Then Jesus began to teach the disciples that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, the High Priest, and the scribes, be killed, and rise again on the third day.
This verse reveals the very essence of Christ’s mission. Until now the disciples were gradually coming to know His person, but now they had to understand the true nature of His work. He is the Christ, but not according to the glory people expected, rather according to God’s saving plan. The word “must” shows a divine necessity: His suffering was not an accidental tragedy, but an inseparable part of the way of salvation. He would be rejected by those who were the religious leaders, and this reveals that religious authority without true faith can oppose even the Son of God Himself. But the message of the cross does not end with murder; it ends with resurrection. Thus, from the very beginning Christ teaches that suffering and glory are not separated. The resurrection shows that the cross is not defeat, but the path of victory. This verse is one of the hearts of the New Covenant, because without this truth all lofty words about Christ would remain incomplete.