Message

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THE MEANING OF JESUS’ SUFFERING AND DEATH

 

Mark 8:31-9:1

Key Verse: 8:31. “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law,

and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”

  Last week we studied about Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus and his disciples were on a trip to Mount Hermon, passing through the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, suddenly Jesus asked his disciples about what people said about him. The disciples replied that some said that Jesus was John the Baptist, and that others Elijah, and that still others one of the prophets. Then, Jesus continued to ask his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” It was a difficult question to his disciples because it required their personal faith and opinion about Jesus. But, Peter answered, “You are the Christ” (8:29) Peter’s answer was short, but perfect. Jesus is the Christ, which means that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Jesus is our Lord and Savior.  In today’s passage we will study how Jesus became our Lord and Savior, and what is the meaning of his suffering and death

First, Jesus predicts his death (31-33) After Peter’s confession of Christ, Jesus began to teach about his upcoming suffering, death and resurrection. Look at verse 31. “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” Here, the Son of Man indicates Jesus himself. Jesus identified himself as the Son of Man in that he became a man like one of us, even though he is God in nature. Indeed, Jesus is the Son of God who was with God the Father in the beginning. But, he humbled himself and appeared as a man to be with us and to become our Messiah.

  What would Jesus do to become our Messiah and Savior? He said that he must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. In a word, in order to become our Savior, Jesus would become a suffering servant and a sacrificial lamb.  Jesus would be rejected by the religious leaders and be killed by the hand of the Gentiles. Why did Jesus have to be rejected? What has he done thus far? Wherever Jesus went, huge crowds followed him. They followed Jesus because they saw God in Jesus. They received the love of God through Jesus. Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick and taught them about the kingdom of God. Jesus became the eyes to the blind, a father to the fatherless, and a friend to the lonely. Jesus welcomed anyone and everyone and became a great comfort for those who were suffering. Jesus became the light of the world and a shepherd for God’s flock of sheep.

  Then, why did this good Jesus, the sinless Son of God have to suffer many things and be rejected and killed? Jesus suffered and died for our sins and rose again for our eternal life.

  Rejection is one of the most painful feelings which we human beings have to go through. Have you ever been rejected?  Once I was rejected by a girl whom I had fallen in love with. At that time, I felt heaven fall and the earth split. Generally, when we are rejected, we are hurt. We wonder what was wrong with us. These days people are hurt through broken relationships. Others are hurt when they are rejected at their working places. Many children cry thinking that they were rejected when their parents divorced. No one can understand each person’s pain, sorrow and agony. But, Jesus does. It was because Jesus was rejected by the people in advance in our place. Jesus was hurt when he was betrayed by his disciples. Jesus’ heart was broken when he was rejected by his own people. John 1:10,11 says, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”  The sufferings and rejection of Jesus was predicted by the prophet Isaiah around 750 BC. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Praise Jesus who became a suffering servant, a man of sorrow in our place. Amen.

  Basically men suffer and die because of their own sins. Many people don’t know why they die. The Bible says that the price of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro 6:23)  In the beginning, there was no suffering or death in the Garden of Eden. But, men sinned against God and they lost paradise. Then death came into the world through sin.

 

  When men sinned against him, God was hurt. God was rejected by men whom he had made after providing everything for their happiness. God should have removed men from this earth and started all over again. But, our God is the merciful God. He is compassionate. He had pity on us and sought the way to save suffering and dying people. But, he did not find any other way than by sending his son, his One and Only Son Jesus Christ as sin offering. Jesus, even though he is the Son of God, denied himself and obeyed the Father’s will and came to this world as a man. He came to this world to save men from their sins and death. In order to save men from their sins, he did not use his supernatural power or  exercise his authority to punish all his enemies. Rather, he became an obedient and silent lamb who would be slaughtered and shed his blood for atonement for our sins.  Isaiah 53:7 says “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

If you are suffering from rejection, persecution and temptation, do not think that you are alone. Jesus is always with you. Jesus understands your problem, your broken heart and your deep sorrow. In order to carry our sorrows and to unload our heavy burdens, he took up his cross and went up to the hill of Golgotha. Not only taking up the cross, he was condemned in our place. We are to be condemned because of our sins, but Jesus took our place. On the cross his two hands and feet were nailed. On the cross he went through all pains which we had to go through due to our sins. From his two hands, feet and side, his precious blood gushed out. But his blood became our healing stream. It became the cleansing blood which washes away all our sins. And by his wounds we are healed. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about this, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to this own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Is 53:4-6)

