Matthew 16

Matthew16......
Pharisees - part of the Sanhedrin (Jewish council that ruled over various aspects of the Jewish life)
The Pharisees were leaders who kept the Law and traditions. They placed their traditions and teachings above Gods Word.they were know for their self righteousness. Held on to rules and made sure people followed them.
Sadducees - also part of the Sanhedrin but lived by self indulgence. They wanted to please self before pleasing God. Mostly wealthy men. Changed rules to fit their lifestyle. They didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead so they wanted to live it up NOW.

One thing the Pharisees and Sadducees had in common is that they hated Jesus.  In verse 1 they want a sign from heaven. Jesus would not give them the satisfaction but reminded them they are only focused on temporary things like the weather.....when eternal Jesus is right in front of them!

Verses 5-12......Jesus is telling disciples to watch for false teaching. We have to be so careful of this today as there are a lot of false teachers and agendas out there. We have to know and study Gods word so we can know if what people tell us is legit or not.

Verse 15 is good. Jesus is asking his disciples who they think he is. They could answer as to what others are saying, but Jesus wanted to know what they thought. These were the men with him day and night. Now.....Jesus already knows what's in their mind and what they will say, but these verses are for us to. We have to answer this as well. When we are asked who we think Jesus is.....what would you say? We need to answer this with our hearts. Not with what the majority says.....but individually with our heart.

My pastor gave a sermon on the verse here about Peter and it was a very good explanation. When Jesus says the Rock, he is not talking about building his church on Peter, but on the confession Peter gave about Jesus being the true Christ, the messiah. The universal church is built on our confession of who we say Jesus is.....just like Peter did. And notice verse 17.....the only reason Peter knew who Jesus was is because God revealed it to him. We get our knowledge of God through Himself revealing it to us through the Holy Spirit.

Verse 21 is the first time Jesus predicts his death.

Verse 24.....deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.
Well.....this is simply saying if we confess we live Jesus and have accepted him then we need to give up living for ourself and be totally committed to him. This means our life and possessions, desires, passions, dreams, thoughts, now belong to God. It's not about me anymore......all about Him and Hid glory.
Carrying your cross is displaying a lifestyle of total commitment to Jesus.....even commitment unto death.

Verse 27 tells of Jesus coming again and rewarding those who completely followed and loved  Him with their heart, mind, and soul. we need to be ready and prepared for this day.