"And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
Luke 24:5-7
Part 4
Yesterday: Jesus Brings us Resurrection Life! His Follower’s Poor Memories
“He is not here but is risen.”
“Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee.”
Jesus’ Gospel narrative is now complete. He has lived, died, been buried, and now He has been raised “for our justification!” (Romans 4:25).
Today: Jesus’ Awful, Horrible, Dreadful, Shocking, but Exceptionally Beautiful Words
Jesus wanted His disciples and followers to understand what is about to happen to Him when they go to Jerusalem to the Passover. Despite their short memories, He will tell them frankly what they will be witnessing.
“And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry” (Matthew 17:22).
“Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men.”
“The Son of man.”[1]
Jesus, the “God-man,” the Son of man, is the perfect and sinless Messiah. The first Adam failed as our father by leading us into sin. Jesus has come as the “second Adam,” to be our substitute sacrifice, dying in our place on the cross. His death will pay our sin debt to the Father. He will forgive our sin. Jesus, being sinless, will die for us.
“Must be Delivered.”
Jesus’ words to these followers on the way to Jerusalem,
“Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles” (Mark 10:33, see vv. 32-34).
Jesus “must” be “delivered up” by betrayal into the hands of sinners. Judas, a sinner, is responsible for this wicked act. He will give up Jesus into the hands of sinners, who will then put on trial the sinless Lamb of God. How absurd! Sinners judging the sinless?! How can this be? Then the sinners who condemned Jesus put Him into the hands of other sinners, the Romans, for them to “legally” crucify Him. Through the gauntlet of all these sinful hands, Jesus passed. The Jewish sinners believe that they are finally ridding the world of Jesus. Actually, He is dying for them. His death was for each one who had a part in condemning and crucifying Him. And it was for all other sinners, including me! We all fit into this group. Jesus died because of my sin and yours.
Please come back tomorrow as we see the end of what Jesus told His disciples.
Quote: The prediction: “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9). The fulfillment: “While Jesus was speaking, a crowd came up. It was led by Judas, one of the twelve apostles. He came over to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you using the kiss of friendship to hand over the Son of Man to his enemies?” (Luke 22:47-48, HSB)[2]
[1] Thayer speaks to Jesus’ title as the Son of man. “…used by Christ himself, doubtless in order that he might intimate his Messiahship and also that he might designate himself as the head of the human family, the man, the one who both furnished the pattern of the perfect man and acted on behalf of all mankind. Christ seems to have preferred this to the other Messianic titles because, by its lowliness, it was least suited to foster the expectation of an earthly Messiah in royal splendor.” J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] HSB, the Harvest Study Bible, from Harvest Ministries, Guam.