Matthew 16:21 says, 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.  Jesus now began to prepare His disciples for what was ahead for Him.  Jesus told them that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, those who were supposedly God's representatives to His people.  This would ultimately lead to Jesus's death, burial and resurrection the third day, which He had already said was the only sign that would be given in order for people to accept Him as the Messiah.  It is still the only sign today.  We either accept this by faith, or Jesus has no meaning in our life.  Verse twenty-two declares, Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.  Peter, whose faith had just been called a rock, now began to rebuke Jesus.  Peter still did not accept Who Jesus really was.  As followers of Christ, if we are led to a place of Christ suffering, must never rebuke, or question, the will of Christ.  We cannot make Jesus into anything other than Who He is if He is to truly be the Lord of our life.  In verse twenty-three Jesus says, But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.  Having just praised Peter for his faith, Jesus now calls him Satan, because Peter was wanting the things of the world and not the will of God.  We must be careful that we never become the same way, pronouncing Christ as our Savior and Lord, but then desiring the things of the world more than we do following the will of God.  In verse twenty-four Jesus declares, 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.  As I have said before, this is about as far removed from a prosperity gospel as we can get.  God wants us to be happy, not because of material wealth, but because we are saved by Christ.  Verse twenty-five continues, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  I believe that Jesus is telling us that if we live for earthly satisfaction above living for by will of God, then we may gain a lot materially, but we will lose our everlasting life with God.  Not even saving our physical life should come between God and us.  Verse twenty-six declares, 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?  Once more, Jesus tells us nothing, even the riches of the whole world, should come between God and us.  The richest person in the world, if that person does not accept Jesus as Savior, loses their immortal soul, and everything they own, when they die.  Verse twenty-seven states, For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.  This does not mean that we work for our salvation, but that the things that we do for God after we are saved will be rewarded.  Salvation is a free gift, but we do then have a responsibility to do the work that God calls us to do.  Verse twenty-eight says, Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.  I do not believe that Jesus was referring to the second coming, but to His ascension into heaven after His death and resurrection.  This was truly the beginning of the kingdom of Christ.

Matthew 16:13 says, When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?  Having just warned the disciples against following the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus now asked the disciples who did the people of the world say He was.  It would have been easy for the disciples to see Jesus as the rest of the world saw Him, just as it is possible today.  Verse fourteen states, And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  Many people were proclaiming Jesus to be one of the great prophets come back to life.  Recognizing Jesus as a great prophet, even if He wasn't one who had come back to life, is not enough.  There are many people today who would simply call Jesus another prophet, but that is not enough.  In verse fifteen, Jesus asks, He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  Just as it was for the disciples, this is the key question for anyone.  Who do we, as followers of Christ, say that Jesus is.  Either He is the only Savior of people who put their faith in Him, or He is a liar and a fraud.  It is up to each individual to decide which Jesus is.  Verse sixteen says, And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Just as Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, so must we if His sacrifice for us is to be of any value. We must declare Jesus as our Savior, and the allow Him to be the Lord of our lives.  In verse seventeen Jesus says, And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  Jesus blessed Peter, and said that his answer did not come from human understanding, but by the revelation of God.  When we encounter Jesus, we cannot accept Him as our Savior and Lord simply by human reasoning, but can only accept Him by faith in God.  Verse eighteen continues, And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  Jesus was not speaking of Peter himself being a rock upon which the church would be built, but was speaking of Peter's faith.  The church is built on Christ alone.  Verse nineteen adds, And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  This does not mean that Peter was able to save people.  The keys to the kingdom are faith in and obedience to the will of God through faith in Jesus.  Peter was giving the keys by his proclaiming this truth.  Those who believed the gospel when Peter preached it would be freed from the power and penalties of sin, and those who did not would still be bound by them.  Faith in Christ is the only key to salvation.  Verse twenty says, Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.  Jesus knew it was not yet time to be proclaimed as the Messiah, because He had yet to fulfill His role.  It was not until after His death, burial and resurrection that Jesus truly became the Messiah, or Christ.  We today can not only proclaim Jesus as the Savior of the world, but we are commanded to do so.

