ST MATTHEW
CHAPTER 16
Jesus warns against the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Christ, and is promised the keys of the kingdom—Jesus foretells his death and resurrection. Who are these sects that we read about here?
[ The PHARISEES were the largest sect among the Jews, they boasted that they had not only the scribes, and all the learned men of the law of their party, but they also drew after them the bulk of the people. When this sect arose is uncertain. Josephus, Antiq. lib. v. c. xiii. s. 9, speaks of them as existing about 144 years before the Christian era. They had as their creed, to separate from the others, and were probably, in their rise, the most holy people among the Jews, having separated themselves from the national corruption, with a design to restore and practice the pure worship of the most High. That they were greatly degenerated in our Lord's time is sufficiently evident; but still we may learn, from their external purity and exactness, that their principles in the beginning were holy. Our Lord testifies that they had cleansed the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they were full of abomination. They still kept up the outward regulations of the institution, but they had utterly lost its spirit; and hypocrisy was the only substitute now in their power for that spirit of piety which I suppose, and not unreasonably, characterized the origin of this sect.
The SADDUCEES had their origin and name from one Sadoc, a disciple of Antigonus of socho, president of the Sanhedrin, and teacher of the law in one of the great divinity schools in Jerusalem, about 264 years BC.
This Antigonus having often in his lectures informed his scholars, that they should not serve God through expectation of a reward, but through love and filial reverence only, Sadoc inferred from this teaching that there were neither rewards nor punishments after this life, and, by consequence, that there was no resurrection of the dead, nor angel, nor spirit, in the invisible world; and that man is to be rewarded or punished here for the good or evil he does.]
1 THE Pharisees also with the Sadducees [ These two are usually bitter enemies and yet they join forces to try to destroy the truth - their real leader (satan) gets them to unite in order to fight against the truth that will destroy his kingdom and power.] came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. [ Sign in Hebrew means constellation. So the healings and rasing people from the dead were not enough to prove to them that it was not some kind of magic. However if he could should something in the heavens then they would believe. ]
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring, O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? [ The events and wonders that were prophetically foretold that identify Jesus as the Messiah. ]
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. [ Or Jonah. So what sign in the heavens represented Jonah, death and the resurrection of Christ (Matt 12) and is designated as the sign of the times? A sign that was remembered 760 years later when referred to by Christ. Notice how everyone knows what he is talking about as there was no debate to that sign. So he said that it will be the same sign when the Savior returns. IN the time of Jonah there was a great eclipse that darkened the earth. So the story goes that Jonah was so afraid to go to Ninevah and preach the gospel as he was instructed to do that a big fish ate him. Then he repented and went to Ninevah. Did the King and whole city of Ninevah repent in sack cloth and ashes just because of a sermon by a reluctant prophet? The city was so big that it took a couple of days to get from the edge of the city to the middle. Extremely powerful city. The king and the city repented - why -there was a famous Bur-Sagale eclipse on June 15, 763 BC just northe of Ninevah. As well as earthquakes, plagues and revolts. ] And he left them, and departed.
6 ¶ Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven [ is a substance that produces fermentation, like yeast whiuch causes bread to rise. Symbolically speaking of leaven refers to any element that by its fermenting or spreadfing influence affects groups of people so that they believe and act in particular ways. So here he is saying to shun the false doctines of the Sadducees & Pharisees or their concept that the Messiah must prove his claim by showing unto them a sign. IN this case he refers to "Bad Leaven" implying that they are letting bad doctrine to ferment in their souls. Giving rise to sin and opening the door to join with Satan's ministry. ] of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
8 aWhich when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, [ or ye who are wanting in faith. ] why reason ye among yourselves,[ The term leaven was rarely used among the Jews to signify doctrine. ], because ye have brought no bread?
