Then he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked, insulted, spit on; 33 and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.” CSB(2020)

This is not exactly a great recruitment speech, but it is often true. It was the path for Christ, but also is what the disciples experienced. Remember Jesus said, “don’t be surprised if the world hates you… it hated me first” (John 15:18)

As I often do, I took a circuitous path as I looked at this message Christ had for his disciples. I look at the scripture laid, and the context of the words.

Isaiah 53 is a beautifully clear prophesy of the coming suffering sacrificial Savior, the Lamb who would be struck down, afflicted, pierced, crushed for us. In the previous verses at the end of Isaiah 52, verse 14 says, “his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man.” Verse 13 though says, “see my servant will be successful, he will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted”

We like the idea of success, raised, lifted, exalted… but before the throne was the cross, raised and lifted up. Before the crown was a crown of thorns.
Jesus DID say, we must “deny self and follow me”. The disciples spent their lives following him, all but John died a martyr’s death, and even he had plenty of trials for his long life of following.

Let me try and take you where I went from Luke 18:31, which began with the word, “THEN“… Back at Luke 18:18 we have the story of that “Rich Young Ruler”, who asked, “what must I DO to inherit Eternal Life?” He had been good at doing… but Jesus questioned where his love was… “you lack one thing… sell all… give to the poor… treasure in heaven… then follow me”. And it says he “became extremely sad because he was rich.“

v24 seeing that he became sad… Jesus said, ‘how hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom‘

v27 what is impossible with man is possible with God

Stay with me Now…

v28 Peter said, “look, we have left what we had and followed you”

and in v30 Jesus told them not to worry because if they left anything for him they would receive, “many times more… and eternal life”.

THEN…

v31 THEN he took this Twelve aside…

Having experienced that interaction with the rich ruler… one who wanted answers, but went away sad… Jesus pulled the Twelve aside, as he often did, for teaching moments.

Every servant of Christ has to wrestle with our perception and expectations of what it will be like to follow Jesus… the Reality is often a Bloody Path.

Those 12 Disciples thought the Kingdom was Coming ON Earth, right then… and what did they want? They wanted to “sit next to Jesus”, get in on some ruling, some authority, be exalted.

The Rich Man asked, what must I do… and Jesus said, Follow Me

The Disciples asked “can we sit next to you”… and Jesus said, Follow Me

But the reality of following him is often much more than we imagined, the cost is greater, it cuts to the heart of where we are. The difference in the Rich man and the Disciples was that he left, and they kept coming after him. That’s a good thing.

Jesus tells them the cost… handed over… mocked… insulted… spit on… flogged… killed…

What did Isaiah say… despised… rejected… crushed… wounded…

What Jesus was teaching the seeker, and the followers was… “Give Up what you love the most, and follow me”. Know that you WILL Rise, be Lifted Up, be Successful, be Exalted… in DUE time, in an Eternal Place.

Oh I need to stop… but one of those prophetic passages that Jesus was referencing when he said, everything written by the prophets… was Psalm 22. Go read that Psalm and see the images that are what Jesus experienced, but also what many who come after Jesus will experience… but the “why” is found at the end of the song… “…the next generation will be told about the Lord. They will come and declare his righteousness to a people yet to be born they will declare what he has done” Psalm 22:30-31