Day 28: Jesus says He’s going to die and rise again
In Tolkien’s The Return of the King, Aragorn has to go through the Paths of the Dead if he’s going to be able to defeat his enemies in the coming battle. A brave woman named Éowyn tries to talk him out of it. She thinks he’s just walking into death with no hope of coming out on the other side. But Aragorn knows what he must do. Today, we’ll see Jesus explaining that while He is God’s promised King, He’s come to die. But He will also walk through death and come out victorious on the other side.
What name does Jesus use for Himself in verse 31?
Jesus has already called Himself “the Son of Man” twice in Mark’s gospel. First, when Jesus heals the paralyzed man and says, “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10). Second, when Jesus says, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (v. 28). Both times, Jesus is claiming incredible authority! This fits with Daniel’s vision in the Old Testament of one “like a son of man” who came on the clouds of heaven and was given a universal, everlasting kingdom by God Himself (Daniel 7:13–14).
What terrible things does Jesus tell His disciples must happen to the amazing Son of Man in verse 31?
Why is it surprising that the “elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law” would reject God’s promised King?
At the end of verse 31, what amazing thing does Jesus say will happen to the Son of Man?
In verse 32, how does Peter react to Jesus’ teaching?
As we saw on Day 13, when Jesus rebukes the wind and calms the storm, to rebuke someone means to express strong disapproval of what they are saying or doing.
What does Jesus call Peter in response to this in verse 33?
What does Jesus say Peter is doing (v. 33)?
Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends. Yesterday, we heard him declaring that Jesus is the Messiah. How do you think Peter felt when Jesus called him “Satan”?
In Mark 1:12, we heard that Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days in the wilderness. In Matthew’s gospel we find out that Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and says he would give Jesus those kingdoms if Jesus would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:8–9). Jesus tells Satan to go away. Jesus is only going to worship God, and He knows that the way He is going to get His kingdom is by dying.
Jesus says He’s the King who has come to die. How is this different from how we might expect a king to act?
The Jews were hoping for a king who would kick the Romans out. How does Jesus predicting His death and resurrection show He’s come to fight a different battle?
Thank God that He sent Jesus to die for us, so we could be forgiven for our sins, and to rise again, so we can live with Him forever even after we die too.