Prophesized death and resurrection (2)
[Matthew 16:21-23]
Matthew 16:21 says: “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 be raised up on the third day.” This is the first word Jesus prophesied that He would suffer, be killed, and rise again on the third day, and is repeated twice (17:22-23; 20:18-19). The first words of Mark's Gospel are recorded as follows: “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He was stating the matter plainly. …” (Mk.8:31-32). It appears twice more in Mark's Gospel (9:30-32; 10:32-34). In the Gospel of Luke, the first word is recorded as follows: “saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.’” In this passage of Luke's Gospel, there is no record that Jesus first appeared/disclosed and spoke to His disciples, as in Matthew and Mark's Gospels. Rather, the second statement in Luke's Gospel seems to us to be saying the exact opposite: “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement” (Lk. 9:44-45). The first words of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark (Mt.16:21; Mk. 8:31-32) reveal to the disciples that Jesus must suffer many things, be killed, and rise again on the third day. On the other hand, the second verse of Luke's Gospel (Lk. 9:44-45) records that Jesus' disciples did not know the words of Jesus, but the reason was hidden so that they would not understand. To us, the records of Matthew/Mark and the Gospel of Luke seem to contradict each other, but all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim.3:16), and never by human will, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Since those who receive them will speak from God (2 Pet.1:21), the written words of the Bible never conflict or contradict what we presuppose by faith. I think we should compare the second record of the Gospel of Luke, “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement” (Lk.9:44-45) with the second record of Matthew and Mark rather than the first record of Matthew and Mark. Look at the second account of Matthew's Gospel: “And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.’ And they were deeply grieved” (Mt.17:22-23). Look at the second account of Mark's Gospel: “From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, ‘The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.’ But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him” (Mk.9:30-32). Comparing these three words, the Gospels of Mark and Luke show that when Jesus prophesied (spoken) for the second time that He would be delivered into the hands of people and put to death, the disciples' common response was, 'They did not know / did not understand this word.’ Therefore, the word 'hidden' in Luke's Gospel (Lk. 9:45) is not that Jesus intentionally hid the words of the prophecy from His disciples (the basis is that Jesus already told his disciples in Luke 9:22). But because of the foolishness of Jesus' disciples and because they were "slow of heart to believe in all things" (Lk. 24:25), Luke said that the words of Jesus' prophecy were hidden from Jesus' disciples at the time, so that they could not understand them (They did not realize that Jesus hid His suffering, death, and resurrection from them on purpose, but rather because they themselves were foolish and slow-hearted to believe).
Jesus spoke clearly about His death “From that time” and said that the place where He would die was “Jerusalem,” because “Jerusalem” was the place Jesus had chosen by God to die (Mt.16: 21). Jerusalem, where Jesus died, is (1) Mount Moriah, where God instructed Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering when testing Abraham (Gen. 22:2, 3, 9; 2Chron. 3:1), (2) The threshing floor of Ariuna, which was the place where God instructed through the prophet Gad to offer burnt offerings to God when God was angry with the census of David, which was not right in the sight of God, and sent down a plague (2 Sam. 24:16), and (3) The Mount Moriah, Jerusalem, where Solomon built the house of the Lord (2 Chron. 3:1). Jesus not only said that Jerusalem was the place where He would die, but He also said that He must rise on the third day (Mt. 16:21). He prophesied that Jesus would be resurrected on the third day after his death.
There are many prophecies about the resurrection of Jesus in the Old Testament. For example, look at Hosea 6:2 – “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him.” The word “on the third day” here refers ultimately to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at Jonah 1:17 and 2:10 – “And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights” (1:17), “Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land” (2:10). Here, the words that the prophet Jonah was in the belly of the big fish three days and three nights and then God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah on dry land are foreshadowing the death of Jesus and His resurrection after three days. Look at Psalms 16:10 – “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” This word is the prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus. When Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, spoke of the resurrection of Jesus and he quoted Psalms 16:10. Look at Acts 2:27 – “because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” The Apostle Paul also quoted this Psalms 16:10 – “So it is stated elsewhere: ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay’” (Acts 13:35). Look at Psalms 110:1 – “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” Apostle Peter quoted this Psalms 110:1 in his sermon on Acts 2:34-35: “For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” These words testify that Jesus Christ not only resurrected but also ascended to heaven and is at the right hand of God. The Apostle Paul also testified: “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us” (Rom. 8:34). In this way, the Old Testament prophesied the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in advance, and according to this prophecy, Jesus died and was resurrected on the third day.
The words that prophesied that Jesus would be resurrected on the third day after His death also appear in the New Testament. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Apostle Paul testified that Jesus died “according to the Scriptures” and was resurrected on the third day “according to the Scriptures”. Here, “according to the Scriptures” refers to the Old Testament. The Old Testament prophesied that Jesus Christ would die in our place for our sins. Look at the Apostles’ Creed: “… He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. ….” We offer prayers of confession of faith, believing that Jesus died according to the Scriptures and rose again according to the Scriptures.
We must have confidence without doubting the resurrection of Jesus. We must be convinced that Jesus died according to the Scriptures and was resurrected on the third day according to the Scriptures. Jesus became our first fruits. We too will be resurrected like Jesus. If we are already dead at the Second Coming of Jesus, the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thess. 4:16) [Reference: (1 Cor. 15:52) “The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed”]. However, if we are alive until Jesus returns, we will all be changed in an instant and suddenly, like the glorious body of Jesus. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:51 – “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” Look at Philippians 3:21 – “who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” With this faith in resurrection, I hope and pray that we will become gospel preachers who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the death according to the Scriptures, and the resurrection according to the Scriptures, until the day the Lord calls us or until the moment Jesus returns.