Jesus Predicts His Crucifixion: A Turning Point in Discipleship

1. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death Matthew 16:21–28 (NASB95) 21From 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. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke (scold) Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” 24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will thenrepay every man according to hisdeeds. 28“Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” The Life of Christ (36)

2. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • The phrase from that time marks a turning point in the way Jesus taught His disciples; Jesus now directly and plainly teaches about His crucifixion. • Previously, He taught the truth related to the cross indirectly or in symbolic language. • Matthew 9:15 (NASB95) • 15And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom (Jesus) cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. • Matthew 10:38 (NASB95) • 38And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. • Matthew 12:40 (NASB95) • 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man (Jesus) be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. • This is Jesus’ first open prediction (forecast) of events that were still about one year away. • The prediction is straightforward and detailed; Jesus must go to Jerusalem, He must suffer, He must be killed and he must be raised up on the third day. The Life of Christ (36)

3. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • The elders, chief priests and scribes made up the Sanhedrin, which was the religious body that ruled the Jews. • Although the disciples understand perfectly well what Jesus was saying, they were unwilling to believe that the Messiah would be killed. • They had failed to understand the Old Testament properly and believed that the First Advent (Appearing) would see Jesus overthrow all the enemies of Israel and establish the Kingdom of God on earth. • Since they believed this, Peter dared to rebuke Jesus. • Peter could not believe that anything Jesus had just told them was true; he arrogantly presumes that he is correct and that Jesus is wrong. The Life of Christ (36)

4. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • Comparing this section with the previous confession of Peter’s demonstrates that a believer can be right about one thing and completely wrong about another. • By application, believers must not accept only those doctrines that are pleasant and that do not challenge or contradict what one already thinks. • This is spiritually dangerous and will lead to a rejection of the more unpleasant doctrines, result in maladjusting spiritually and potentially departing from sound teaching. • Jesus abruptly insults Peter by calling him Satan, which should have caused Peter to rethink his belief. Jesus does this in front of all the disciples and embarrassed Peter to the point where he did not continue talking. • Peter is speaking for Satan, who did not want Jesus to go to the cross and provide the potential for salvation for all men. The Life of Christ (36)

5. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • When Peter, or any believer, articulates (says) things that are not consistent with the truth, he may end up speaking that which Satan would speak. • Jesus tells Peter that he is a stumbling block in verse 23, which meant that his words, which he thought were right and would encourage the Lord, were actually a temptation for Jesus to sin. • One of the temptations Satan offered to Jesus was the power to rule the kingdoms of the world; however, he would have to worship Satan. • Matthew 4:8–9 (NASB95) • 8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; • 9and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” The Life of Christ (36)

6. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • Satan’s way would not require Jesus to suffer on the cross and that is the same temptation that Peter is putting before the Lord. • Although Jesus did not inform the disciples that His death would be by crucifixion, He implies it in Matt.16:24 and directly states it later. • Matthew 20:19 (NASB95) • 19and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.” • A man condemned to crucifixion was regularly forced to carry his own cross, at least the cross beam on which his hands were to be nailed. • The command to deny oneself means that each believer must put the principles of doctrine before his own desires, comforts, plans, etc. The Life of Christ (36)

7. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • For a believer to take up his cross is to join in the sufferings of Christ, which may involve various forms of suffering that come to those who identify themselves with Jesus. • Believers must be willing to forego those things that interfere with the intake and application of Bible Doctrine in the local church. • The sufferings may vary from believer to believer but the reality is that those that desire a real relationship with God are destined to suffer in the Devil’s world. • 2 Timothy 3:11–12 (NASB95) • 11persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! • 12Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. • In Matt. 16:25, Jesus offers an explanation about taking up one’s cross; to effectively live the Christian way of life, one must be willing to give up his own life. The Life of Christ (36)

8. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • This does not mean dying physically, it means that one must be constantly willing to seek and do God’s will when it conflicts with one’s own will, plans, desires, etc. • The believer who does not put God’s plan first but puts his own plans first will find that he will not really have a life that is worth living; he will not enjoy the spiritual reality of a personal relationship with the Lord and will not share in His love, joy, peace, etc. • In Matt. 16:26, Jesus continues to explain that getting what one wants in this world, while ignoring or avoiding God’s will, will result in the loss of one’s soul. • This is applicable to the unbeliever, who may gain wealth, fame or glory and does not believe in Christ; He will lose his soul in that he will spend forever separated from God, His life, love, joy, peace, etc. • This speaks to the great value of one’s soul and the fact that nothing in this world is worth the loss of going to Hell. The Life of Christ (36)

9. God’sEssence Sovereignty PHASE 1 PH1 PHASE 3 PH3 Glorification PHASE 2 PH2 Sanctification Salvation Ph1 Salvation, The Point of Faith in Christ PH2 Sanctification, The Time from Salvation to Physical Death or the Rapture PH3 Glorification, is The Believer’s Eternal Home in Heaven God's Essence

10. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • In Matt. 16:27, Jesus assures the disciples that He will eventually return in resurrection glory and will pay back every man according to his deeds. • Matthew 16:27 (NASB95) • 27For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will thenrepay every man according to hisdeeds. • This pay back will involve Ph1 salvation and Ph2 sanctification. • Believers will be paid with eternal life, while unbelievers will be repaid with eternal torment. • John 5:24–29 (NASB95) • 24“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. • 25“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. • 26For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; • 27and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. • 28Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, • 29and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. The Life of Christ (36)

11. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • This pay back will involve Ph1 salvation andPh2 sanctification. Cont. • Believers will be paid with eternal life, while unbelievers will be repaid with eternal torment. • Romans 2:5–10 (NASB95) • 5But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, • 6who will render to each person according to his deeds: • 7to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; • 8but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. • 9There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, • 10but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The Life of Christ (36)

12. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • This pay back will involve Ph1 salvation and Ph2 sanctification. Cont. • Believers will be paid with eternal life, while unbelievers will be repaid with eternal torment. • Revelation 20:11–15 (NASB95) • 11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. • 12And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. • 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. • 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. • 15And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. The Life of Christ (36)

13. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • This pay back will involve Ph1 salvation and Ph2 sanctification. Cont. • Believers will also be rewarded according to their phase 2 applications of doctrine. • Romans 14:10 (NASB95) • 10But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. • 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NASB95) • 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed (payed back for ) for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (worthless). The Life of Christ (36)

14. The Life of Christ (36) Jesus Predicts His Death • This pay back will involve Ph1 salvation and Ph2 sanctification. Cont. • Believers will also be rewarded according to their phase 2 applications of doctrine. • 1 Timothy 4:7–8 (NASB95) • 7But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; • 8for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. • Revelation 22:12 (NASB95) • 12“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. The Life of Christ (36)

15. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ Matthew 17:1–13 (NASB95) 1Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. The Life of Christ (37)

16. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ Matthew 17:1–13 (NASB95) cont. 7And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. 9As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” 10And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. The Life of Christ (37)

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20. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • Within a one week period comes Peter’s confession, the first prophecy regarding the church, and the first direct prophecy of Jesus’ death and resurrection. • The transfiguration was intended as a miracle to confirm these prophecies and show Jesus’ rightful place in the Kingdom of God. • It was also to show that the prophecies concerning His Second Advent were still to be taken as literal. • Peter, James, and John were the three disciples who were the closest to Jesus and who were selected to witness this event. • In Exodus 34:29-30 Moses face shone with the reflected glory of God but Jesus was transformed, showing the actual glory of God that existed within His body; Jesus showed them the glory of God the Son. • Exodus 34:29–30 (NASB95) • 29It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. • 30So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. The Life of Christ (37)

21. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • “Transfigured before them” (Matt. 17:2) indicates that this miracle was for their sakes and was designed to advance their thinking about who Messiah actually was. • The contrast between what He had just predicted and this glorious sight would cause the disciples to marvel. • The problem the disciples had was that they did not recognize that Jesus was God in the flesh and this view of His glory was designed to let them know that He was more than just a man. • For the next year their first priority would be to orient to His death and resurrection, which they did not do. The Life of Christ (37)

22. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • The reason Moses and Elijah appear is because of their prophetic roles: • Moses was a model of the Messiah, • Deuteronomy 18:18 (NASB95) • 18‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. • b) Elijah is actually the prophet who precedes the Second Advent. • Malachi 4:5–6 (NASB95) • 5“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. • 6He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” The Life of Christ (37)

23. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • Both of these men had unusual ends to their life: Moses life was taken by God (Deut 34:4-5) and Elijah was picked up in a chariot and taken to heaven (2 Kings 2:11). • Deuteronomy 34:4–5 (NASB95) • 4Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” • 5So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. • 2 Kings 2:11 (NASB95) • 11As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. • Both experienced visions of God’s glory: Moses on Mt. Sinai (Ex 33:18-23) and Elijah on Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:11). • Both will reappear in Israel during the first half of Daniel's 70th week to bear witness to God’s plan in the face of Antichrist. Rev. 11:3-12 The Life of Christ (37)

24. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ Exodus 33:18–23 (NASB95) 18Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” 1 Kings 19:11 (NASB95) 11So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. The Life of Christ (37)

25. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ Revelation 11:3–12 (NASB95) 3And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. 6These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7When they have finished their testimony, the beast (Antichrist) that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. 8And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. 11But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 12And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. The Life of Christ (37)

26. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • Peter’s compulsiveness and maladjustment to Bible Doctrine leads him to make a silly suggestion. • He thinks he should build three tabernacles, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. • Mark 9:6 says that Peter was afraid and did not know what to say; so, rather than just remaining silent, he says something he shouldn’t. • Remember, no amount of sincerity or enthusiasm can overcome ignorance of Bible Doctrine; if you don’t know what to do, you don’t have to do or say anything. • Proverbs 17:28 (NASB95) • 28Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent. • The cloud in Matt. 17:5 that appears is reminiscent of the cloud that led the Exodus generation in the wilderness; it is also a manifestation of God’s glory. • The voice from the cloud speaks words similar to those spoken at Jesus’ baptism, which emphasize the unique relationship between the Father and the Son. • Matthew 3:17 (NASB95) • 17and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” The Life of Christ (37)

27. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • In light of Peter’s recent attempt to rebuke the Lord and his crazy idea to build three tents (essentially making Jesus, Moses and Elijah equal), the Father essentially says that they should shut up and listen. • God’s direct statement is that He is pleased with His beloved Son and does not need any ideas from Peter. • The visible and audible manifestation of Deity brings fear to the disciples, but Jesus calms their fears. • He instructs them to remain silent about the vision until after He has risen from the dead. Matt. 17:9 • He imposes the restriction because: • He did not want to stir up the populace with the wrong kind of Messianic expectation. • He had already told the negative population and religious leaders that the only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah. • As they descend from the mountain the disciples ask Jesus a question • They understood that the scribes taught that Elijah would precede the Messiah to prepare the population, yet Jesus had appeared first. The Life of Christ (37)

28. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • Jesus explains to them how Elijah relates to each advent of Jesus. • He says that Elijah the prophet will reappear and restore all things. • Matthew 17:11 (NASB95) • 11And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; • He says implies that Elijah already came in the person John the Baptist. • Matthew 17:12 (NASB95) • 12but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” • He is not saying that the two men are the same but that they perform the same roles, John for the First Advent and Elijah for the Second Advent. The Life of Christ (37)

29. The Life of Christ (37) The Transfiguration of Christ • The people and their leaders did not recognize the significance of John the Baptist and His ministry with respect to the coming of Christ. • Matthew 21:25 (NASB95) • 25The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ • Therefore, they disregarded his message and refused to believe in Christ. • Why should they treat the One he announced (Jesus) any differently? • To their credit, these disciples understand that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist and not to the actual Elijah. The Life of Christ (37)