Jesus’ Prediction and Rebuke
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
In our last study we looked at Mark 8:27-30 where Jesus asked two questions of His disciples
The first was “Who do people say that I am?”
And the second, “Who do you say that I am?”
I stated that this is the most important question for everyone to answer, not what the crowds thinks, but what you think
Take your Bible this morning and turn to Mark chapter 8 where we pick up verses 31-33
In these verses Jesus explains “plainly” that He is going to be killed by the elders, chief priests and the scribes…and after three days rise again” (v.31)
Listen to the story as it is harmonized with Matthew and Luke
I’m reading from John MacArthur’s book, “One Perfect Life.”
One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus 88. Jesus Foretells His Future Suffering and Glory
From that time Jesus began to teach His disciples that the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
That is a monumental story and a sad one at that
To one minute be used by God to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God and then to also be rebuked and say that now you’re being used by Satan is heart breaking
But it also demonstrates the level of understanding the disciples had about the Messiah
The last thing the disciples expected to hear on the heels of this grand moment of revelation and clarity was a death announcement from Jesus
Understandably, the declaration devastated them
They knew Jesus was the Messiah, but they could not fathom the thought that He would suffer and be killed (MacArthur)
Mark notes a shift in Jesus’ teaching
Plainly speaking…
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection (v.31; Mat.16:21; Lk.9:32)
“And He began to teach them”
This marks a definite turning point in His teaching
The word “began” (archo, aor.mid.ind.) “asserts the actual commencement of this new teaching” (Hiebert)
From this point on Jesus talked plainly to His disciples about His death and resurrection (Mark 9:31; 10:33-34)
Jesus also alluded to His burial in Mark 14:8 while He was in Bethany (Mark 14:3)
He alludes to it again at the last supper with the disciples in Mark 14:21
During their meal and after they shared the Lord’s Supper, they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives where He mentions it again in Matthew 26:31-32
Jesus made several other references of His impending death throughout His ministry
These included parables, metaphorical statements about the temple’s destruction, and mentions of His “hour” approaching
So when Mark says, “He began to “teach” (didasko, pres.act.inf.) that “indicates the continuation of the instruction
Instead of talking about His eventual reign, Jesus talked about His imminent suffering and death” (Hiebert)
And that’s what we see from this point in Mark, whether it’s alluded to or spoken “plainly”
The disciples, with the rest of Israel, struggled with understanding that the Messiah would suffer
John MacArthur Sermon Archive The Great Commission: Proclaiming Forgiveness to the World, Part 1
All the time He had been with them in Galilee, in Judea, all the years, the months, the weeks, the days, the hours, He had told them things they should have known, they should have understood. Among the things that He told them were the details that He was going to die, be arrested, be delivered, be crucified, rise again the third day. I don’t know how many times He said it, maybe hundreds. It’s recorded many times in the New Testament when He said it. But He must have repeated it often and they never really understood it.
Mark says, “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.”
They didn’t understand it but Mark says “the Son of Man must suffer many things”
First, He refers to Himself as “the Son of Man”
He did this approximately 80 times in the Gospels, 32 times in Matthew, 14 times in Mark, 26 times in Luke, and 10 times in John
“Son of Man” is OT terminology
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Son of Man
The Book of Ezekiel is the general source, since this prophet used “Son of man” 90 times as a cryptic, indirect reference to himself.
Mark 1–8: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Bad News: Peter’s Confrontation (8:31–33)
The title the Son of Man, …designated both His divine messiahship (
In the Old Testament, it was predicted that the Son of Man “must suffer many things” (v.31)
Psalm 22:6-8
Psalm 22:16-18
Isaiah 50:6
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Zechariah 9:9-10
Zechariah 13:7
The Gospel of Mark: An Expositional Commentary 1) Coming Passion Foretold (8:31–32a)
The disciples had not associated the thought of suffering and death with Him as the Messiah. “All their lives they had thought of Messiah in terms of irresistible conquest, and they were now being presented with an idea which staggered them.”
This is the gospel
The MacArthur Bible Handbook Introduction to the Gospels
The English word “gospel” derives from the Anglo-Saxon word godspell, which can mean either “a story about God,” or “a good story.” The latter meaning is in harmony with the Greek word translated “gospel,” euangellion, which means “good news.” In secular Greek, euangellion referred to a good report about an important event. The four gospels are the good news about the most significant events in all of history—the life, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
He would be “rejected” and “killed” (v.31)
He would be rejected by…
Elders: Actively participate in Jesus’ trial and condemnation (Mark 14:53, 15:1)
Chief Priests: Scheme to kill Jesus, incite his crucifixion, and lead the charge against him (Mark 11:18, 14:1, 15:11-13)
Teachers of the Law: Oppose Jesus’ authority, accuse him of evil, and join in plots against him (Mark 3:22, 14:1, Luke 20:19)
This was the whole reason for His coming
He came to “save His people from their sins” (Mat.1:21)
In order to do that, He had to die and rise again (Romans 5:8-9)
Being “justified by His blood” shows that His death was necessary
Without it, no one would be saved
This shows us why He had to die
Martin Luther, said, “Christ took upon Himself our sins, not because He was compelled to do so, but out of His free love, that He might fulfill the law and bear the curse we deserved. Without His death, we would remain under the tyranny of sin and death.”
