Passion Prediction

The Gospel of Luke 2  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  38:31
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Intro: “Don’t you see?” - The reason to diligently learn and practice piano now is to reap the benefits in the future.
-You shouldn’t cheat on the exam because the integrity of your character is more important, and longer lasting, than the current grade you receive. (In fact… the grade < learning the material < growth in maturity.)
-The health of your company (people on the same page, clarity of mission, integrity of message) gives lasting strength and benefit over short-term gain that cuts corners.
When we say “Don’t you see” like that, we mean that what follows is something you really need to grasp in order to live according to such an understanding.
In our passage today in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has such a conversation with his disciples, even though he knows full well that full comprehension to live according to what he explains will come at a later time. Luke knows that his readers (which now includes us) must also learn the significance of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection to understand the plan and purpose of God for both the Messiah and for the people of his present Kingdom.
Luke 18:31–34 ESV
And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Again, as we look more carefully at the text, we want to deepen our understanding of…

The Plan and Purpose of God in the Passion of Christ

When we talk about the passion of Jesus this way in Christianity, what we mean is His loving sacrifice and willing submission to the Father’s plan and purpose to suffer, die, and rise again.
Jesus pulls aside the twelve… and again draws their attention to what he must accomplish at Jerusalem. - We’ve entered the final phase of the Jerusalem Journey section of Luke (18:31-19:44… the full section began at 9:51).
(Speaking to the twelve, first Jesus says that...)
Prophecy must be fulfilled. (v. 31)
A suffering Messiah wasn’t on their radar. The scriptures predicted it, but they didn’t see it. - Is. 53, Ps. 22
Let’s turn to Isaiah 53 (actually beginning at 52:13) - From a NT perspective, from Christ and the Apostles, we new see this “suffering servant” description as messianic prophecy:
Isaiah 52:13 ESV
Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
But what precedes his exaltation is suffering. After stating his humble beginnings in the plan of God versus a regal upbringing (seen in v. 2), we then have lengthy section describing his suffering for the purpose of substitution.
See the descriptions in vv. 3-6.
Then vv. 7&8 describe him in the terminology of a sacrificial lamb, which is the portion of scripture the Ethiopian eunuch needed explained (Acts 8:32-33), which Philip did for him.
v. 10 reminds the reader that all of this was according to the Lord’s will, as an atonement for sin. It wasn’t that this just happened to him, but that it was according to God’s plan. This was not accident, but God’s intention.
While there are other details that could be pointed out, the final note I will make for us now is in v. 11:
Isaiah 53:11 ESV
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
For the sake of brevity, we’ll note some unique prophetic fulfillments from Psalm 22 without turning there:
Psalm 22 is especially amazing since it predicted numerous separate elements about Jesus’ crucifixion a thousand years before Jesus was crucified. Here are some examples. Messiah will have His hands and His feet “pierced” through (Psalm 22:16; John 20:25). The Messiah’s bones will not be broken (a person’s legs were usually broken after being crucified to speed up their death) (Psalm 22:17; John 19:33). Men will cast lots for Messiah’s clothing (Psalm 22:18; Matthew 27:35).” - GotQuestions.org (https://www.gotquestions.org/death-resurrection-Messiah.html)
But the point of why the disciples struggled with understanding this was that they didn’t anticipate God sending a Messiah to suffer and be an atoning sacrifice before coming again at a later time to reign as King on earth.
Jesus explains, though, that such prophecy of his suffering must be fulfilled, in order to offer salvation. So he must face the coming confrontation head on, submitting to the Father’s will.
(Secondly then...)
Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. (vv. 32-33)
(with the greatest detail yet…) Although a heading in your Bible may say “Jesus predicts his death a third time,” this is actually the 6th or 7th time in Luke he has directly or indirectly referenced the suffering that awaited him.
-Deliverance over to the Gentiles
(The Gentiles are not innocent of his death. No one is.) Luke is of course aware that first he is betrayed into the hands of the Jewish authorities (9:22,44). The parallels in Matt 20:18 and Mark 10:33 state explicitly that it is the chief priests and scribes who will condemn him to death and turn him over to the Gentiles for execution. Luke here emphasizes to his Gentile readership that the Gentiles are not faultless in the killing of Jesus.
-Mocked, shamefully treated, and spit upon
(All closely intertwined to picture the kind of treatment Jesus would receive… unjustly, we might add.)
Ridiculed, mocked, made fun of - prediction fulfilled in…
Luke 22:63–65 ESV
Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.
Luke 23:11 ESV
And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate.
On the cross…
Luke 23:36–37 ESV
The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
The only additional thing to note about Luke’s use of the term hybrizo is that it means insulted and mistreated by the unrighteous working proudly against the righteous.
(When you suffer injustice as a Christian, remember Christ... and abide in Christ.)
Spitting - onomatopoetic Gk word emptyo - demonstrating the level of disdain, lack of respect
While Luke himself does not refer to the fulfillment this prediction (a mark of authenticity, showing that Luke hasn’t tried to tailor Jesus words here to match Luke’s own passion account), this spitting prophecy is shown to be precisely accurate not once but twice (recorded in both Mark and Matthew - Mark 14:65 = Matt 26:67 and Mark 15:19 = Matt 27:30).
Here’s one example, when the soldiers mocked Jesus and put a crown of thorns on him, clothing him with a purple robe:
Mark 15:19 ESV
And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.
[transition]
-Flogging, following by killing
Flog - often part of the crucifixion process
This fulfills Messianic prophesy from Is. 50:6
Isaiah 50:6 ESV
I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
And was fulfilled according to Jesus’ prediction:
John 19:1 ESV
Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.
And of course all the gospels detail in depth the unjust trial and the killing of Jesus by crucifixion.
In Luke’s context here, the Gentiles are the ones Jesus states who literally do the killing. In Peter’s sermon in Acts 3:15, he looks back at the crucifixion and also assigns blame to the Jews. All groups participated in killing Jesus. Theologically we come to see that all our sin is to blame for the necessity of Christ’s atoning death.
[transition]
… On the third day HE WILL RISE
This too was prophesied in the scriptures. Here’s an example:
Ps. 16:10
Psalm 16:10 ESV
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
We know this is a prophetic text because Peter interprets it in Acts 2:24-32 (as does Paul in Acts 13:34-35) with reference to Jesus the Christ fulfilling this prophecy.
After quoting the text, Peter says:
Acts 2:29–32 ESV
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
At the time that Peter says this they are now on the other side of Christ’s sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension; and they have received the Holy Spirit.
Luke himself demonstrates the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy that he would rise.
In Luke 24, some of the women return to the tomb with spices and ointments for the Lord’s body (it is now the third day). What they find instead of a body is an empty tomb, and an angel reminding them of what Jesus had said. vv. 6-7
Then to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, who don’t recognize him because God keeps them from recognizing him (v. 16), and it is likely his appearance was changed with his resurrection body. As they explain what the women had told them, Jesus answers: vv. 25-26. (There eyes are opened to recognize him a little later when he eats with them and breaks bread.)
They go and tell the rest what had happened, and when they are together, Jesus appears to them all and explains again: vv. 44-49.
But before all of this fulfillment has taken place, we see in v. 34, that they don’t really know what to make of what Jesus is saying bc their understanding is incomplete.

