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Matthew 16

Kevin Colvin
08/06/23 - Podcast

And now, a minute with the Word…

Attempting to test Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign. Jesus tells them that an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Jesus mentioned this sign of Jonah in Matthew chapter 12, alluding to his death and burial in the Earth for three days before being risen, just as Jonah was in the fish for three days before being spit out back on land. The sign of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection is the only sign that any evil and adulteress generation needs, including our own. The disciples completely miss the point about the leaven of the Pharisees. In his rebuke, Jesus draws a connection between faith, understanding, and remembrance of God’s works. Is my faith crippled by a lack of understanding or failure to remember the amazing things God has done? Peter rightly says that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, a truth on which Jesus’ church will be built. Jesus then explains the difficult path that He will have to take for the sake of God’s kingdom, and the difficult path that His disciples must take to be a part of God’s kingdom. This includes me. In what real ways am I denying myself or taking up a cross? Are there any real ways in which I’ve lost my life for Jesus’ sake? Do I spend more time and effort gaining worldly things or spiritual things?