Interpreting the Time

(Mark 8:11-13; Luke 12:54-56)

1When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived, in order to test Jesusa they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He replied to them, “You say,

‘Red sky at night,

what a delight!

3Red sky in the morning,

cloudy and storming.’

You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, yet you can’t interpret the signs of the times?b 4An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

(Mark 8:14-21)

5When his disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to take any bread along. 6Jesus told them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

7As they began to discuss this among themselves, they kept saying, “We didn’t bring along any bread.”

8Knowing this, Jesus asked them, “You who have little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you don’t have any bread? 9Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected, 10or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many baskets you collected? 11How can you fail to understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

12Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the yeast used in bread,c but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Declares His Faith in Jesus

(Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21)

13When Jesus had come to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14They said, “Some sayd John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,e the Son of the living God!”

17Then Jesus told him, “How blessed you are, Simon son of Jonah,f since flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, though my Father in heaven has. 18I tell you that you are Peter,g and it is on this rockh that I will build my congregation,i and the powers of hellj will not conquer it. 19I will give you the keys to the kingdom fromk heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibitedl in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permittedm in heaven.”

20Then he strictly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.n

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

(Mark 8:31-9:1; Luke 9:21-27)

21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised. 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God be merciful to you, Lord! This must never happen to you!”

23But Jesuso turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offensep to me, because you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts!”

24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously. 25Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it, 26because what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 27The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to what he has done. 28I tell all of youq with certainty, some people standing here will not experiencer death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”