Matthew 16:1 says, The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.  The Pharisees were back, and this time the Sadducees were with them.  Once more they were demanding as sign from heaven to prove that Jesus was Who He said He was.  Jesus had already told them that the only sign there would be was His death, burial, and resurrection.  Faith in that fact is the only sign we will have today also.  In verse two Jesus says, He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.  Jesus asked the Pharisees and Sadducees if they could read the signs of the weather.  A red sky in the evening would be interpreted as meaning fair weather was ahead.  Verse three continues, 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?  Jesus said that a red sky in the morning would mean fair weather was coming.  These were signs to the people about weather, but they may not have always held true.  The sign that Jesus had said would be the only sign given, His death, burial, and resurrection would and always will be true.  We simply have to accept that fact.  Jesus called the Pharisees and Sadducees hypocrites.  If we come to Jesus today demanding physical signs instead of simply coming to Him by faith, we are being hypocritical.  In verse four Jesus declares, 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. And he left them, and departed.  Jesus declared the Pharisees and Sadducees to be a wicked and adulterous generation, though they considered themselves to be some of the most righteous of those who called themselves God's people.  As already stated, Jesus said the only sign would be His death, burial, and resurrection.  Verse five says, And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  The disciples once more found themselves unprepared.  They had forgotten bread.  As we are serving Christ, we may at times realize that we don't have something that we need, but if so, we need to simply look to God to supply our need.  Verse six says, Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.  I believe that Jesus was actually warning the disciples to not pay heed to what the Pharisees and Sadducees said was the way to a spiritual life with God.  The warning was really against allowing false teachings to enter into the gospel message.  Verse seven states,  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.  The disciples were still thinking in physical, or worldly, terms.  They thought Jesus was speaking about their not bringing bread, but instead of asking Jesus to clarify what He was saying, they reasoned among themselves.  If we have a question about what Jesus is instructing us to do, then our best course of action is to ask Him.  Others may lead us astray if we reason together with them, but Jesus never will.  Verse eight declares, Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?  Just as Jesus knew the concern of the disciples, so He knows ours today.  We, like the disciples, display a lack of faith when we fail to go to God with our concerns.  In verse nine Jesus asks, Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Then He continues in verse ten, Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?  Jesus had just fed a multitude on two occasions, which is a clear statement that it was not the same miracle told twice.  Jesus asked if the disciples had forgotten this already, and therefore thought that Jesus was worried about bread.  When we find ourselves needing something to continue in our work for God, we need to remember that He never has and never will fail to provide for our needs.  Verse eleven asks, How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?  Jesus asked the disciples why they didn't understand that He was not speaking of bread when He issued His warning about the Pharisees and Sadducees.  We need to always look for the spiritual reason behind what God is telling us.  Verse twelve states, 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.  The disciples finally understood what Jesus was telling them when they listened to Him instead of reasoning among themselves.  Jesus was warning them about the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  We today need to listen to what God has to say to us, and not to what the world has to say about God.

Matthew 15:29 says, And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.  Jesus was once more on a mountain, looking for some time with His Father, just as we at times need time alone with God.  Verse thirty states, And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:  The multitudes were still coming to Jesus, and bringing those who had all kinds of physical ailments.  Jesus did not send them away, but healed them.  It is good to bring those who are ailing physically to Jesus in prayer, but it is even more important to bring those who are ailing spiritually.  We cannot assume that Jesus will always heal our physical ailments, but we can be sure that He will heal our spiritual ailments if we come to Him in faith.  Verse thirty-one declares, Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.  When the multitude saw all these people being healed, they glorified the God of Israel.  This should be our reaction anytime God does something miraculous in our lives today.  We need to always give God the credit and the praise.  Verse thirty-two states, Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.  Once more, the multitudes were following Jesus, putting this above their own needs.  They had followed Jesus for three days, and they had nothing to eat.  Jesus had compassion on them and told the disciples that He would not send them away fasting.  When we come to Jesus with our concerns, getting to Him by faith must come above all else.  Jesus will never send us away without filling us spiritually.  Verse thirty-three says, And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?  The disciples once again questioned Jesus, asking how were they going to feed such a great multitude in the wilderness.  Of course, the answer was by having faith in Jesus.  When God tells us to do something, we should have faith that He will enable us to do whatever He tells us to do.  Our answer should first be, "Yes, Lord," and then we might ask Him to show us how.  Verse thirty-four says, And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.  Jesus asked the disciples what they had, just as God today may use what we have to accomplish His will.  The disciples said they had seven loaves and a few small fish.  What they saw as insignificant, Jesus saw as enough.  We can only bring to God what we have, but we can also rely on Him to make it enough.  Verse thirty-five declares, And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  When the disciples had the crowd to sit, there were still just seven loaves and a few small fish.  If we expect a miracle, we must first do what God tells us to do, acting in faith that He will enable us to do whatever He asks.  Verse thirty-six says, And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.  Like Jesus, if we are to accomplish miraculous things, then we must first thank God for what we have and ask Him to bless it.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. Once more, Jesus more than met the needs of the people.  Their was a basket full left over for each loaf.  These were not wasted, just as we must not waste the things that God blesses us with today.  Verse thirty-eight states, And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.  Some people say that this is just a retelling of the feeding of the five thousand with some of the details a little different, but since Matthew was there and was writing about it inspired by the Holy Spirit, I believe it was a separate miracle.  Just because the disciples had seen Jesus do something similar before did not mean that they had faith in Him to do it again.  Sometimes, as followers of Christ, just because we have seen Jesus do something miraculous in our lives in the past doesn't mean that we automatically accept that He will again, though it should.  Verse thirty-nine says, And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came to the coasts of Magdala.  Having feed them, Jesus sent them away and once again left by ship.  Once Jesus meets our needs, He will send us out into the world to do His will, or more accurately, as we are sent out into the world by God, He will meet our needs.  We simply have to go in faith.

