Matthew 16

The Leaders Ask for a Miracle

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, wanting to trick him. So they asked him to show them a miracle from God.

2 
Jesus answered,“At sunset you say we will have good weather, because the sky is red.3 And in the morning you say that it will be a rainy day, because the sky is dark and red. You see these signs in the sky and know what they mean. In the same way, you see the things that I am doing now, but you don’t know their meaning.4 Evil and sinful people ask for a miracle as a sign, but they will not be given any sign, except the sign of Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

Guard Against Wrong Teachings

5 

Jesus’ followers went across the lake, but they had forgotten to bring bread.6 Jesus said to them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

7 
His followers discussed the meaning of this, saying, “He said this because we forgot to bring bread.”

8 
Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small.9 Do you still not understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the five thousand? And remember that you filled many baskets with the leftovers?10 Or the seven loaves of bread that fed the four thousand and the many baskets you filled then also?11 I was not talking to you about bread. Why don’t you understand that? I am telling you to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”12 Then the followers understood that Jesus was not telling them to beware of the yeast used in bread but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ

13 When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his followers, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and still others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 Then Jesus asked them, “And who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus answered, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because no person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am.18 So I tell you, you are Peter. On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat it.19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; the things you don’t allow on earth will be the things that God does not allow, and the things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.”20 Then Jesus warned his followers not to tell anyone he was the Christ.

Jesus Says that He Must Die

21 

From that time on Jesus began telling his followers that he must go to Jerusalem, where the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law would make him suffer many things. He told them he must be killed and then be raised from the dead on the third day.

22 
Peter took Jesus aside and told him not to talk like that. He said, “God save you from those things, Lord! Those things will never happen to you!”

23 
Then Jesus said to Peter, “Go away from me, Satan! You are not helping me! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about the things people think are important.”

24 
Then Jesus said to his followers, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me.25 Those who want to save their lives will give up true life, and those who give up their lives for me will have true life.26 It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. They could never pay enough to buy back their souls.27 The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will reward them for what they have done.28 I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom before they die.”

Matthew 17

Jesus Talks with Moses and Elijah

1 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, up on a high mountain by themselves.2 While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed; his face became bright like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.3 Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

4 
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I will put up three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 
While Peter was talking, a bright cloud covered them. A voice came from the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!”

6 
When his followers heard the voice, they were so frightened they fell to the ground.7 But Jesus went to them and touched them and said, “Stand up. Don’t be afraid.”8 When they looked up, they saw Jesus was now alone.

9 
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.10 Then his followers asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”11 Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah is coming and that he will make everything the way it should be.12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him. They did to him whatever they wanted to do. It will be the same with the Son of Man; those same people will make the Son of Man suffer.”13 Then the followers understood that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Sick Boy

14 When Jesus and his followers came back to the crowd, a man came to Jesus and bowed before him.15 The man said, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has epilepsy and is suffering very much, because he often falls into the fire or into the water.16 I brought him to your followers, but they could not cure him.”17 Jesus answered, “You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong. How long must I put up with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you? Bring the boy here.”18 Jesus commanded the demon inside the boy. Then the demon came out, and the boy was healed from that time on.19 The followers came to Jesus when he was alone and asked, “Why couldn’t we force the demon out?”

20 
Jesus answered, “Because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. All things will be possible for you.[21 That kind of spirit comes out only if you use prayer and fasting.]”

Jesus Talks About His Death

22 

While Jesus’ followers were gathering in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to people,23 and they will kill him. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the followers were filled with sadness.

Jesus Talks About Paying Taxes

24 

When Jesus and his followers came to Capernaum, the men who collected the Temple tax came to Peter. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

25 
Peter answered, “Yes, Jesus pays the tax.”
Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, “What do you think? The kings of the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who pays the taxes—the king’s children or others?”

26 
Peter answered, “Other people pay the taxes.”
Jesus said to Peter, “Then the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes.27 But we don’t want to upset these tax collectors. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me.”

Matthew 18

Who Is the Greatest?

1 At that time the followers came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 
Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers.3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.4 The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.

5 
“Whoever accepts a child in my name accepts me.6 If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it would be better for that person to have a large stone tied around the neck and be drowned in the sea.7 How terrible for the people of the world because of the things that cause them to sin. Such things will happen, but how terrible for the one who causes them to happen!8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body and live forever than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever.9 If your eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better for you to have only one eye and live forever than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

A Lost Sheep

10 “Be careful. Don’t think these little children are worth nothing. I tell you that they have angels in heaven who are always with my Father in heaven. [11 The Son of Man came to save lost people.]12 “If a man has a hundred sheep but one of the sheep gets lost, he will leave the other ninety-nine on the hill and go to look for the lost sheep.13 I tell you the truth, if he finds it he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that were never lost.14 In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost.

When a Person Sins Against You

15 “If your fellow believer sins against you, go and tell him in private what he did wrong. If he listens to you, you have helped that person to be your brother or sister again.16 But if he refuses to listen, go to him again and take one or two other people with you. ‘Every case may be proved by two or three witnesses.’17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him like a person who does not believe in God or like a tax collector.18 “I tell you the truth, the things you don’t allow on earth will be the things God does not allow. And the things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.19 “Also, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.20 This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them.”

An Unforgiving Servant

21 

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?”

22 
Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.

23 
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him.24 When the king began to collect his money, a servant who owed him several million dollars was brought to him.25 But the servant did not have enough money to pay his master, the king. So the master ordered that everything the servant owned should be sold, even the servant’s wife and children. Then the money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.

26 
“But the servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’27 The master felt sorry for his servant and told him he did not have to pay it back. Then he let the servant go free.

28 
“Later, that same servant found another servant who owed him a few dollars. The servant grabbed him around the neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’

29 
“The other servant fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’

30 
“But the first servant refused to be patient. He threw the other servant into prison until he could pay everything he owed.31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very sorry. So they went and told their master all that had happened.

32 
“Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay anything.33 You should have showed mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you.’34 The master was very angry and put the servant in prison to be punished until he could pay everything he owed.

35 
“This king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”