12.04.03 Mk. 10:32-34; Lk. 18:34 (See also Mt. 10:17-19) Road to Jerusalem
DEATH FORETOLD THIRD TIME
Mk. 32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. They were astonished, but those who followed Him were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, He began to tell them the things that would happen to Him.
33 “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death. Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles, 34 and they will mock Him, spit on Him, flog Him, and kill Him, and He will rise after three days.”
Lk. 34 They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Jesus again warned His disciples of His coming death, but they still did not comprehend what He was talking about. He knew that the imminent crucifixion would shake them to the core. To prepare them, He told them for the third time that He was about to be betrayed, He would die, and after three days would rise from the grave. This was an unusual statement because it was not the cultural norm to say something of this nature directly. He did not declare, “Within a month I will fulfill such-and-such prophecies of the Old Testament.” That would have been totally inappropriate, even though modern students would prefer to see such a pointed statement. Yet, He did make the point, which the disciples failed to comprehend. He had performed so many profound miracles they simply could not understand how He could be killed. Their lack of understanding of the preceding discussion is demonstrated by the following conversation in Matthew and Mark: