Title: The Son of Man Will Be Betrayed

Scripture Reading: 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.” But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.”

Main idea: First the suffering, then the glory.

Setting out from the mount of the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8), Jesus and his disciples make their way through Galilee toward Jerusalem. Jesus had ended His public ministry and thus began His final journey toward Jerusalem. Jesus did not want anyone to know where He and the disciples were, desiring to keep His presence and whereabouts a secret. This was time for Him to focus on teaching the disciples. He needed to equip them to carry on the ministry when He returned to heaven and to prepare them for coming events so they would not be taken by surprise. The Son of Man was betrayed into the hands of men; this is ironic because the one who represented humanity was given over to humanity to meet His death.

Jesus taught His disciples that He was to die and arise
Jesus says to His disciples He “is being betrayed into the hands of men.” This word “betrayed,” paradidotai, is used of our Lord’s betrayal by Judas (Mark 3:19; 14:41; Luke 24:7) but also of the Father’s delivering up of His Son (Isaiah 53:6,12; Acts 2:23; Romans 8:32).  Judas hands Him over to the Jewish leaders (Mark 14:10), who hand Him over to Pilate (Mark 15:1), who hands Him over to be crucified (Mark 15:15). This theme evokes Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant, who “surrendered Himself” (paradidōmi) to death (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus was not a helpless victim of forces beyond His control; He handed Himself over in loving obedience to the Father’s plan. But the greatest mystery is that it is the Father Himself who sent Jesus (Mark 9:37) and thus originated all this handing over. God “did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for us all” (Romans 8:32). The human handing over of Jesus out of sin, betrayal, and hardness of heart becomes the instrument of the Father’s handing over of His Son in love for the redemption of the world.

Resurrection
Three days after His death He will rise. The verbs “being betrayed into the hands of men” and “killed” are in the passive, indicating actions to which Jesus is subjected, but “rise” has an active meaning: Jesus will take up the divine power and sovereign control of His own destiny that He had temporarily laid down. He told them, He was going to be arrested and killed, and that He would rise again the third day. They somehow didn’t take it in, and were afraid to ask Him. We are often afraid to ask too, and thus lose a blessing. Many in the church today are like these disciples, they remember only the parts that promise wealth, happiness, and glory and forget, or fail to listen to, the calls for self-sacrifice, suffering, and bearing one’s cross. They want to skip Suffering and move on to advanced placement in Glory. Mark 9:30-32, emphasizes that the Messiah must shoulder a cross, embrace humility, and renounce brute force, and His disciples must do the same if they bear Christ’s name.

Application
Three days after His death He will rise. The empty tomb puts all our sorrow into perspective when we know that because Jesus lives, we can face tomorrow and plan for an eternity. The redemption that Jesus came to achieve was accomplished once for all.

Let’s pray together
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the cross. I thank you that You died in our place. Help us Lord to bear our cross daily. In Jesus Name Amen.