How can I verify if SSH is disabled with the Terminal on Sierra?

Solution 1:

sudo systemsetup -getremotelogin

This will return "Remote Login: On" or "Off" depending on the state of the Remote Login option in Sharing.prefpane.

There's no such thing as systemctl on macOS, but systemsetup does many things; check the list with sudo systemsetup -help.

Solution 2:

The use of "systemctl" seems with I am conversing with another Linux person crossing over. I feel your struggle. :) I would use the same method to check this on both platforms.

Confirm if the port is open. Don't trust the vendor tools, they change, often.

Mac: netstat -anl|grep LISTEN|grep "*.22"

Linux: netstat -anl|grep LISTEN|grep ":22"