At the end of His ministry on earth Jesus took the Apostles to Jerusalem and on the way told them that all things prophesied about Him would come to an end. In Him, in His birth, death and resurrection, it would be finished and God’s promises would be fulfilled. The full meaning was hidden from them.
Matthew 17:22–23
22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful. The New King James Version
Even though they were told of the coming death and resurrection of Jesus they did not fully comprehend that He would rise victorious over sin and death and sit at the right hand of the Father. Nor did they understand that His salvation would be extended to all of mankind.
Luke 18:31 31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” 34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.
To the believing Jews they needed to repent of their sins of not believing in in Jesus as their Messiah and King to be forgiven.
1 John 1:9 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But through faith in Jesus we are justified. God sent Him to die in our place for our sins. We are justified by His finished work of the Cross in faith and it alone.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
God sent Jesus so that through Him we could be saved. Unbelief in Him already brings condemnation. It stops us from coming to the light of the world.
John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And the tomb was empty it could not contain Jesus Christ the Lord of lords and King of kings. They were shocked and did not understand. Until He showed Himself to them.
John 20:7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
The power of the Cross saves us. The preaching of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection in the Gospel of Grace is the gift of God to all who believe. and no one could boast of their own righteousness.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Jesus lives and in Him so do we. He went to that Roman cross where He was crucified for our sins. It is finished. Everything is accomplished in Gods’ perfect timing.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. Carla
The disciples are grieved, but they do not dispute this prediction, as Peter did the first time (16:22–23). Faithlife Study Bible
Jesus and the disciples began what would be Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem. Once again Jesus predicted His death and resurrection (16:21; 20:18, 19). Once again the disciples failed to understand the Resurrection; they seemed to have heard only His words about His coming death, because they became exceedingly sorrowful. The NKJV Study Bible
Christ perfectly knew all things that should befall him, yet undertook the work of our redemption, which strongly shows his love. What outward debasement and Divine glory was the life of the Redeemer! And all his humiliation ended in his exaltation. Let us learn to endure the cross, to despise riches and worldly honours, and to be content with his will. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Matthew 16:21–28 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”…
Mark 9:30–32 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”…
Luke 9:43–45 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”…
Matthew 17:9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
Mark 8:31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Jesus demonstrated His power over death at His resurrection! Our God is infinite (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 44:6); all other rulers are finite. But our God is forever victorious; all who go against Him will be defeated. "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57)!
All who place our trust in Jesus will have eternal life. Through Jesus, we also gain peace and hope today in a troubling world (John 16:33). Rather than fear the future, let us find our eternal victory in Him. Jesus has already defeated sin, death and the powers of evil on the cross (Colossians 2:14-15), and He also will defeat the powers of evil in the end times (Revelation 19:17-21; Revelation 20:7-10). Jesus has already defeated sin, death and the powers of evil on the cross (Colossians 2:14-15), and He also will defeat the powers of evil in the end times (Revelation 19:17-21; Revelation 20:7-10). Meanwhile, as followers of Christ, we are called to live differently than the world around us. But as followers of Christ, we are called to love and serve others, knowing our true reward comes from Him (Mark 10:43-45).
Through Jesus' power, we can live out this calling. He assures us, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
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