The Son of Man Must Suffer

Several times throughout His ministry the Savior alluded to His impending death and resurrection. After a powerful declaration from Peter about who He was, the Savior “straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day” (Luke 9:21-22). Matthew’s account suggests that this was not something He said only once: “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Peter “took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee,” but the Savior would not hear of it: “Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:21-23). Jesus knew that His mission was to die, and He wouldn’t entertain even for the briefest moment anything different.

                As the time of His death drew closer, He continued to allude to what was going to happen. Matthew recorded, “And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again” (Matthew 20:17-19). Luke recorded something similar, “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. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 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). Despite the fact that He was quite clear according to these accounts about what was going to happen, they did not seem to grasp or accept it. John recorded another instance in which He alluded to His coming death: “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12:23-25). He of course was that “corn of wheat” that was to fall to the ground and die in order to bring forth much fruit. During the Last Supper as the time drew nearer He continued to allude to His coming death: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me…. Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you…. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends…. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father…. Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy…. I leave the world, and go to the Father” (John 13:21, 33; 15:13; 16:16, 20, 28). All of these statements were clearly references to His death and resurrection, and undoubtedly as they looked back the disciples understood that everything had happened exactly as He had prophesied. Though they did not seem to accept or understand His prophecies about His own suffering, death, and resurrection, it came as no surprise to Him. It was always the plan and He stayed true to His mission perfectly.