Passion Predictions

Biblical Text and Content

The passion predictions are the occasions on which Jesus told his disciples in advance of his suffering, death, and resurrection. They are recorded three times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

• The first prediction appears in Matthew 16:21-23, Mark 8:31-33, and Luke 9:22. It comes immediately after Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ. Jesus says that the Son of Man must be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, be killed, and rise again. When Peter takes hold of him and protests, Jesus rebukes him: "Get thee behind me, Satan." He then teaches that those who would follow him must take up their cross (Mark 8:34-35).
• The second prediction appears in Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:30-32, and Luke 9:43-45. In Galilee, Jesus says that the Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. Mark and Luke record that the disciples did not understand this saying, while Matthew records that they were exceedingly sorry.
• The third prediction appears in Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34, and Luke 18:31-34. Spoken on the way up to Jerusalem, it is the most detailed of the three. Jesus says that the Son of Man will be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, and put to death. Matthew and Mark follow this prediction with the request of the sons of Zebedee for places of honor and with the saying, "For even the Son of man came... to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

Background

The subject of the predictions is usually "the Son of Man," the title Jesus used when referring to himself. The word "must" in Mark 8:31 translates the Greek dei (δεῖ), which expresses necessity—that something must come to pass. Mark gives the time of the resurrection as "after three days," while Matthew and Luke have "the third day." Jews of the period generally expected the Messiah to be a victorious king. This expectation lies behind the disciples' inability to accept the idea of a suffering Messiah.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Synoptic Gospels, the passion predictions mark the turning point from the Galilean ministry to the passion in Jerusalem. A recurring pattern appears: each prediction is followed by the disciples' misunderstanding, which is in turn followed by teaching on service and self-denial. For this reason the passion predictions are read both as texts that disclose the meaning of the cross and as texts that teach the way of discipleship. The risen Jesus states that his suffering and resurrection took place as written in the Scriptures (Luke 24:44-46). The church has traditionally read these predictions in connection with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

Interpretation and Issues

• Church tradition and many evangelical scholars regard the passion predictions as authentic sayings of Jesus. They read them as evidence that Jesus knew of his death in advance and walked that path voluntarily.
• Some historical-critical scholars hold that the details of the predictions were shaped after the events to reflect the understanding of the early church. Even so, many of them grant that Jesus anticipated his death.
• "The three predictions" is a conventional grouping of three distinct passages in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus alludes to his suffering in a number of other places as well; the saying after the Transfiguration (Mark 9:9-12) is one example. The Gospel of John contains no predictions in this form; instead, it speaks of the Son of Man who "must... be lifted up" (John 3:14).

In the Korean Church

The passion prediction passages are frequently used as sermon texts during Lent and Holy Week. In particular, the scene in which Peter is rebuked and the saying "take up his cross, and follow me" are widely cited in sermons on discipleship and self-denial.