Matthew 16 Devotional0

Matthew 16:13-20

“Christianity never consists in knowing about Jesus; it always consists in knowing Jesus. Jesus Christ demands a personal verdict.  He did not ask only Peter, he asks every man: ‘You – what do you think of me?’ ”[1]

• What does v. 15 reveal about the essence of the gospel?
• What is the confession that I am building my life upon?  Does it match with Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the son of the living God”?
• What authority does Jesus give to the church?
• How does this immense responsibility affect my life?

Matthew 16:21-23

• According to Jesus’ rebuke, why was Peter unable to accept his prophecy?  In what ways am I like Peter?
• Think about situations where those who are closest to me can become a “stumbling block to me” because they “do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men”?
• What can I learn the harshness of Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, even to the point of calling him “Satan”?

Matthew 16:24-27

“Losing one’s life to Jesus means giving over one’s own will to follow him alone in discovering God’s will as the central, driving force for one’s life. This concept echoes later in Paul’s declaration, ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ (2 Cor. 5:17). The new life of the kingdom of God is discovered only by giving over to Jesus one’s old life and finding new life in following him.”[2]

• What are the two kinds of “life” presented in this passage and what is the relationship between the two?
• In what specific ways am I called to “deny [myself] and take up [my] cross and follow [Jesus]”?

Additional Questions:

Matthew 16:1-4

• Consider Jesus’ frustration expressed in vv. 2-4.  Why would people be good at “how to interpret the appearance of the sky”?
• What does this reveal about the reason for their spiritual dullness?  What can I learn about my own spiritual sensitivity from this?
• Have I properly discerned the “signs of the times” in my generation, and formed a sense of direction and identity for my life accordingly?

Matthew 16:5-6

• What are the characteristics of yeast, and why is it an apt metaphor for false teaching, and the life of external focus characteristic of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

Matthew 16:7-8

• What caused the disciples to misinterpret Jesus’ warning regarding the yeast of the Pharisees?
• According to their interpretation, Jesus is pointing out a mistake they made, when in reality Jesus was issuing an important warning about something else.  What caused them to misunderstand Jesus?
• Are there ways in which my own sense of guilt, shame, or discouragement over a mistake becomes a lens through which I misinterpret God or other people?

Matthew 16:9-11

• Notice that the disciples continue to be focused on bread, even after the two miracles involving the multiplying of bread.  What does this reveal about the human mentality of scarcity and survival?

[2] Wilkins, Michael J. “Matthew 16:1 – 28” In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew. By Michael J. Wilkins, 552-588. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2004.