will live to see the Son of Man "coming in His Kingdom" are those who will live to see His glorious Resurrection and Ascension. The phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom is probably also a reference to Daniel's vision: I saw One like a son of man coming on the clouds of heaven; when he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, he received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed (Dan 7:13-14). Jesus will refer to this passage at His trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin (Mt 26:64; Mk 14:61-64).
