32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, 33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: 34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. (Mark 10:32-34 KJV)
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
Here is Christ’s prediction of his own sufferings; this theme he often repeated, though it sounded harsh and unpleasant to his disciples.
See here how bold he was; as they were going up to Jerusalem, Jesus went ahead of them as the captain of our salvation, about to be made perfect through sufferings (Mark 10:32). He pressed forward, even more now that the time was at hand. Jesus went before them, and they were amazed. They began to realize the danger of going to Jerusalem, aware of how hostile the Sanhedrin was toward their Master and themselves, and they trembled at the thought. To encourage them, Christ went ahead. “Come,” He seemed to say, “surely you will follow where your Master leads.”
Christ went cheerfully to Jerusalem, even though He knew He was going to suffer and die. Christ’s courage and determination in carrying out His mission for our salvation are, and will always be, a wonder to His disciples.
His disciples were fearful and faint-hearted; as they followed Him, they were afraid for themselves, aware of the danger they faced, though their Master’s courage should have inspired them. To calm their fears, He didn’t minimize the truth or offer false hope of escape, but plainly told them again what would happen to Him—He knew the worst and moved forward boldly, and He wanted them to know it too (Mark 10:33-34). However, though he would die, he would rise again. The result of His sufferings would be glorious for Him and beneficial for all who belong to Him.
The specific details of His sufferings are more clearly outlined here than in any previous prediction: He would be delivered by Judas to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, then handed over to the Gentiles—the Roman authorities—who would mock Him, scourge Him, spit on Him, and kill Him. Christ had a full awareness not only of His death but of all its painful details, and yet He went forward to face them.
Mark Chapter 10
- Teaching About Divorce, Mark 10:1-12
- Let the Children Come to Me, Mark 10:13-16
- The Rich Young Man, Mark 10:17-27
- We left everything to follow you, Mark 10:28-31
- Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time, Mark 10:32-34
- The Request of James and John, Mark 10:35-45
- Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus, Mark 10:46-52