161 And the Pharisees and Sadducees having come, tempting, did question him, to shew to them a sign from the heaven, 2 and he answering said to them, 'Evening having come, ye say, Fair weather, for the heaven is red, 3 and at morning, Foul weather to-day, for the heaven is red—gloomy; hypocrites, the face of the heavens indeed ye do know to discern, but the signs of the times ye are not able! 4 'A generation evil and adulterous doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;' and having left them he went away.
5 And his disciples having come to the other side, forgot to take loaves, 6 and Jesus said to them, 'Beware, and take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees;' 7 and they were reasoning in themselves, saying, 'Because we took no loaves.' 8 And Jesus having known, said to them, 'Why reason ye in yourselves, ye of little faith, because ye took no loaves? 9 do ye not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many hand-baskets ye took up? 10 nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11 how do ye not understand that I did not speak to you of bread—to take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?' 12 Then they understood that he did not say to take heed of the leaven of the bread, but of the teaching, of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 And Jesus, having come to the parts of Cesarea Philippi, was asking his disciples, saying, 'Who do men say me to be—the Son of Man?' 14 and they said, 'Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' 15 He saith to them, 'And ye—who do ye say me to be?' 16 and Simon Peter answering said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' 17 And Jesus answering said to him, 'Happy art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal 'it' to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens. 18 'And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it; 19 and I will give to thee the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever thou mayest loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.' 20 Then did he charge his disciples that they may say to no one that he is Jesus the Christ.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 16:1-20
Commentary on Matthew 16:1-4
(Read Matthew 16:1-4)
The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles and in conduct; yet they joined against Christ. But they desired a sign of their own choosing: they despised those signs which relieved the necessity of the sick and sorrowful, and called for something else which would gratify the curiosity of the proud. It is great hypocrisy, when we slight the signs of God's ordaining, to seek for signs of our own devising.
Commentary on Matthew 16:5-12
(Read Matthew 16:5-12)
Christ speaks of spiritual things under a similitude, and the disciples misunderstand him of carnal things. He took it ill that they should think him as thoughtful about bread as they were; that they should be so little acquainted with his way of preaching. Then understood they what he meant. Christ teaches by the Spirit of wisdom in the heart, opening the understanding to the Spirit of revelation in the word.
Commentary on Matthew 16:13-20
(Read Matthew 16:13-20)
Peter, for himself and his brethren, said that they were assured of our Lord's being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than man. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, as the teaching of God made him differ from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, in allusion to his stability or firmness in professing the truth. The word translated "rock," is not the same word as Peter, but is of a similar meaning. Nothing can be more wrong than to suppose that Christ meant the person of Peter was the rock. Without doubt Christ himself is the Rock, the tried foundation of the church; and woe to him that attempts to lay any other! Peter's confession is this rock as to doctrine. If Jesus be not the Christ, those that own him are not of the church, but deceivers and deceived. Our Lord next declared the authority with which Peter would be invested. He spoke in the name of his brethren, and this related to them as well as to him. They had no certain knowledge of the characters of men, and were liable to mistakes and sins in their own conduct; but they were kept from error in stating the way of acceptance and salvation, the rule of obedience, the believer's character and experience, and the final doom of unbelievers and hypocrites. In such matters their decision was right, and it was confirmed in heaven. But all pretensions of any man, either to absolve or retain men's sins, are blasphemous and absurd. None can forgive sins but God only. And this binding and loosing, in the common language of the Jews, signified to forbid and to allow, or to teach what is lawful or unlawful.