Matthew 16-19

New International Reader's Version

Jesus Is Asked for a Sign

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus. They asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

² He replied, “In the evening you look at the sky. You say, ‘It will be good weather. The sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning you say, ‘Today it will be stormy. The sky is red and cloudy.’ You know the meaning of what you see in the sky. But you can’t understand the signs of what is happening right now. ⁴ An evil and unfaithful people look for a sign. But none will be given to them except the sign of Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵ The disciples crossed over to the other side of the lake. They had forgotten to take bread. ⁶ “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷ The disciples talked about this among themselves. They said, “He must be saying this because we didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸ Jesus knew what they were saying. So he said, “Your faith is so small! Why are you talking to each other about having no bread? ⁹ Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000? Don’t you remember how many baskets of pieces you gathered? ¹⁰ Don’t you remember the seven loaves for the 4,000? Don’t you remember how many baskets of pieces you gathered? ¹¹ How can you possibly not understand? I wasn’t talking to you about bread. But watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then the disciples understood that Jesus was not telling them to watch out for the yeast used in bread. He was warning them against what the Pharisees and Sadducees taught.

Peter Says That Jesus Is the Messiah

¹³ Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. There he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah. You are the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! No mere human showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you. ¹⁸ Here is what I tell you. You are Peter. On this rock I will build my church. The gates of hell will not be strong enough to destroy it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven. What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven.” ²⁰ Then Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Speaks About His Coming Death

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples what would happen to him. He told them he must go to Jerusalem. There he must suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law. He must be killed and on the third day rise to life again.

²² Peter took Jesus to one side and began to scold him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are standing in my way. You do not have in mind the things God cares about. Instead, you only have in mind the things humans care about.”

²⁴ Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must say no to themselves. They must pick up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ Whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good is it if someone gains the whole world but loses their soul? Or what can anyone trade for their soul? ²⁷ The Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory. His angels will come with him. And he will reward everyone in keeping with what they have done.

²⁸ “What I’m about to tell you is true. Some who are standing here will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Jesus’ Appearance Is Changed

17 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John the brother of James with him. He led them up a high mountain. They were all alone. ² There in front of them his appearance was changed. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became as white as the light. ³ Just then Moses and Elijah appeared in front of them. Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus.

⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters. One will be for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

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

⁶ When the disciples heard this, they were terrified. They fell with their faces to the ground. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

⁹ They came down the mountain. On the way down, Jesus told them what to do. “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen,” he said. “Wait until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

¹⁰ The disciples asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah has to come first?”

¹¹ Jesus replied, “That’s right. Elijah is supposed to come and make all things new again. ¹² But I tell you, Elijah has already come. People didn’t recognize him. They have done to him everything they wanted to do. In the same way, they are going to make the Son of Man suffer.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy Who Is Controlled by a Demon

¹⁴ When they came near the crowd, a man approached Jesus. He got on his knees in front of him. ¹⁵ “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son. He shakes wildly and suffers a great deal. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples. But they couldn’t heal him.”

¹⁷ “You unbelieving and evil people!” Jesus replied. “How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Jesus ordered the demon to leave the boy, and it came out of him. He was healed at that moment.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private. They asked, “Why couldn’t we drive out the demon?”

^20-21 He replied, “Because your faith is much too small. What I’m about to tell you is true. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, it is enough. You can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jesus Speaks a Second Time About His Coming Death

²² They came together in Galilee. Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men. ²³ They will kill him. On the third day he will rise from the dead.” Then the disciples were filled with deep sadness.

Jesus Pays the Temple Tax

²⁴ Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum. There the people who collect the temple tax came to Peter. They asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ “Yes, he does,” he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke first. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “Who do the kings of the earth collect taxes and fees from? Do they collect them from their own children or from others?”

²⁶ “From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the children don’t have to pay,” Jesus said to him. ²⁷ “But we don’t want to make them angry. So go to the lake and throw out your fishing line. Take the first fish you catch. Open its mouth. There you will find the exact coin you need. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

Who Is the Most Important Person in the Kingdom?

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus. They asked him, “Then who is the most important person in the kingdom of heaven?”

² Jesus called a little child over to him. He had the child stand among them. ³ Jesus said, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You need to change and become like little children. If you don’t, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Anyone who takes the humble position of this child is the most important in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Anyone who welcomes a little child like this one in my name welcomes me.

