Matthew 16

“Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (v12).  We can be thankful that Jesus’ first followers were not super-intelligent, subtle men.  They were ordinary, and they often had trouble understanding Jesus’ teachings, just as we do.  But Jesus cared enough to keep explaining, in this case, telling them to stay far away from the cold legalism of the Pharisees.  The disciples’ salvation was in staying close to Jesus and staying humble (v25-26).

Even if we don’t understand perfectly, we can take up our crosses and follow Him (v24).