Incomplete Understanding (v. 34)

This lack of comprehension for the disciples seems important to Luke, because he is careful to point it out three times. It’s unlikely that to them what Jesus was literally saying was unintelligible. (In fact, Matthew records an earlier time where Peter rebuked Jesus for saying such a thing, and received a scathing rebuke himself.)
But they would have had difficulty understanding how Jesus’ death fit within the divine plan for the Messiah, because all they could picture in their minds was the politically triumphant Messianic King.
The disciples don’t get it.
-They couldn’t understand - put the pieces together
-The saying was hidden from them - hidden, covered, cloaked, buried, concealed; to be unknown by virtue of concealment, secrecy, or complexity
-They did not grasp - know, discern the meaning
Again, it wasn’t that they couldn’t understand the meaning of the words, but that God had not yet granted to them (was hidden) a full picture of his messianic plan.
How much more challenging is it to piece together a puzzle without knowing what the picture is supposed to look like? And without having all the pieces? And without having good eyesight to see the pieces?
So why predict what they don’t comprehend? Because in time, after he had accomplished it, and even more when given the Holy Spirit, they would understand!
(Back in Luke 18… At that time) They lack understanding of what Jesus says about his death and resurrection with relationship to scriptural teaching about his suffering, and they do not yet realize the spiritual/eternal significance either.
But, I would like to point out, …
They are following Jesus.
Their level of understanding isn’t perfect, but it is enough to leave everything else to follow Jesus. Other examples of this come up in the context immediately after this: the blind man, and Zacchaeus. ***
We have to trust others (who are our parents, or older and wiser) that what they are teaching us is true, and that we will reap the benefits if we will listen and obey.
[transition]

Conclusion:

What you need to know is that God’s promises are sure because his purposes proceed as planned.
Jesus death and resurrection was no accident. It was “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).
Knowing that you trust in God through faith in Jesus should give you comfort and security, and give you confidence and courage to obey him (walk by faith), even or especially when we as believers must suffer with our Savior.
Psalm 33:11 ESV
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
What you need to know is whom you trust in even when your understanding is incomplete.
Faith can seem imperfect (from our perspective), but it does save. (And that is because the work is not accomplished by us, but by God.)
Spiritual sight isn’t always perfect, but it does see. (Because of our finitude, and ongoing struggle with the old self… But we focus our eyes on following Jesus)
Acts 2:37–39 ESV
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
So we who belong to God through faith in Jesus, by the work of the Spirit of God in us, press into our faith to know God more and more, and we pray for him to increase our insight (having the eyes of our hearts enlightened)…
As Paul prays for the Ephesian church:
Ephesians 1:17–21 ESV
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Closing Prayer:
Gracious Lord, grant us further confidence of our hope.
Grant us comfort while we wait for your return.
Continue to grow us in your likeness.
And give us strength to be set apart to you, and give us courage to obey you in spreading your gospel.
Do these things in us not for our glory, but for the sake of your own great name. Amen.
***
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