Look at verse 32. “He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.” It was Peter who made a confession of Christ just a few minutes ago. But, now he rebuked Jesus saying, “Stop talking like that!” I think it is only Peter who rebuked Jesus in the Bible. Did Peter understand what Jesus really meant? Definitely not! He did not understand the work of the Messiah. How did Jesus help Peter? Look at verse 33. “But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter: “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Jesus rebuked Peter, calling him Satan. Was Peter really Satan? As we know Peter loved Jesus and followed him more than anyone else among the Twelve. He is the one who made a confession of Christ just before. His loyalty and love for Christ was undoubted. Then, why did Jesus rebuke him by calling him Satan? Peter is not a Satan. Jesus rebuked Satan who was working behind Peter. In the past, Satan tempted Jesus in the same way by asking him to put down the cross. Satan showed all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor to Jesus and tempted him to bow down to Satan on the condition that he would give all these to Jesus. But, at that time, Jesus rebuked Satan saying, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” (Mt 4:8-10) Now, Satan came back and entered into Peter to tempt Jesus to give up the work of the Messiah.

Jesus also rebuked Peter who had not in mind the things of God, but the things of men. Peter’s concept of the Messiah was totally different from that of Jesus. Peter thought that Jesus would establish the earthly messianic kingdom with his supernatural power and authority. He thought that Jesus would destroy the Roman Empire to liberate Israel and establish a new kingdom in a new Jerusalem. But he did not know that Jesus’ kingdom is not on this earth, but in heaven. Jesus’ kingdom is not visible, tangible or perishable, but invisible, immortal and imperishable. His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom which is in heaven. Jesus did not come to give us short, temporal comfort and benefit. He came to this world to give us eternal life in the kingdom of God. In order to establish his kingdom, Jesus became the sacrificial lamb. In order to bring his people into his kingdom, he must suffer many things, be rejected, killed and rise again. Jesus really loved the erring but sincere Peter. Then, he rebuked Peter to have the things of God in his mind. The bible says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” (Pr 27:5)

Second, If anyone would come after me.(34-37) In this part Jesus teaches his disciples the true way of being his disciples. Look at verse 34. “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” At Jesus’ time there were many crowds who followed Jesus along with his disciples. They might have thought that if they followed Jesus, he would meet their needs in one way or another. However, it is not easy to follow Jesus. First of all, we must deny ourselves to follow him. Someone said that denying oneself is more difficult than moving a mountain. Because of mountains like self-ego, curbing his pride, his human desire or dream seems to be unmovable. As young men and women, we must deny our sinful desire. Galatians 5:24 says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” We must beat our body in order to obey the Spirit of God. We must control our feelings and desires in order to obey the will of God. Jesus showed a good example how to deny oneself in order to obey the will of God. Even though he was the Son of God, he denied himself, made himself nothing and appeared as a man. And he became obedient to death-even death to the cross. (Php 2:8)

  After denying ourselves, we must take up our own cross and follow Jesus.. We have two crosses which we have to carry daily: first is the cross of mission, the second, the cross of life. We must be responsible for these crosses and follow Jesus daily. Those who want to be Jesus’ disciples must be responsible for what he or she has to do as parents, as children, as workers, as Bible teachers, as students, as citizen and even as neighbors.

Look at verses 35-37. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” What Jesus really meant was that whoever wants to live  a selfish life on this earth will lose eternal life, but whoever sacrifices his life for Jesus and for the gospel of Christ will save eternal life. What is more important than life on this earth? A young man inherited billions dollars of estate from his parents. But soon he was diagnosed with cancer. What good is all the money he received from his parents for this dying man? He cannot buy eternal life with multi-billion dollars. Eternal life can be given only to those whose sins are forgiven and whose names are written in the book of life. Eternal life is given only to those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who became children of God. John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…”  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Third, when he comes in his Father’s glory (38-9:1) Look at verses 38. “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” One young man said that if any one who takes pride in his or her purity and virginity in this generation will be mocked by their peers. In fact, the way of cross, the way of Christian life goes against the way of materialism and the life of sexual immorality and perversion. But, we children of God should boldly proclaim the way of the cross and raise our voices as Christians. It is because indeed our Lord Jesus will come again in his Father’s glory with the holy angels in order to judge between the living and the dead. That day, Jesus will call those whose names are written in the book of life and will judge those who rejected him and did not believe in him.

  Christianity has both the way of cross and the way of glory. As there was the death of Jesus on the cross, so there was the glorious resurrection of Christ. He died for our sins and rose again for our eternal life. Then he went up to heaven and promised to come again to call his people. We will rise again as Christ rose from the dead. We will be with him when he comes again. May God help each of us to live as children of God, not children of the devil. Let us open our hearts and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior so that we may have life in him. Amen.

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