5

Jesus Predicts His Sufferings
(Luke 18:31–34)

Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.” But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said. (18:31–34)

One of the ways in which pseudo-scholars, critics, and skeptics constantly attack our Lord is by denying that His sufferings were planned and purposeful. They argue that His death was unplanned and accidental; a tragic, unfortunate, bad ending to His life. His death, they insist, resulted from a miscalculation; it was a noble attempt to bring goodness into the world, but ended in an unplanned disaster. Some suggest that Jesus was a naive, well-intentioned, good man, who wanted to elevate people religiously by His ideas, but failed to know when He had gone too far. To others, He was a misguided nationalist, whose efforts at a revolution were hopelessly inept, or an ambitious, self-styled conqueror with delusions of grandeur. There have been those who say He was just another religious fanatic. All such false views of Him imagine that the events of Jesus’ life did not go the way He intended them to go. His dream of what He hoped would be a better world ended instead in a nightmare.

But nothing could be further from the truth. The whole trajectory of His life was prophesied 700 years before and included every aspect of His career as the Messiah, Servant of Jehovah:

In fulfillment of that prophecy, Jesus said that He came into the world “not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). The Father’s will was for Him to die. Anticipating the cross, with its sin-bearing and separation from the Father, Jesus said, “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27).

Jesus was not a well-intentioned victim of a plan that surprised Him when it went horribly wrong. He knew exactly how His life would end, down to the minutest detail, and had known it since before the foundation of the world, when the plan of salvation was formed. The heart of the Christian faith is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in the history of redemption in the Old Testament moves toward the cross; everything that has happened since moves from the cross.

The Lord understood every prophetic passage in the Old Testament regarding His death (Luke 24:25–27, 44), which He alluded to throughout His ministry:

Jesus also made explicit predictions concerning His death:

The present passage is the third and most complete of the Lord’s specific predictions concerning His death recorded by Luke. His words here anticipate His suffering on the cross and His resurrection. They reveal the plan, proportions, power over, and perceptions of His suffering.

THE PLAN OF SUFFERING

Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. (18:31)

As He had been since Luke 9:51, Jesus was on His final journey to Jerusalem. That journey was now nearing its end, as the Lord and the disciples, having crossed the Jordan River from Perea into Judea, approached Jericho, and the steep ascent to Jerusalem from there (Luke 19:1, 11). So that there would be no misunderstanding on their part, Jesus took the Twelve aside to remind them that what was about to happen to Him was God’s plan. His suffering and death were no surprise to Him, but rather the eternal purpose of the incarnation.

The Twelve were headed, of course, for Jerusalem because it was time for Passover. What they did not understand was that Jesus would be the Passover Lamb, the only sacrifice for sin that would satisfy God and provide atonement for all the elect. His death brought to an end the entire sacrificial system. One reason that Jesus needed to explain things in advance to them is that the concept of a dying Messiah was completely foreign to their understanding (cf. Luke 9:44–45). The nineteenth-century historian Emil Schürer summarized the Jewish people’s expectations regarding the coming of Messiah and the establishing of His kingdom as follows: First, the coming of Messiah would be preceded by a time of tribulation. Second, in the midst of the turmoil an Elijah-like prophet would appear heralding Messiah’s coming. Third, Messiah would establish His glorious kingdom, and vindicate His people. Fourth, the nations would ally themselves together to fight Messiah. Fifth, Messiah would destroy all those opposing nations. Sixth, Jerusalem would be restored, and made new and glorious. Seventh, the dispersed Jews scattered all over the world would return to Israel. Eighth, Israel would become the center of the world and all the nations would be subjugated to the Messiah. Finally, the Messiah would establish His kingdom, which would be a time of eternal peace, righteousness, and glory (A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ [New York: Scribners, 1896], 2:154–78). There was no place in Jewish messianic theology for a sacrificed, a dead, or even a risen Messiah.

Further, the disciples were aware of the Jewish leaders’ intense hatred of Jesus and the hostile reception He would receive from them in Jerusalem. They were amazed and fearful that He seemingly was walking intentionally into the arms of His enemies. Perhaps they had the same attitude that Thomas expressed in John 11:16: “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

Knowing their fears, Jesus reassured them that God’s plan would be fulfilled and that all things that were written through the prophets about the Son of Man (a messianic title taken from Dan. 7:13) would be accomplished. His death would be the culmination of the divine redemptive purpose of God. The cross is the primary event in redemptive history and therefore the primary event in all of history.

The first strains of the symphony of the cross can be heard in Genesis 3. After the fall, Adam and Eve were overwhelmed with guilt. Attempting to hide their shame, they covered themselves with leaves. That was an inadequate human attempt to deal with the guilt of sin, so God killed an animal—the first death in history—and used its skin to cover Adam and Eve. The aftermath of the first sin reveals that sin and guilt are only covered by the death of an innocent sacrifice. The truth that only a blood sacrifice is acceptable to God was reaffirmed in Genesis 4 when God accepted Abel’s animal sacrifice, but rejected Cain’s offering of the produce of the ground.

