Episode 242: Oh faithless and perverse generation!

Matthew 16-17

The yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

16 ⁵ When Jesus and his disciples came to the other side, they forgot to bring bread.

⁶ Jesus said them, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

⁷ The disciples said to one another, "He’s angry with us for not bringing bread."

⁸ Jesus was aware of their comments, and said,

Oh you of little faith, why do you talk about having no bread.

⁹ Don't you remember the five loaves that fed five thousand, and the baskets that were left over?

¹⁰ Or the seven loaves that fed four thousand, and the baskets that were left over?

¹¹ But I wasn't talking about bread, but about yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹² Then the disciples understood that Jesus wasn't talking about the yeast in bread, but the yeast in the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter declares Jesus to be Christ (and becomes the first pope)

¹³ When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say I am?"

¹⁴ They said, "Some say you're John the Baptist, some say you're Elijah, others say your Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

¹⁵ Jesus said, "But who do you say that I am?"

¹⁶ Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

¹⁷ Jesus said,

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because no human has revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

¹⁸ You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

¹⁹ I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth shall forbidden in heaven, and whatsoever you allow on earth will be allowed in heaven.

²⁰ Then Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Jesus foretells his death and resurrection (and calls Peter "Satan")

²¹ From this time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples how he must go to Jerusalem; suffer many things from the elders, priests, and scribes; be killed; and raised again on the third day.

²² Then Peter took him aside and said, "Lord, this will not happen to you!"

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter,

Get away from me, Satan! You offend me, because you value the things of men, not of God.

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples,

If anyone wants to be my disciple, let him deny himself, carry his cross, and follow me.

²⁵ Whoever saves his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

²⁶ What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?

Jesus will come again soon (within the lifetime of some of his listeners)

²⁷ The Son of man will come in the glory of the Father with his angels, and he will reward every man according to his works.

²⁸ There are some standing here that will still be alive when they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom

The Transfiguration

17 ¹ After six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John to the top of a high mountain.

² Jesus was transfigured, his face shined like the sun, and his clothes were white.

³ Then Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking to him.

⁴ Peter said to Jesus,

Lord, it's good to be here. Let's make three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

⁵ While Peter was speaking, a bright cloud came down, with a voice out of the cloud, saying,

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.

⁶ When the disciples heard the voice, they fell on their faces.

⁷ But Jesus touched them and said, "Get up and don't be afraid."

⁸ When they looked up again, they saw only Jesus.

⁹ As they came down from the mountain, Jesus said,

Don't tell anyone about the vision, until the Son of man has risen from the dead.

Jesus: John the Baptist is Elijah

¹⁰ The disciples asked Jesus, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

^11-12 Jesus answered,

Elijah will come first and restore all things. He has already come.

¹³ The disciples understood that Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist.

Jesus heals a boy possessed by the devil

¹⁴ When they came to a large crowd, a man kneeled down and said to Jesus,

¹⁵ Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is a lunatic, and often falls into fire or water.

¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't cure him.

¹⁷ Jesus said, "Oh faithless and perverse generation! How long must I be with you? Bring him to me."

¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the devil. And the devil left the child, who was cured from that hour.

¹⁹ The disciples asked Jesus, "Why couldn't we cast out the devil?"

²⁰ Jesus said,

Because of your unbelief. If your faith is as small as a mustard seed, you can say to a mountain, "Move over there" and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

²¹ But this one can only be removed by prayer and fasting.

Jesus foretells his death (again)

^22-23 While Jesus and his disciples were in Galilee, Jesus said to them,

The Son of man will be betrayed into the hands of men, who will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised from the dead.

Jesus pays his taxes (by taking a coin out of a fish's mouth)

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, they who receive tribute money came to Peter, and said, "Does your master pay the tribute?"

²⁵ Peter said, "Yes."

When Peter came into the house, Jesus said,

From whom do kings take tribute?

People from their own country or strangers?"

²⁶ Peter said, "From strangers."

²⁷ Jesus said to him,

Then the children are free.

But to avoid offending them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and catch the first fish that comes up. When you have opened his mouth, you'll find a coin. Take that and give it to them for you and me.