Mark 10:32-34 - September 16, 2010

Mark 10:32-34 “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

Verses 32-34 in Mark 10 are truly fascinating in the context of the teaching that Jesus has just completed giving to the disciples. He has spent an extended time teaching on costly obedience and the rewards associated with that obedience and now He turns the subject towards Himself. Peter has been anxiously inquiring of the Lord as to what reward there will be for those who, like he himself, have forsaken everything to follow Him. In response to this, after providing a measure of reward focused comfort, Jesus now puts this in the context of His own suffering. After having provided some words of assurance to Peter Jesus now points him to the reality of an even higher price!

His words are a sobering adjustment to the focus of Peter and all of the other disciples as He brings them to the consciousness that He will pay a far greater price than what they have done to this point. What is truly impactful is the knowledge that the sacrifice that each of Jesus disciples have made who have left their previous comforts and position behind to follow was made first by the Lord Himself. He left His first state in the eternal glory of the Father for a season as He came to earth. His words of comfort to the disciples are within the context of His own sacrifice that provided the example to them. He. 12:2 provides an insight into the heart and hope of the Lord as He related to the cost of His mission as He laid aside His eternal glory and took the form of man and knowingly embraced a death on the cross; “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,”

Having comforted His disciples with His discourse in verses 28-31 He moves directly into a line of discussion concerning His own coming sacrifice on a much greater scale that as verse 32 says leaves his disciples “astonished” and the multitudes that followed afraid. So many things must have been taking place in this one encounter. On one hand Jesus has comforted Peter concerning the measure of sacrifice that He has made to this point but on the other He shortly thereafter identifies to Him that there is a much greater price still to be paid!

It is clear that the disciples dearly love their master but this direct statement of His coming suffering confronts a series of false beliefs they have formed in their hearts and leaves them astonished while the multitudes who just along for the miracles are left just plain frightened. Within this context of revelation it is interesting to recognize that many times Jesus gives us enough prophetic insight to test our hearts concerning the cost. Jesus only addresses this issue to the depth that He knows they can bear and through the hearts of all are sifted concerning their motives and expectations. Someone who is just along for the ride will not stand in the face of true opposition and great cost. The words of Jesus quickly reveal the condition of each heart!