Matthew 15:21 says, Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.  Matthew Henry says that Jesus went to the coasts in this area controlled by Israel, and not into the cities themselves.  Whatever His reason for going there, Jesus was going to encounter a woman in distress.  Verse twenty-two states, And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.  A woman of Canaan came crying out to Jesus.  She was not an Israelite, but she acknowledged Jesus as Lord and the Son of David.  She recognized Who Jesus was even more than the religious leaders of Israel did, and she had faith in His ability to help her.  It is not enough to simply acknowledge that Jesus may have been a real person, but we must acknowledge Him as the Messiah, the Savior of all who believe in Him for Him to change our lives.  Verse twenty-three states, But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.  Jesus did not answer the woman, which might seem cruel on His part, but I believe that He was simply using this as an opportunity to further teach His disciples about faith.  The disciples said send her away, basically because she was bothering them.  Hopefully, we do not send people away who are seeking Christ today simply because they are bothering us.  In verse twenty-four Jesus said, But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Jesus's first concern was for the lost sheep of Israel.  I believe that had He been effective in reaching them, then they would have reached the world with the gospel, but they had already failed in their purpose of reaching out to others.  Verse twenty-five states, Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.  The woman would not be turned away.  She had faith in Jesus' ability to heal her daughter.  We need that same type faith today.  We should not allow anything to keep us from getting to Jesus with our problems.  In verse twenty-six Jesus says, But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.  This would have gotten Jesus in trouble today, most likely, because the statement is not politically correct.  Jesus referred to the people of Israel as children and Gentiles as dogs, which was what they were often called.  I believe that Jesus was attempting to see what her reaction, and the reaction of the disciples, would be.  Verse twenty-seven says, And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.  The woman did not become offended and berate Jesus or storm away in a huff.  She simply said that even dogs were allowed scraps from their master's table.  She knew that even scraps from Jesus, as it were, were enough to heal her daughter, and acknowledged that He was her Master.  We cannot afford to allow our pride to come between Jesus and us.  Verse twenty-eight declares, Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.  Jesus praised the woman for her faith, and He also healed her daughter.  Jesus did not just praise her faith and send her away.  He also granted her request.  If we want Jesus to answer our prayers today, we must first have faith that He can answer them.  Then, we must not allow anything to come between Jesus and us.  Finally, we must ask in accordance with God's will and accept His answer, even if the answer is not what we want it to be.