Do Not Cause People to Sin

⁶ “What if someone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin? If they do, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and be drowned at the bottom of the sea. ⁷ How terrible it will be for the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Things like that must come. But how terrible for the person who causes them! ⁸ If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It would be better to enter the kingdom of heaven with only one hand than go into hell with two hands. It would be better to enter the kingdom of heaven with only one foot than go into hell with two feet. In hell the fire burns forever. ⁹ If your eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It would be better to enter the kingdom of heaven with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

The Story of the Wandering Sheep

^10-11 “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones. Here is what I tell you. Their angels in heaven are always with my Father who is in heaven.

¹² “What do you think? Suppose a man owns 100 sheep and one of them wanders away. Won’t he leave the 99 sheep on the hills? Won’t he go and look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ What I’m about to tell you is true. If he finds that sheep, he is happier about the one than about the 99 that didn’t wander off. ¹⁴ It is the same with your Father in heaven. He does not want any of these little ones to die.

When Someone Sins Against You

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins against you, go to them. Tell them what they did wrong. Keep it between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them back. ¹⁶ But what if they won’t listen to you? Then take one or two others with you. Scripture says, ‘Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.’ (Deuteronomy 19:15) ¹⁷ But what if they also refuse to listen to the witnesses? Then tell it to the church. And what if they refuse to listen even to the church? Then don’t treat them as a brother or sister. Treat them as you would treat an ungodly person or a tax collector.

¹⁸ “What I’m about to tell you is true. What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven. What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again, here is what I tell you. Suppose two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for. My Father in heaven will do it for you. ²⁰ Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.”

The Servant Who Had No Mercy

²¹ Peter came to Jesus. He asked, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but 77 times.

²³ “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to collect all the money his servants owed him. ²⁴ As the king began to do it, a man who owed him 10,000 bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ The man was not able to pay. So his master gave an order. The man, his wife, his children, and all he owned had to be sold to pay back what he owed.

²⁶ “Then the servant fell on his knees in front of him. ‘Give me time,’ he begged. ‘I’ll pay everything back.’ ²⁷ His master felt sorry for him. He forgave him what he owed and let him go.

²⁸ “But then that servant went out and found one of the other servants who owed him 100 silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he said.

²⁹ “The other servant fell on his knees. ‘Give me time,’ he begged him. ‘I’ll pay it back.’

³⁰ “But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison. The man would be held there until he could pay back what he owed. ³¹ The other servants saw what had happened and were very angry. They went and told their master everything that had happened.

³² “Then the master called the first servant in. ‘You evil servant,’ he said. ‘I forgave all that you owed me because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on the other servant just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers. He would be punished until he paid back everything he owed.

³⁵ “This is how my Father in heaven will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Jesus Teaches About Divorce

19 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee. He went into the area of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. ² Large crowds followed him. He healed them there.

³ Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

⁴ Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read that in the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’? (Genesis 1:27) ⁵ He said, ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two will become one.’ (Genesis 2:24) ⁶ They are no longer two, but one. So no one should separate what God has joined together.”

⁷ They asked, “Then why did Moses command that a man can give his wife a letter of divorce and send her away?”

⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses let you divorce your wives because you were stubborn. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ Here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him.”

¹⁰ Here is what the disciples said to him. “If that’s the way it is between a husband and wife, it is better not to get married.”

¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept the idea of staying single. Only those who have been helped to live without getting married can accept it. ¹² Some men are not able to have children because they were born that way. Some have been made that way by other people. Others have chosen to live that way in order to serve the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

Little Children Are Brought to Jesus

¹³ Some people brought little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on the children and pray for them. But the disciples told them not to do it.

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them.” ¹⁵ Jesus placed his hands on them to bless them. Then he went on from there.

Rich People and the Kingdom of God

¹⁶ Just then, a man came up to Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter the kingdom, obey the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” the man asked.

Jesus said, “ ‘Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother.’ (Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20) And ‘love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ” (Leviticus 19:18)

²⁰ “I have obeyed all those commandments,” the young man said. “What else do I need to do?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad. He was very rich.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “What I’m about to tell you is true. It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. But it is even harder for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were really amazed. They asked, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With people, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible.”

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What reward will be given to us?”

²⁸ “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus said to them. “When all things are made new, the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne. Then you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones. You will judge the 12 tribes of Israel. ²⁹ Suppose anyone has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, husband or wife, children or fields because of me. Anyone who has done that will receive 100 times as much. They will also receive eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last. And many who are last will be first.