Genesis 22 records that God commanded Abraham to offer his son and heir Isaac, through whom the Abrahamic covenant was to be fulfilled, as a sacrifice. After ascending Mount Moriah, Abraham placed his son on the altar. But before he could plunge the knife into him, God stopped him. In place of Isaac, God provided a ram that was caught in a nearby thicket. Here is another strain in the symphony of the cross. Not only is a sacrifice the only way for sinners to be accepted by God, but God Himself will provide the substitute. The name Abraham gave to that place, “The Lord Will Provide” (Gen. 22:14), reinforces that truth.

Similarly, the firstborn of every Jewish household was spared from death by the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb (Ex. 12:1–13, 21–23). Later at Mount Sinai God gave the law, with its complex, elaborate system of sacrifices. All of those constant sacrifices revealed clearly that the final, satisfying, perfect sacrifice had not yet come because

The Old Testament also contains specific predictions of Christ’s death on the cross. Psalm 22 graphically depicts the details of His crucifixion—a form of execution unknown in Israel at that time. The psalm opens with the words our Lord spoke on the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (v. 1; cf. Matt. 27:46). Verses 6–8 predict the gloating mockery that the Lord received from His enemies:

Verses 14–17 describe the physical suffering the Lord endured on the cross:

This remarkably accurate prediction even records the detail that His executioners would divide up Jesus’ garments: “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (v. 18; cf. Luke 23:34).

The marvelous messianic chapter, Isaiah 53, also predicts the events surrounding our Lord’s death on the cross. He was “pierced through for our transgressions” (v. 5). Verse 7 predicts Jesus’ silence during His mock trials: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth” (cf. Matt. 26:62–63; 27:12–14). Verse 8 says he was “cut off out of the land of the living.” Verse 9 notes that although Christ’s “grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death.” The bodies of crucified victims were usually thrown onto the dump, but Jesus was buried in the tomb of the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:57–60). Verse 10 reveals that although Jesus would be put to death by “render[ing] Himself as a guilt offering,” He would be resurrected, to “see His offspring” and “prolong His days.”

In addition to Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, Zechariah 12:10 also predicted the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, referring to Him as the one “whom they [Israel] have pierced.”

The death of Christ is also pictured by illustrations and types. John 3:14 records that “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (cf. 12:32–33). In John 10:11 Jesus referred to Himself as “the good shepherd [who] lays down His life for the sheep.” Jesus knew every detail of His death because it was all ordained in “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).

The Old Testament prophets repeatedly “predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow” (1 Peter 1:11). Yet some foolishly (cf. Luke 24:25–26) believe that Jesus offered the kingdom to Israel, and would have bypassed the cross and granted them the kingdom if they had accepted Him. But Jesus came to offer the kingdom through the cross, as the detailed Old Testament predictions of the events surrounding His death and resurrection demonstrate (see in addition to the prophecies noted above Zech. 9:9, which describes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem; Ps. 2:1–3, which describes the rage of His enemies; Zech. 13:7, which describes His desertion by His friends; Zech. 11:12, which describes His betrayal for thirty pieces of silver; Ps. 34:20, which says that none of His bones would be broken [cf. Ex. 12:46]; Ps. 69:21, which says that He would be given vinegar to drink; Ps. 16:10, which refers to His resurrection; and Ps. 110:1, which pictures His ascension). Jesus was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), who was “delivered over [to death] by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).

THE PROPORTIONS OF SUFFERING

For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; (18:32–33a)

Combining these verses with the parallel accounts in Matthew (20:17–19) and Mark (10:32–34) gives the complete record of what the Lord said on this occasion. He would be betrayed to the Jewish authorities (Matt. 20:18; Mark 10:33) and, after a mock trial, condemned by them to death and handed over to the Gentiles (since the Jews did not have the authority to execute anyone [John 18:31]), mocked and mistreated, spit upon, scourged, and crucified (Matt. 20:19), after which on the third day He would rise again. His detailed knowledge of what would happen to Him in the future is another display of Christ’s omniscience (cf. His knowledge of people’s hearts [John 2:24–25; cf. Luke 6:8; 11:17]; the precise location of where a fish with a coin in its mouth would be [Matt. 17:27; cf. John 21:5–6]; that a woman whom He had met for the first time had had five husbands [John 4:18]; where the colt He would ride in the triumphal entry would be located and what its owners would say when the disciples took it [Luke 19:30–34]; that the disciples would meet a man carrying a pitcher who would show them the place where they would eat the Last Supper [Luke 22:10]; and that Jerusalem would be destroyed four decades later [Luke 21:20]).

