Matthew 15:32-16:20

English Standard Version

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

³²^(A)Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ^(B)“I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” ³³And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” ³⁴And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, ^(C)“Seven, and a few small fish.” ³⁵And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, ³⁶he took the seven loaves and the fish, and ^(D)having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷And ^(E)they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ³⁸Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of ^(F)Magadan.

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

16 ^(G)And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and ^(H)to test him ^(I)they asked him to show them ^(J)a sign from heaven. ²He answered them,^[a] ^(K)“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ ^(L)You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret ^(M)the signs of the times. ⁴^(N)An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So ^(O)he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

⁵When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^(P)beware of ^(Q)the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” ⁸But ^(R)Jesus, aware of this, said, ^(S)“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? ⁹^(T)Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember ^(U)the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹⁰Or ^(V)the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? ¹¹How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? ^(W)Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹²^(X)Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of ^(Y)the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

¹³^(Z)Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴And they said, “Some say ^(AA)John the Baptist, others say ^(AB)Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter replied, ^(AC)“You are ^(AD)the Christ, ^(AE)the Son of ^(AF)the living God.” ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, ^(AG)“Blessed are you, ^(AH)Simon Bar-Jonah! For ^(AI)flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^(AJ)but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, ^(AK)you are Peter, and ^(AL)on this rock^[b] I will build my church, and ^(AM)the gates of ^(AN)hell^[c] shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you ^(AO)the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^(AP)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[d] in heaven.” ²⁰^(AQ)Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.