Chapter 16

Chapter 16. — On the Leaven of the Pharisees. And on Caesarea Philippi and the Confession of Peter. On the Things Which Christ is About to Suffer

¹ And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and tempting him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. Although the Pharisees and Sadducees differed in their doctrines, yet against Christ they are of one mind; and they sought a sign from heaven, such as to stay the sun, or the moon; for they supposed that the signs upon earth were wrought by demonic power and by Beelzebub. For the foolish men were ignorant that Moses also wrought many signs from the earth in Egypt, and that the fire which came down from heaven upon Job’s cattle was from the devil; so that not all things from heaven are from God, nor all things from earth from demons.

² But he answered and said to them: When evening has come, you say: Fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning: Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and lowering; hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the sky, but the signs of the times you cannot? He reproves their tempting inquiry, naming them hypocrites, and he says that: Just as, of the things that appear in heaven, one is a sign of storm, and another of fair weather, and no one would seek the sign of storm in a calm, or [the sign] of calm in a storm; so also concerning me it must be understood. For this is one season, that of [my first] coming, and another the one to come; now there is need of the signs upon earth. But the [signs] in heaven are betokened in that season, when the sun shall be quenched, the moon shall be hidden, the heaven shall be changed.

³ A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet, and he left them and went away. A wicked generation, as tempting; adulterous, as departing from God and consorting with the devil. And when they seek a sign from heaven, he does not give it except the sign of Jonah—that is, that, having been three days in the belly of the great whale of death, he will rise again. And this sign you might say is also from heaven. For at his death the sun was darkened, and the whole creation was shaken. And note the saying: A sign shall not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For the signs were given to them—that is, they came to pass for their sake—even though those men disbelieved. Wherefore also, leaving them as incurable, he went away.

⁴ And his disciples, coming to the other side, forgot to take bread. But Jesus said to them: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Just as leaven is sour and old, so also the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees was biting the souls, being sour, and bringing in the old traditions of the elders; and just as leaven is a mixture of water and flour, so also the teaching of the Pharisees was a mixture of word and a corrupted life. He did not say to them openly, Beware of the teaching of the Pharisees, that he might remind them of the signs of the loaves.

⁵ But they reasoned among themselves, saying that: We took no bread. And Jesus, perceiving it, said to them: Why do you reason among yourselves, O you of little faith, that you took no bread? Do you not yet perceive, nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? How is it that you do not perceive that I did not speak to you concerning bread, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Then they understood that he said to beware, not of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They supposed that he was saying this to them, namely, to guard against the defilement from the Jewish foods, wherefore also they reasoned that they took no bread; he reproaches them, then, as foolish and of little faith. For in that they did not remember with how many loaves he had fed how many, [they were] foolish; but in that they disbelieved, that, even if they had not bought loaves from the Jews, he himself was able to provide them, in this they were of little faith; as a master he reproved them more sharply, for gentleness is not everywhere good; and immediately they understood that he called the teaching leaven. So strong everywhere is reasonable rebuke.

⁶ And Jesus, coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? He made mention of the one who founded the city, since there is also another Caesarea, that of Strato, and he asks them not in that one, but in this. For he leads the disciples far away from the Jews, that, fearing no one, they might speak with boldness. And first he asks the supposition of the multitude, that they might be raised to a higher thought, and might not fall into the same lowliness as the many; and he does not ask, Whom do the Pharisees say that I am? but, [Whom do] men [say], speaking of the guileless multitude.

⁷ And they said: Some, John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Those who named him John were like Herod, supposing that John, after the resurrection, had received this gift also, that of wonder-working; and those [who said] Elijah, on account of [his] reproving [spirit], and because it was expected that he would come; and those [who said] Jeremiah, on account of the natural and untaught quality of his wisdom; for Jeremiah, while yet a child, was appointed to prophecy.

⁸ He says to them: But whom do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And again, as fervent, Peter leaps forward, and confesses him truly to be the Son of God. For he did not say, You are the Christ, a Son of God, without the article, but with the article, the Son—that is, that very one, the one and only, not a Son by grace, but the one begotten of the very essence of the Father; since there were also many christs, all the priests and the kings, but the Christ with the article is one.

⁹ And Jesus answered and said to him: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my Father who is in the heavens. He blesses Peter as having received the knowledge from divine grace; and approving him, he shows thereafter that the suppositions of the other men are false; he said to him Bar-Jonah—that is, son of Jonah—saying all but this, that: As you are the son of Jonah, so I am of one essence with my Father who is in heaven. And he calls knowledge a revelation, the hidden and unknown things having been made manifest by the Father.

¹⁰ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The Lord rewards Peter, giving him a great reward, that the Church should be built upon him. For since Peter confessed him to be the Son of God, he says: This confession which you have confessed shall be the foundation of those who believe, so that every man about to build the house of faith shall lay this confession as the foundation. For though we build ten thousand walls, yet if we have not for a foundation the right confession, we build to no soundness. And in saying, My Church, he shows himself to be Master of all; for all things are his servants. And the gates of Hades are the persecutors in their seasons, who sent the Christians down to Hades. And the heretics also are gates leading down to Hades; over many persecutors, then, and many heretics the Church has prevailed. And each one of us is also a church, becoming a house of God. If, then, we are established upon the confession of Christ, the gates of Hades—that is, the sins—shall not prevail against us; for it was when lifted up out of these gates that David also said: You who lift me up from the gates of death. From what gates, O David? From the two, those of murder and of adultery.