9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, [ We are not deficient in spiritual knowledge, because we have not had sufficient opportunities of acquainting ourselves with God; but because we did not improve the advantages we had. How deep and ruinous must our ignorance be, if God did not give line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little! They now perceived that he warned them against the superstition of the Pharisees, which produced hypocrisy, pride, envy, &c., and the false doctrine of the Sadducees, which denied the existence of a spiritual world, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the providence of God. ] that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
[ The false doctrines that they ferment. ]
12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
13 ¶ When Jesus came [ "elqwn de o ihsouv" when Jesus was coming. Not, when Jesus came, or was come, for Mark expressly mentions that it happened "en th odw", on the way to Caesarea Philippi, Mark viii. 27] into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi,[ A city, in the tribe of Naphtali, near to Mount Libanus, in the province of Iturea. Its ancient name was Dan ], he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the son of man am? [ This was not only a question, but a teaching moment as well. The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is "son of Man of Holiness or son of Man (Mormon Doctine p671; Moses 6:57 According to Luke 9:18 the Jesus and the disciples were alone praying when the Master asked this question]
14 And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
[ The Savior provide the disciples the opportunity to express their testimony in who he was and open a discussion to further their individual knowledge of him. ]
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, [ Greek Christos, meaning "to annoint"; Hebrew Messiah, meaning "annointed one". Annointing was a ritual consecration or a setting
apart, to sacred purposes. It was performed by pouring pure olive oil over the head of the one being anointed symbolic of the Spirit of the Lord being poured out upon the designated leader being consecrated. ] the son of the living God. [ Notice the use of living: he is not a God of wood or stone, He is alive, intelligent he has a body of flesh and bones (D&C 130:22 and Jesus is his son. Did Peter learn more about the Father that is not told here? He does not just state back to Jesus that I know that thou art the "son of Man" but rather gives him two names as acknowledgement that he has learned more from revelation as to who Jesus is. Even thou Jesus was on earth the Holy Ghost had been sent to tetify to Peter- The Holy Ghost is also know as the "Revelator".]
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, [ Blessed because he had his life in order, the channel was open do to speak so that revelation could take place, maybe as a result of him simply taking the time and asking to know - a personal witness. ] Simon Bar-jona: [ Jesus calls Peter by his formal name as a way to contrast Peters mortal paternity with Jesus' birth as the literal son of an immortal father. ] for flesh and blood [ Christ could have been considered flesh and blood - so the words which Peter spoken were not just repeated back from what the Savior had taught him - him had gotten them from another means - the Holy Ghost. ] hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, [ Peter you are like a small stone. (petros, masculine gender) The word Peter in Greek is petros, which means "a piece of rock; a seer stone; a single stone; movable, insecure, shifting, or rolling. This was the same as if he had said, I acknowledge thee for one of my disciples for this name was given him by our Lord when he first called him to the apostleship. See John 1:42. ] and upon< [ Upon what? Well what had just happened here? Peter had born witness that Jesus Christ was the son of God. So it is upon the fact that Jesus Christ is God, and upon that God will build his church. ] this rock [ Joseph Smith this rock is Christ. But upon this PETRA this foundation stone, the primordial mound (the place where the 3 worlds come together - like a pyramiad, or a temple the closest point between heaven and earth. ). "epi tauth th petra" upon that very rock; (petra, feminine gender). The word rock is petra, which means "Stone of creation, the center of the world" "a rock; a cliff; a projecting rock; mother rock; huge mass; solid formation; fixed; immovable; enduring.". the rock of revelation, the same principle ("and upon this") that allowed Peter to know that "Thou art the Christ" he calls Christ the following (2 Peter 2:4-8)"Christ - A Living Stone", "Christ - Chief Corner Stone", "Christ - A Stone Disallowed", "Christ - The Head Of The Corner", "Christ - A Stone Of Stumbling", "Christ - A Rock Of Offense" for those who will not accept him. Peter knows exactly who the rock is - it is Jesus Christ. ] I will build my church; [ Or the Kingdom of God. ] and the gates of hell [ The original translation is "HADES" (Which has reference to the spirit world, or the world of the dead.) As long as the saints are living in righteousness so as to receive revelation from heaven, they will remain pure, undefiled and secure against every evil - or there is no way that hell can overtake the powers of heaven when we are lead by the powers coming from heaven. So the full verse in Greek is as follows: "And I say unto thee, That thou art PETROS [a small stone, a seer stone] and upon the PETRA [stone of creation, the center of the world, unto Christ and the atonement] I will build my church; and the gates of HADES[ It does not say HELL here, it says HADES, spirit world, or the world of the dead. So because this is based on Christ those who are dead have a way out. ] shall not prevail [remain closed of hold the spirits captive]." Why? because it is build on the doctrines of Christ the atonement and he will overcome all. And how is this to be done? We get the answers in the next verse: I give unto you the keys to bind on earth (remember the context here was the living and the dead. those on earth and in the spirit world) and to bind in heaven). ] shall not prevail [ Remain closed or hold the spirits in it. So in recap here Christ is telling Peter here that upon Christ and the atonement will I build my church. Such that the gates of the spirit world will no longer be able to hold the spirits in. Then he will tell us why in the next verse. ] against it.
