31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. (Luke 18:31-34 KJV)
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
Here is the notice Christ gave to his disciples about his approaching sufferings, death, and the glorious outcome. He fully understood what was coming and thought it necessary to warn them, so it would be less of a shock when it happened.
- Christ’s sufferings are described here as the fulfillment of Scripture. This was how Christ encouraged himself and wanted to prepare them: “All things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished.” The Spirit of Christ, through the Old Testament prophets, foretold his sufferings and the glory that would follow (1 Peter 1:11). This shows that Scripture is truly God’s Word, because what it foretold came to pass in detail, and that Jesus was indeed sent by God, because all those prophecies were fulfilled in him. He was willing to go through anything so that Scripture would be fulfilled, not one word failing. This gives meaning to the cross and places honor on it. “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer.”
- The shame and humiliation Christ endured are especially emphasized. Other gospels mention that he would be mocked, but here it adds, “He shall be treated with contempt,” meaning he would be loaded with disgrace and insulted in every way. This was part of how he satisfied God’s justice for the dishonor our sin brought to God. One detail mentioned is that he would be spit upon, which was foretold in Isaiah 50:6. As always, when Jesus spoke of his suffering and death, he also spoke of his resurrection: “The third day he shall rise again.”
The disciples, however, were confused. This message clashed with their expectations of the Messiah and his kingdom. It completely shattered their ideas and plans, so “they understood none of these things” (Luke 18:34). Their assumptions were so deeply rooted that they couldn’t accept a literal interpretation, and they didn’t understand it in any other way either. It remained a mystery to them.
They had read the Old Testament many times but never saw anything pointing to the disgrace and death of the Messiah. They focused so much on the prophecies of his glory that they ignored the ones about his suffering. The teachers of the law should have directed them to those prophecies too, including them in their teachings and doctrines, but because they didn’t fit their ideas, they were disregarded.
People fall into similar errors today when they read the Bible selectively, accepting only the parts they like. They prefer the “smooth things” (Isaiah 30:10) and skip over the difficult ones. Likewise, when we read prophecies yet to be fulfilled, we often focus only on the promised glory of the church in the last days and overlook the periods of suffering and struggle. We assume those hard times are behind us and expect only peace ahead. Then, when tribulation and persecution come, we’re surprised and confused, even though Scripture clearly tells us, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”