¹¹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind upon the earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whatever you loose upon the earth shall be loosed in the heavens. As God he says, I will give you, with authority; for as the Father gave me the revelation, so I [give] the keys. By keys you will understand the things that bind and loose sins, [namely] either the remittings or the [retainings]; for they have authority to forgive and to bind, who after the manner of Peter have been counted worthy of the episcopal grace; for although it was said to Peter alone, I will give you, yet it has been given to all the apostles also. When? When he said: Whosoever’s sins you remit, they are remitted. For indeed the word I will give signifies a future time—that is, the [time] after the resurrection. And the virtues also are called heavens, and the keys of these are the works; for through working we enter, as through certain keys that open, into each of the virtues. But if one does not work them, he who walks in them is bound in the heavens—that is, in the virtues; for the earnest man is loosed in these. Let us, then, not have sins, that we may not be bound with the cords of our own sins.

¹² Then he charged his disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ. Christ wished, before the cross, that the glory concerning him should be overshadowed. For if men had heard before the passion that he is God, and then had seen him suffering, how would they not have been offended? For this reason, then, he hides himself from the many, that after the resurrection he might be made known without offense, the Spirit smoothing out all things through the wonders.

¹³ From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. He foretells to them the passion, that, when it came unexpectedly, they might not be offended, supposing that he had suffered unwillingly and in ignorance; for since they had come to know, through Peter’s confession, that he is the Son of God, then he reveals to them also the things of the passion. And after the grievous things, he adds also the joyful, his being raised on the third day.

¹⁴ And Peter, taking him aside, began to rebuke him, saying: Be it far from you, Lord; this shall not be to you. What was revealed, Peter rightly confessed; but what was not revealed, in this he erred; that we might learn that without God he could not utter even that great [confession]. Not wishing, then, that Christ should suffer, and being ignorant of the mystery of the resurrection, he says: Be it far from you, Lord; this shall not be to you.

¹⁵ But he turned and said to Peter: Get behind me, Satan, you are an offense to me, for you do not mind the things of God, but the things of men. When Peter spoke right things, Christ blessed him; but when he was irrationally faint-hearted and did not wish him to suffer, he rebuked him, saying: Get behind me, Satan. And Satan means the adversary. Get behind me, then—that is, do not set yourself against [me], but follow my will. And he calls Peter thus, since to Satan also the suffering of Christ was unwished-for; he says, then, that: You by human reasoning think the passion unseemly for me; but you do not perceive that God through this works salvation, and that this is most fitting for me.

¹⁶ Then Jesus said to his disciples: If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Then—when? When he had rebuked Peter; for wishing to show that Peter had erred in hindering him from suffering, he says: You hinder me; but I say to you that not only is my not suffering harmful to you, but neither will you be able to be saved unless you yourself also die—and likewise anyone else, whether man or woman, whether poor or rich. And he said If anyone wishes, that he might show that virtue is free and not constrained. And he follows after Jesus, not [merely] he who confesses him to be the Son of God, but he who also comes through all the terrible things, and endures the same. And he said, Let him deny himself, signifying the perfect denial through the putting-off [of self]. That is, let him have nothing in common with the body, but let him despise himself, just as we are wont to say, So-and-so denied so-and-so, instead of, He has him neither as friend nor as acquaintance. So, then, everyone too must have no friendship toward the body; so as even to take up the cross—that is, to choose death, and with eagerness to seek out even a reproachful death; for such was the cross among the ancients. But, And let him follow me, he says. For many robbers and thieves are crucified, but those are not my disciples; let him follow, then—that is, let him display also all the rest of virtue. And he too denies himself who yesterday was wanton, but today is chaste. Such was Paul, who denied himself in saying: It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. And he takes up the cross who has put to death and crucified himself to the world.

¹⁷ For whoever wishes to save his soul shall lose it; but whoever shall lose his soul for my sake shall find it. He urges us on to martyrdom. He finds his soul for the present—that is, saves it—who denies [me], who also loses it afterward; but he loses his soul, yet for the sake of Christ, who shall bear witness on his behalf. And he shall also hold it fast in incorruption and life eternal.

¹⁸ For what is a man profited if he gain the whole world, but forfeit his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall render to each according to his deed. Suppose, he says, by way of hypothesis, that you have gained the whole world; but what is the profit, when the soul is ill-disposed, that the body should fare well? As if, when the mistress of the house went about in torn rags, the maidservants were splendidly clad. For neither in the age to come can anyone give anything in exchange for his soul. For here he can give tears, groanings, almsgiving; but there, no. For the Judge who succeeds [to all] is not to be bribed; for he judges each according to his works; and [he is] fearful, for he comes in his glory with the angels, and not despised.

¹⁹ Verily I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste of death until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. He said that the Son of man is about to come in his glory. Lest, then, those men should disbelieve, he says that there are some here who, so far as is possible, shall see in the Transfiguration the glory of the second coming; and at the same time he also shows in what glory those will be who have suffered for his sake. For as his flesh shone forth at that time, so in proportion the saints shall then shine; and here he hints at Peter and James and John, whom he took up into the mountain, and showed them his kingdom—that is, the state which is to come, in which he himself also will come and the righteous shall shine forth. He says, then, that: Some of those here shall not die until they see [him] transfigured. And note that those who stand fast in the good and are steadfast, those behold Jesus transfigured into the more splendid [form], and ever advance in faith and in the commandments.