19 And I will give unto thee [ I Jesus Christ will give unto you Peter. ] the keys of the kingdom of heaven: [What are the keys of the kingdom? The KEYS are that what you bond on EARTH(which contains both the living and the dead) will be bound in HEAVEN(the world of the Gods). This is about temple work. So then we might say that the function and purpose of the temple is to bring Priesthood keys and connect those keys with the creation(the why we are here, our purpose on earth) and then unify the three existences(Pre-mortal, Mortal, and External) together through the atonement and resurrection. "Keys are the right of presidency, the directing controling, governing power. They are the power, rights and authority to preside over the kingdom of God on the earth. Matt 18:18. ] and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: [ The earth represents the living and the dead. Christ gives him the sealing power. This “rock” is not only the “rock of revelation” upon which Christ will build his church; rather, it is the central doctrine of Christ himself—specifically his Atonement. He is the rock; He is the foundation stone. Peter is being compared with Petros in this conversation. Peter, or Petra, is a small stone like that of a seer stone. If anyone knows who and what the “rock” or “petra” is supposed to signify, it’s Peter. He then becomes aware that those keys he is about to receive have to do with the sealing ordinances actually restored a week later by Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration (and in the Kirtland Temple in this dispensation). In his book, Peter leaves no doubt who the rock or petra is upon which the church will be built: the foundation stone of creation and salvation himself, Jesus Christ. ] and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth [ The living and the dead. ] shall be loosed [ Will not be binding. ] in heaven. [ The life hereafter. So we again have all three worlds represented (The world of the dead, the world of the living and the world of the Gods.). Is this not what we do in the temple? The living do work for the dead so that it can be binding in the world of the Gods. ]
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. [ Why would Jesus tell them not to tell people he is the messiah? Is it because their expectations of messiah are that of physical delivery and restoration of the kingdom of Israel, and not that of a spiritual messiah, as was the case with the conflict seen in John 6. ]
21 ¶ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: [ What we fail to often recognize is that this is quoted aprocryphal messaging. It is associated with Satan and the Savior in the very beginning. In some of the apocrypha Satan was born first, he wanted it all for himself, he did not want to follow God, and there was no way he was going to be after Jesus as he was the older one. Almost as if he(the Savior) is remembering "this is what started it all in the beginning". Don't try to go there - who is the best, who is first, who's the eldest, who is the primary apostle. Jesus is trying to emphasize "not my will but thine", this is the kind of person that God is looking for. If we look at Luke 4:8 the Savior says specifically he is referring to that which is written, he is quoting the messaging given in another source. (see also Luke 4:8; Mark 8:33) ] thou art an offence unto me: [ Because of the path that you are choosing, the one that says that one is above another, that one of you is greater than another. It is the same things that Satan said in the very beginning. ] for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
[ We have to just as the Savior did; submit our will to thatl of the Father. This is not an easy task; but I suppose it is not ment to be. Even the Savior asked to be excused if possible. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote recently, "In today’s society, at the mere mention of the words obedience and submissiveness hackles rise and people are put on nervous alert. . . . People promptly furnish examples from secular history to illustrate how obedience to unwise authority and servility to bad leaders have caused much human misery and suffering. It is difficult, therefore, to get a hearing for what the words obedience and sub- missiveness really mean—even when the clarify- ing phrase, “to God,” is attached." [“Not My Will, But Thine” (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988), go to D&C 19:18 In essence the Savior is saying that the path of becoming a true Christian takes us - every one of us thru Gethsemane. Where each of us must learn if we have not learned already that out Father will have no others god's before him - no even or especially if that God is ourself. Ellder Jeffery R Holland put it this way " It will be required of each of us to kneel when we may not want to kneel, to bow when we may not want to bow, to confess when we may not want to confess—perhaps a confession born of painful experience that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our ways, saith the Lord (see Isaiah 55:8) Brigham Young University 1988–89 Speeches go to Mosiah 3:19]
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?