The Mosaic Law was given through Moses (Ex.20) and it served multiple purposes:
It revealed God’s holiness which is God’s perfect standard
It exposed sin by showing man’s inability to meet that standard (Rom.3:23)
It required atonement (Leviticus 17:11)
Sin incurs a penalty (Rom.6:23)
The Law provided a temporary atonement through animal sacrifices but it was not perfect (Heb.10:4)
Jesus’ death was necessary to address sin and fulfill the law’s demands
It paid the penalty for sin (satisfying the Law’s justice)
The law declares that sin brings a curse (Deut.27:26) and leads to death (Rom.6:23, e.g., Lev.20:2; Ex.21:12) and all mankind is guilty of breaking God’s law (Rom.3:10-12)
Jesus, being sinless (2 Cor.5:21), died as a substitute to bear the penalty deserved by sinners (Isa.53:5)
The law required a blood atonement (Lev.17:11)
Jesus’ death provided the ultimate atonement (Heb.9:22)
Jesus didn’t abolish the law but fulfilled it (Mat.5:17)
His perfect obedience to it qualified Him as the spotless sacrifice (John 1:29)
The sacrifices were temporary but His death was “once for all” (Heb.10:10) completing what the law could only symbolize
That is why He said on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30)
Mark ends verse 31 by saying…
He would “rise again” (v.31)
Jesus said in John 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”” Verse 21 says “He was speaking of the temple of His body.”
He said in Matthew 12:40, “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
That’s exactly what happened
Mark 16:6
Acts 2:24
Acts 2:32
1 Corinthians 15:3-5
Since Mark says that Jesus spoke of this “plainly,” verse 32 says…
Peter Rebukes Jesus (v.32; Mat.16:22)
He “took Him aside” privately “and began to rebuke Him”
Peter was responding to what Jesus said in verse 31
He wasn’t having it that Jesus must suffer and be rejected and killed
It is one thing to disagree with one’s teacher, It is another thing entirely for the student to rebuke the teacher for his teaching. Yet that is precisely what Peter did
Keep in mind that this was not just any teacher but the incarnate Word of God, the One who embodies all truth, who speaks nothing except by divine authority
Peter had the gall to confront Him and chastise Him for the things He was teaching
To make matters even worse, the word that is translated as “rebuke” is used biblically in connection with the denunciation and condemnation of demons from hell
When Jesus silenced demons, He did it by rebuking them, judging them to be worthy of condemnation (see Matt. 17:18; Mark 1:25; 9:25; Luke 4:35; 9:42)
It is clear that Peter’s protest was not mild by any means; he stood up to Jesus, and he brought the full measure of hostility to his rebuke
Paul Washer said, “The cross offends because it demands we die to ourselves. Peter couldn’t accept a suffering Messiah because it crushed his pride and plans. We do the same when we reject God’s way for our own.”
The same Peter who so recently had said, “You are the Christ,” and who had heard Jesus say, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,” presumed to correct and admonish his Master
R.C. Sproul said, “Peter’s boldness in correcting Jesus reflects our tendency to impose our will on God. Yet, Jesus’ rebuke reminds us that God’s truth stands above our objections.”
What was the nature of Peter’s rebuke?
Matthew tells us what Peter said: “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (16:22b).
Peter was saying that all the things Jesus had just said must happen to Him most certainly would not happen to Him.
Why? Because Peter was prepared to prevent them from happening—or so he thought. (Sproul)
How did Jesus respond to this rebuke?
Jesus Rebukes Peter (v.33; Mat.16:23)
Mark says, “But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.’”
The Greek word used for Jesus rebuking demons is now used for his sharp words to Peter, calling him “Satan” to show the seriousness of the correction
Why compare Peter to the Devil? Peter’s words mirrored Satan’s temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:8-10)
R.C. Sproul says, “Our Lord withstood that temptation, as He withstood all Satan’s offers. But Luke tells us that Satan “departed from Him until an opportune time” (4:13b). There is an element of foreboding there, the hint that Satan was not finished with his temptation, but a day would come when he would return and try to seduce Jesus with the same cheap way to glory.
Who could have foreseen that the “opportune time” would follow right on the heels of the highest confession of faith among the disciples? Who could have foreseen that Satan would come and speak through the spokesman of the disciples, the man who had said, “You are the Christ”? But Jesus recognized the work of Satan right away.”
Peter’s reaction shows the disciples’ struggle to understand Jesus’ mission. Though he called Jesus the Messiah, he rejected the cross, central to Jesus’ purpose (Mark 10:45)
Jesus said, “You think like men, not God.”
A.W. Tozer said, “The man who sets his heart on earthly things will always clash with God’s purposes. Only by seeking His will above our own do we find true life.”
Peter saw the Messiah as a political savior to defeat Rome, not God’s suffering servant, despite Old Testament prophecies
CONCLUSION
How many times have we done something like this?
You say, “I have never done what Peter did!”
Moses did it after Pharaoh increased Israel’s burdens (Ex.5:22-23)
Job also did it by questioning God’s justice (Job 10:1-3; 13:3)
Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 15:18, “Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?”
He was questioning God’s faithfulness, likening Him to an unreliable stream
Jonah’s response was no different after God spares Nineveh (Jonah 4:1-3)
We need to be thankful that God is patient with us and doesn’t give us what we deserve
We need to be thankful for His grace and mercy
Peter needed to be rebuked and so do we when we act like Peter
John Calvin, reminds us, “God’s will is the rule of all things; what He decrees is just, and we must submit to His purpose, even when it confounds our understanding.’ Like Peter, we may question God’s path, but Calvin urges us to trust His perfect wisdom.”
Don’t challenge God’s plan
Get in line with it
Your job is to “make disciples”
Get busy and point everyone to Christ
Before we conclude, I want to ask you if you truly know Jesus because consequences are devastating
Listen to what Erwin Lutzer said, “One minute after you die you will be either elated or terrified and it will be too late to reroute your travel plans. When you slip behind the curtain, your life will not be over. Rather, it will be just the beginning in a place of unimaginable bliss or indescribable horror.”
Let’s pray