But these verses not only predict Christ’s suffering, they also convey the magnitude and intensity of what Jesus, the “man of sorrows” (Isa. 53:3), endured. It is interesting to note that the New Testament frequently uses the word “suffering” in the plural when it refers to Christ (e.g., 2 Cor. 1:5; Phil. 3:10; Heb. 2:10; 1 Peter 1:11; 4:13; 5:1), while in the Old Testament, Isaiah 53 reveals the scope and severity of what Jesus would suffer. The nature of His sufferings can be summarized under five headings.

First, Jesus suffered disloyalty. He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of those closest to Him, a man into whom He had invested His life and truth. Exacerbating the suffering it caused the Lord, that betrayal took place in the intimate setting of the last Passover meal He would eat with the Twelve. Judas betrayed Christ to the Jewish authorities for a paltry thirty pieces of silver, just as the Scriptures predicted (Ps. 41:9; Zech. 11:12). Cynically, with feigned respect, he pointed out Jesus to His captors with a kiss (Luke 22:47–48).

Second, Jesus suffered rejection (cf. Isa. 53:3). That rejection came first of all from Israel. “He came to His own,” John wrote, “and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). It was the leaders of the nation, the chief priests and scribes, who condemned Him to death and delivered Him to the Romans to be executed. The people also rejected Him before Pilate, screaming “Crucify Him!” (Matt. 27:22). Jesus was also rejected by those closest to Him. After His arrest, “all the disciples left Him and fled” (Matt. 26:56). But the most profound rejection of all was by the Father, which caused Him to cry out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46; cf. Ps. 22:1).

Third, Jesus suffered humiliation. The sinless Son of God, in whom “all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9), was mocked and mistreated and spat upon. Luke 22:63 notes that “the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him.” Luke 23:11 records that “Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.” While He was on the cross, “the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.’ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, ‘If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!’” (Luke 23:35–37). Even one of those crucified alongside Him “was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’” (v. 39). The reviling and abuse that He had faced throughout His ministry (cf. John 9:28; 1 Peter 2:23) intensified at His death.

Fourth, Jesus suffered injustice. The holy, just, righteous, sovereign second person of the Trinity was falsely accused of sin (John 9:24), sedition, insurrection (Luke 23:13–14), and blasphemy (Matt. 9:3; 26:65; John 10:33). And His trials were monumental demonstrations of injustice at every point.

Finally, Jesus suffered bodily injury. He was brutally scourged with a whip with multiple thongs, at the end of which were tied pieces of glass, bone, rock, or metal. So severe was the damage from such a scourging that many died from it. Crucifixion was the most horrible form of execution. Frederic Farrar wrote,

THE POWER OVER SUFFERING

and the third day He will rise again.” (18:33b)

Jesus was dead before the sundown that ended the day on Friday, rose early on Sunday morning, and ever lives, in fulfillment of the promise recorded in Psalm 16:10: “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” Although buried in the tomb of a rich man (Isa. 53:9), He would “see His offspring,” “prolong His days,” and “the good pleasure of the Lord [would] prosper in His hand” (v. 10). That indicates that He would live again after His death. In John 2:19 Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” and in John 12:24 He added, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” The story would not end with Jesus’ death; “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions … was raised because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25).

THE PERCEPTION OF SUFFERING

But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said. (18:34)

Despite Jesus’ clear teaching, the disciples failed to perceive the meaning of what He had just taught them. The threefold repetition, that they understood none of these things, the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said, emphasizes their utter lack of understanding (cf. Luke 9:45).

Critics see in this statement proof that Jesus never made this prediction. If He had, they argue, the disciples would surely have understood and not been surprised when what the Lord predicted came to pass. It is true that they did grasp some of the spiritual truth Jesus taught, such as the parables (Matt. 13:16–17). But there was a perfectly good reason that the disciples failed to grasp the Lord’s teaching about His suffering and death: it failed to fit their messianic theology. They expected Messiah to be a king, who would defeat Israel’s enemies and establish His kingdom. They were looking for a coronation, not a crucifixion; for a messiah who killed His enemies, not one who was killed by His own people. The idea of a crucified Messiah was an absurdity to them. It was so ridiculous that they could not even comprehend it. “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,” wrote Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18. Thus “Christ crucified” was “to Jews a stumbling block” (v. 23); a massive barrier that they could not get past.

After His resurrection Christ reaffirmed the veracity of the Old Testament teaching regarding His death and resurrection, and rebuked the disciples for their failure to understand it. On the road to Emmaus, He said to two of them,

A dying Messiah was not consistent with their theology and their interpretation of the Old Testament, but eventually the disciples came to understand it, believe it, and preach it.