And he will be handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and lifted up on the cross. But on the third day he will rise again.”
This saying is the conclusion of Jesus’ foretelling of His sufferings and at the same time a word of triumphant hope. Here the Lord clearly states the sequence by which His saving mission would be fulfilled: betrayal, mockery, beating, crucifixion, and resurrection. By the phrase “He will be handed over to the Gentiles,” Jesus meant that He would be delivered into the hands of the Romans, who would carry out the crucifixion. This shows that the Jews’ religious judgment would be intertwined with the decision of political authority. In this way the word of the prophets becomes clear, that the Servant of the Lord must suffer for the sins of all. The words “to be mocked and scourged” emphasize the extent of the humiliation to which Jesus was subjected—the innocent Son of God—for the redemption of all humanity’s sins. But in the end the most important word is spoken: “And on the third day He will rise,” which completely changes the painful picture that came before. With this foretelling Jesus shows that the sufferings do not end with death, but are turned into victory. He goes toward death not in defeat, but in salvation, so that by His resurrection He may confirm the new reality of life. Thus, this verse completes the heart of the gospel: the cross and the resurrection together form God’s essential plan of salvation.