< Matthew 16 >

Jesus warned his disciples against the Pharisees’ teaching, again using the figure of bread to represent doctrine and likening their false teaching to leaven. These religious leaders were able to discern the signs of the weather, but not the signs of the times. They should have known from prophecies in the Old Testament scriptures that their era was the time for the Messiah to be in their midst; but they were ignorant of this knowledge. Similarly, the scriptures indicate that these times in which we live are a prelude to the second coming of the Messiah; but most people, including religious leaders, are completely ignorant of these signs of our times. Men today are even more sophisticated in forecasting the weather, but few know what is about to happen in the earth. Nevertheless, any individual may learn from God’s word, not of tomorrow’s weather, but of God’s imminent intervention in the affairs of the world.

Many throughout the centuries have accepted the teaching of Christ. These, in the aggregate, form the church (Greek: “ecclesia”, meaning “called out ones”) because the purpose of God is to call out of the nations a people for his name. All of these believed that Jesus “is the Christ, the Son of the living God”, and this is the foundation faith upon which Christ’s church is built the faithful members of which will escape from “hell”, i.e. the grave. Peter confessed this faith and Jesus, making a play on his name meaning “rock”, appointed him the one to unlock the way of salvation. Therefore, later, he was the apostle who used the keys of the kingdom to open the way, firstly for the Jews and then for the Gentiles.

Jesus would be crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. Peter, devoted to Jesus, did not wish him to suffer in this way and so protested, making himself an adversary (Hebrew: “Satan”) to Jesus. Peter thought he was expressing Jesus’ best interest, but Jesus could not allow himself to be influenced by human emotion to leave the course set out for him in the purpose of God. He came to save the world and was totally committed to God’s will, leading him to death on the cross; and he calls for the same level of commitment from his disciples: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”.