Matthew 15:12 says, Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?  The disciples, I believe, asked Jesus this question because they were worried about what the Pharisees might do.  We have to acknowledge that the Pharisees were seen as some of the most righteous and powerful religious leaders, and Jesus had upset them.  No matter how powerful a religious leader or group of religious leaders may be, if they are morally wrong, we, like Jesus did, must point out their errors without fear.  Verse thirteen states, But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.  In effect, Jesus was saying that the Pharisees were not planted by God.  They had faith in their own goodness and righteous, instead of acknowledging their own unworthiness.  If our salvation is not planted by God by our faith in Jesus Christ, then in the end we will be uprooted.  If we attempt to justify ourselves by self-righteous, then we are just like the Pharisees, and that is totally lost.  In verse fourteen Jesus declares, Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.  Jesus told the disciples to just leave the Pharisees alone, that they were the spiritually blind leading the spiritually blind.  I know that the word spiritually was not stated, but that was the implication.  People who are not spiritually blind, who are followers of Christ in other words, should never be able to be led astray by someone who is spiritually blind.  Jesus said both the Pharisees and those who followed them would fall into a ditch, or be destroyed in other words.  Verse fifteen says, Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.  Now, instead of being concerned with the Pharisees, Peter was concerned with what Jesus was actually telling the disciples.  We can never allow our concern for what other people may think, even powerful people of the world, to keep us from seeking God's word for us.  We must obey God's teaching above all else.  Verse sixteen declares, And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?  Jesus wanted to know if Peter was also without understanding, as the Pharisees were.  I wonder how often Jesus may ask that of His followers today.  When we accept immorality and corruption as being okay as long as we get what we want, I believe that He is.  If morality does not matter in every aspect of life then why did Jesus live and die to establish it as the way of life.  Verse seventeen asks, Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?  Jesus asked the disciples didn't they understand that what they ate or drank simply passed through the body.  Jesus was telling us basically that we cannot be spiritually defiled by what we eat or drink.  I know this doesn't say drink in particular, but it does say what enters our mouth.  Yet, we should not allow what we eat or drink to harm our witness for Christ, as Paul would later teach.  Verse eighteen declares, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  Jesus tells us it is what we say that defiles us, because our words reveal what is in our heart.  We cannot just dismiss a person's words as locker room talk, because if a person's heart is right with God, then there will be no locker room talk.  Verse nineteen continues, For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:  Jesus tells us that evil actions proceed from evil thoughts.  Jesus listed several acts of evil that result from evil thoughts, and all show that a person's thoughts are not on doing the will of God.  Verse twenty says, These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.  I believe that Jesus was simply saying that eating without a ritualistic hand washing, as prescribed by additions to God's law, did not defile a person, because it had nothing to do with the spiritual condition of a person.  We cannot put rituals or traditions ahead of having the will of God determining our actions.

Matthew 15:1 says, Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,  The scribes and Pharisees were also following Jesus, but they weren't doing so because they believed in Him.  They were following looking for ways to discredit Him.  Some people are the same way with Christians today, watching everything they do hoping to discredit their faith.  Verse two states, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.  Again, the scribes and Pharisees were attempting to discredit the disciples based on the tradition of the elders.  I don't believe that it was just a physical washing of the hands that they were referring to, but some spiritual relationship that been added to the hand washing.  Either way, we must be careful not to judge people by tradition instead of judging them by their relationship to Christ.  Not all Christians worship and live the same way, but that doesn't make them less of a Christian.  Verse three declares, But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?  The scribes and Pharisees had questioned the disciples actions based on tradition, and Jesus asked them why they transgressed the commandment of God based on their tradition.  We can never allow tradition to become more important than the commandments of God.  In verse four Jesus says, For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.  Jesus simply stated one of the Ten Commandments, which should have been very familiar to the scribes and Pharisees.  If we have a dispute with other Christians, then we should first see what the Bible has to say about the issue.  In verse five Jesus continues, But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;  Jesus now adds what the tradition had become.  If a person declared what he did for his parents a gift, and not a requirement of the Ten Commandments, then he could say that his parents were indebted to him.  We cannot change God's law to suit our purposes.  In verse six Jesus says, And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.  Jesus said that when someone made what they did for their parents more of a debt, then they could feel free to not honor them.  This put tradition above the law of God.  We do not need to look for ways to avoid God's law, but for ways to keep it.  In verse seven Jesus declares, Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,  Once more, Jesus referred to the scripture, particularly a prophecy by Isaiah.  When we disagree with other people who profess to be followers of Christ, we need to make sure that our position is based on scripture, and not on some tradition that has become a part of our worship.  Verse eight declares, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  Jesus tells us that like the scribes and Pharisees, we cannot be right with God without a change of heart.  Simply professing Christ with empty words and vain, or meaningless, traditions is not enough.  In verse nine Jesus continues, But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees worshipped Him in vain, because they taught the commandments of man for doctrine.  Once more, we cannot allow the teachings or traditions of the world to take priority over the teachings of God.  Empty worship is not enough, but the word of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, must be our guide.  Verse ten declares, And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:  Jesus called the multitudes to hear and understand, then verse eleven tells them what, stating, not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.  Jesus said that what we say defiles us more than what we eat or drink, when what we say is not based on God's word.  The scribes and Pharisees were more concerned with ritual and tradition than they were with the word of God, and as followers of Christ, we must never allow ourselves to be the same as they were.