Day 21: Matthew 16 | 2026 Lenten Reading Plan

Thank you for joining us for the twentieth reading in our Lenten Reading Plan. Find all the resources you need below: Read Matthew 16 on Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2016&version=ESV Listen to Matthew 16: https://share.transistor.fm/s/c91bd24d Download your own Lenten Reading Plan Bookmark: https://higherthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HT_Lenten-Reading-Plan-Bookmark-2601-PRINT-at-home.pdf Download the 2026 Lenten Reading Plan Study Guide: https://higherthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/HT_Lenten-Reading-Plan-Study-Guide-2511.pdf In Matthew 16, the Pharisees and Sadducees test Jesus by demanding a sign, but He gives them nothing except the sign of Jonah — a death and resurrection sign. See, it matters what kind of Jesus you're looking for. If you want a vending machine Jesus who performs magic tricks on demand, you'll come up short. If God only does what you tell Him, then you're in charge, and that's gone poorly for us. Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do men say the Son of Man is?" Peter confesses correctly: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But this beautiful confession falls apart when Jesus reveals what the Christ came to do: not perform miracles, but ride into Jerusalem, suffer, die, and rise on the third day. Peter rejects this. He wants a Jesus who gives positive affirmations and moral teachings. Jesus responds: "Get behind me, Satan." We want a Jesus who doesn't have to die, which would mean we don't need to be died for. But the wages of sin is death. Jesus didn't come to give you a little push over the edge. He came to take everything that overwhelms you and bring it to nothing on the cross: to die, rise, forgive, and save you. When Jesus says "take up your cross and follow me," it's not about bearing life's inconveniences. Christianity is suffering FOR others, not because of them. Jesus dies and rises for sinners for you, for me, for all. This is what the church stands or falls on. Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology. If you have questions or topics that you'd like discussed on Higher Things, email them to content@higherthings.org Subscribe to our channel to get notifications when we go live: http://youtube.com/@HTgospel4all To support the work of Higher Things®, visit https://higherthings.org/morehi/giving/ For more information about Higher Things, go to http://higherthings.org ------ Join the conversation on Social Media: http://facebook.com/higherthings http://instagram.com/higherthings https://www.tiktok.com/@higherthings