Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Matthew 16 Bible study: The Son of the living God
In Matthew, the only time Jesus says "Blessed" to one person by name is to Simon, after he says, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16:16-17). The Greek word for assembly in 16:18 is in no other Gospel. And at the tomb the angel says he has risen "just like he said" (28:6), as Jesus began to show his disciples in 16:21.
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.””
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Matthew 16:14, Jeremiah is among the names in the answer to "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"”
Is that in Matthew 16, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
No sign but Jonah's, and the yeast
"The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven" (16:1) (tap sign). Jesus answers with what they say of the sky at evening and in the morning (16:2-3), and says, "Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!" (16:3). Then, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah" (16:4). Certain of the scribes and Pharisees had asked before, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you" (12:38), and Jesus had answered in nearly the same words (12:39), then gone on to say more of Jonah (12:40-41). Here is what almost everyone misses: this time he says no more. "He left them and departed" (16:4). "The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread" (16:5), and Jesus says, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (16:6) (tap yeast). They reason, "We brought no bread" (16:7), and he reminds them of the five loaves and the seven, and the baskets they took up (16:9-10). Matthew tells how it ended: "Then they understood that he didn’t tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (16:12) (tap teaching). Favor's Mark 8 asks what the yeast is in Mark's telling, which ends with Jesus's question, "Don’t you understand yet?" (Mark 8:21), and sets Matthew's words beside it.
Where it leads to Jesus
The third day be raised up
Matthew 16:21leads toMatthew 28:6
"From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up" (Matthew 16:21). At the tomb the angel answered the women, "Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said." (Matthew 28:5-6). Jesus says it again in Matthew 17:22-23 and 20:18-19.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Matthew 16
That was a taste
The rest of Matthew 16 is waiting in Favor
- "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"
- He must go to Jerusalem
- Let him deny himself
- Beside Mark and Luke
- Lines and questions that touch this chapter
- 17 questions as you read
- 13 more Greek words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Matthew 16 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Greek word behind it
ἐκκλησίαekklesiasay ek-klay-SEE-ah
Strong's: "a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation". Thayer: "an assembly". "on this rock I will build my assembly" (16:18). Here is what almost everyone misses: in the Greek of the four Gospels, only Matthew has this word, here and twice in 18:17, "tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also" (18:17). Those are Matthew's three uses, counted in RP2018, the Byzantine text the WEB translates, and the WEB gives each as assembly. The New Testament has it 115 times, counted the same way.
For your group
Matthew 16 Bible study questions
- 1Jesus told Simon, "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (16:17). Looking back, how did you come to see who Jesus is?
- 2Jesus told Peter, "you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men" (16:23). What helps you set your mind on the things of God in an ordinary week?
- 3"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?" (16:26). Where does that question meet you right now?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Matthew 16 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Matthew 16 straight away?
Matthew is open from your first day, and its chapters open one after another, so you'll reach Matthew 16 with everything before it in view. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Matthew 16
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home