Jerusalem and the Cross

Jesus explained that he was going to Jerusalem where the Son of Man would be arrested, tried, and executed – Mark 10:32-34.

Jesus is “on the way” to Jerusalem and the Cross in the Gospel of Mark. This theme occurs several times, beginning with John the Baptist who was sent to “prepare the way before the Lord.” The Nazarene would complete his messianic mission as the ‘Suffering Servant’ portrayed in the Book of Isaiah when he was tried by the priestly leaders of the Temple and executed outside the walls of the City of David at the hands of Rome, the World Empire.

In Chapter 10 of Mark, there is a description of his journey, they were “going up to Jerusalem.” The city was over 1,000 meters above the Jordan River valley, so this is a very apt description of the final stage of Christ’s journey. The passage includes the third prediction of his death in Mark. As before, Jesus foretold his death while he and his disciples were on the way to the city – (Mark 8:31, 9:31).

[Cross Photo by Cdoncel on Unsplash]

Each time Christ described his coming sufferings he referred to himself as the “Son of Man.” In this way, Mark links this designation to his death on the Roman Cross.

• (Mark 10:32-34) - “Now, they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them, and they were amazed, and those following were afraid. And again, taking the twelve, he began to declare the things that were going to happen to him, that, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles and they will mock him and spit on him and flog and kill him, and after three days he will rise’” - (Parallel passages - Matthew 20:17-19, Luke 18:31-34).

Jesus was “going before” or leading his disciples for he knew what lay ahead. Nevertheless, he pressed on all the same. He was not being led to slaughter like a prisoner of war or an unthinking animal. The Son of Man would be a willing sacrifice.

The disciples “were afraid.” This suggests they had some idea of what was coming, or at least of the potential dangers to Jesus and perhaps themselves posed by the Temple authorities of Jerusalem. While they did not yet understand Christ’s Messianic Mission, he had previously predicted his sufferings in Jerusalem:

• “For he taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is handed over into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise again. But they understood not the saying, and were afraid to ask him” - (Mark 9:31).

Christ’s pronouncement emphasized the complicity of the religious leaders of Israel in his trial and execution. Though the Roman authorities executed him, the Jewish High Priest and his entourage were the catalysts in the whole dreadful affair. No one’s hands were clean.

The Greek verb translated as “handed over” or ‘paradidōmi’ means “to hand over, deliver, betray.” In Mark, it is a theologically loaded term first used when the Baptist was arrested and “handed over” to Herod Antipas - (Mark 1:14).

The betrayal of John anticipated what was coming for Israel’s Messiah. Beginning with his first ‘Passion Prediction,’ “handed over” is used for the betrayal of Jesus into the hands of the high priests who were plotting his death, and he used this same verb when describing how his followers would likewise be “handed over” to suffer for his sake:

• “But beware, for they will hand you over to councils; and in synagogues will you be beaten; and before governors and kings will you stand for my sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. And when they lead you to judgment, and hand you over, be not anxious beforehand what you will speak: but whatsoever will be given you in that hour, that speak, for it is not you that speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end will be saved” - (Mark 13:9-12).

To become a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, one must follow in his footsteps. If they betrayed and persecuted him, they would treat his followers the same.

BEWILDERED DISCIPLES

As before, Jesus referred to his rising or resurrection “after three days.” Since the disciples did not understand his predicted death, they also could not comprehend what he meant by the “rising from the dead.” The idea of God sending His Messiah to be slain by Israel’s enemies remained incomprehensible to them.

The term “Son of Man” echoes the passage of the Book of Daniel from which it is derived. In his vision, Daniel saw “one like a Son of Man” approaching the “Ancient of Days” to receive his “dominion” for his “saints.”

• “I saw in the night-visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom that which will not be destroyed” – (Daniel 7:13-14).

Before he received the “everlasting kingdom,” the figure known as the “Little Horn” made war “against the saints and overcame them.” Only then was vindication pronounced “for the saints,” and thus they “possessed the Kingdom” through suffering – (Daniel 7:13-21).

In Daniel, the “Son of Man” figure is interchangeable with the “saints.” The war on the latter fell first on the former. He was the representative of the People of God, and therefore, he suffered on their behalf. It was through suffering and death that Israel’s Messiah received the Kingdom and authority over the nations of the Earth (“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth; go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” – Matthew 28:18).

Therefore, implicit in the term “Son of Man” is that Jesus would die for his people. Only after his crucifixion and “rising from the dead” would they receive the Kingdom. Jesus would fulfill his Messianic role when he, as the “Son of Man” and the Suffering ‘Servant of Yahweh’ was executed on Calvary and thereby gave his life “a ransom for many.”

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SEE ALSO:

• My Cup and My Baptism - (His disciple is called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:35-45)

• The Narrow Road - (To follow Jesus wherever he goes necessitates a lifetime of self-denial and sacrificial service for others and a willingness to lose all for the Gospel)

• True Greatness - (His disciple is called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:35-45)

• Jérusalem et la Croix - (Jésus expliqua qu'il se rendait à Jérusalem où le Fils de l'Homme serait arrêté, jugé et exécuté)