Articles
The Importance of Jesus' Resurrection: It Fulfilled Jesus' Own Predictions
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Matthew 16:21-23 ESV
Unique to Jesus alone, are the numerous predictions, or prophecies which he made regarding his own resurrection from the dead. This prediction takes on an even more ominous aspect when we recognize that what Jesus is predicting requires that he must first be killed in order to fulfill what he has prophesied. Matthew records that Jesus' first direct statement about his own death and resurrection was immediately after Peter's confession in Matthew 16:16, "Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Strangely, Jesus then tells his disciples to tell no one he was the Christ but what he has to say next will absolutely shock them to their core!
Then it says in verse 21, "From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." When he is pressed by Peter to retract what he just predicted, Jesus emphatically rebukes Peter by calling him none other than Satan in verse 23. Jesus and the disciples all understood what he was saying at that moment, although the disciples never truly got their minds wrapped around it until after it all had happened.
In case you might think that what Jesus said in Matthew 16 was just a one-off teaching and he let it slide after that, again in Matthew 17 and 20
"As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed." Matthew 17:22-23 ESV
Obviously this knowledge was on the forefront of Jesus' mind. Even as he healed the sick and cast out demons, he repeated and reminded the disciples that he, himself would be delivered into the hands of men who would even kill him. How could they have possibly put these two things together? The same One who unmistakably exhibited God's power in his words and deeds, was the One who spoke of being killed and raised the third day?
"And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20:17-19 ESV (See parallel passages Mark 8:31-32; Luke 9:22)
Jesus repeated this prediction as he revealed more teaching about the nature of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 20:1-16). As the disciples listened to this they saw themselves in the parable which Jesus taught them. They realized that they were the laborers of this story who would all receive their reward from the master of the house, who is God. They anticipated that this reward was just ahead in the city of Jerusalem where they would all receive honor as disciples of the Master, who would be recognized as the Messiah. This seems apparent because in verse 20 the mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, who seems not to have heard a single word Jesus said about what would happen to him in Jerusalem, requested a special reward for her two sons. (Matthew 20:20-28).
One cannot imagine more courage and love than that which Jesus manifested in faithfully following everything his Father asked of him and did it knowing that he would be violently condemned and killed. He trusted his Father even in his dying breath when he said,
"Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last." Luke 23:46 ESV
He said this trusting that his Father would raise him from the dead on the third day and his trust was not misplaced. God kept His promise and raised up His Son from the dead.(Romans 1:4).
As we sing in a hymn, "Hallelujah! What A Savior"
Here's a summary of what Jesus predicted concerning what would happen to him in Jerusalem.
- suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes
- they will condemn him to death
- They will deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked
- and flogged
- and crucified,
- be killed
- on the third day be raised, he will be raised on the third day.
Michael Franklin
