Matthew 16:13-28; Matthew 17:1-20

Matthew 16:13-28

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15 "But you," He asked them, "who do you say that I am?"

16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!"

17 And Jesus responded, "Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven.

18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven."

20 And He gave the disciples orders to tell no one that He was the Messiah.

21 From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.

22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, "Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You!"

23 But He turned and told Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you're not thinking about God's concerns, but man's."

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.

25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.

26 What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.

28 I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Matthew 17:1-20

1 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

2 He was transformed in front of them, and His face shone like the sun. Even His clothes became as white as the light.

3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it's good for us to be here! If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him!

6 When the disciples heard it, they fell facedown and were terrified.

7 Then Jesus came up, touched them, and said, "Get up; don't be afraid."

8 When they looked up they saw no one except Him-Jesus alone.

9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Don't tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

10 So the disciples questioned Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

11 "Elijah is coming and will restore everything," He replied.

12 "But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn't recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."

13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist.

14 When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before Him.

15 "Lord," he said, "have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely. He often falls into the fire and often into the water.

16 I brought him to Your disciples, but they couldn't heal him."

17 Jesus replied, "You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."

18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed.

19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

20 "Because of your little faith," He told them. "For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. [