Matthew 20 : 17 - 19 Jesus predicted His own Death.

Mat 20:17  Jesus was now going up to Jerusalem, and He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them,

Mat 20:18  "We are going up to Jerusalem, and there the Son of Man will be betrayed to the High Priests and Scribes. They will condemn Him to death,

Jesus and the Disciples going up to Jerusalem

Mat 20:19  and hand Him over to the Gentiles to be made sport of and scourged and crucified; and on the third day He will be raised to life."

Introduction.

Matthew has already recorded three such predictions by Jesus

Mat 16:21  From this time Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer much cruelty from the Elders and the High Priests and the Scribes, and be put to death, and on the third day be raised to life again.

Mat 16:22  Then Peter took Him aside and began taking Him to task. "Master," he said, "God forbid; this will not be your lot."

Mat 17:12  But I tell you that he (Elijah) has already come, and they did not recognize him, but dealt with him as they chose. And before long the Son of Man will be treated by them in a similar way."

Mat 17:13  Then it dawned upon the disciples that it was John the Baptist about whom He had spoken to them.

Mat 17:22  As they were travelling about in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men;

Mat 17:23  they will put Him to death, but on the third day He will be raised to life again." And they were exceedingly distressed.

So here were have the fourth occasion where he spoke of His own death. Jesus knew without a doubt what awaited Him at jerusalem as the Climax of His Mission and the Designs of those religious leaders who Rejected Him as the Messiah of Israel.

Comments

Mat 20:17  Jesus was now going up to Jerusalem, and He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them,

Notes

Jesus was now going up to Jerusalem,

Usually travelers from Galilee walked along the Jordan so as to avoid having to go through Samaritan villages which were considered unclean. Jesus had been teaching  beyond the Jordan so he would approach Jerusalem from down in the Jordan Valley near Jericho.

John Gill says “Which was situated (f) in the highest part of the land of Israel: the land of Israel, is said to be higher than any other land whatever; and the temple at Jerusalem, higher than any part of the land of Israel; wherefore Christ's going to Jerusalem, is expressed by going up to it. Whither he came either from the coasts of Judea, from beyond Jordan, Mat_19:1 where he had been some time healing diseases, disputing with the Pharisees, “

The Kotel or Wailing wall in Jerusalem

He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them,

…... into some private place, which lay near the road; for it seems that there were others that followed him, besides the twelve; when he was not willing they should hear what he had to say to them, concerning the issue of this, journey; lest either they should be discouraged and desert him, or it should be made public, and methods be used to prevent it: and said unto them; the disciples, whom he thought fit once more to remind of his sufferings and death J.Gill

Mat 20:18  "We are going up to Jerusalem, and there the Son of Man will be betrayed to the High Priests and Scribes. They will condemn Him to death,

Jesus Condemned by Pilate

Notes

The accurate description of what would take place is astounding. Jesus is truly Omniscient.

Mat 20:19  and hand Him over to the Gentiles to be made sport of and scourged and crucified; and on the third day He will be raised to life."

Notes

Mat_20:18, Mat_20:19

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem - Jesus assured them that what they feared would come to pass, but he had, in some measure, prepared their minds for this state of suffering by the promises which he had made to them, Mat_19:27-30; 20:1-16. In all their sufferings they might be assured that eternal rewards were before them.

Shall be betrayed - See Mat_17:22. “Unto the chief priests and scribes.” The high priest, and the learned men who composed the Sanhedrin or the Great Council of the nation. He was thus betrayed by Judas, Mat_26:15. He was delivered to the chief priests and scribes, Mat_26:57.

And they shall condemn him to death - They had not power to inflict death, as that power had been taken away by the Romans; but they had the power of expressing an opinion, and of delivering him to the Romans to be put to death. This they did, Mat_26:66; Mat_27:2.

Shall deliver him to the Gentiles - That is, because they have not the right of inflicting capital punishment, they will deliver him to those who have to the Roman authorities. The Gentiles here means Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers. See Mat_27:2, Mat_27:27-30.

To mock [to make sport of Him] - See the notes at Mat_2:16.

To scourge - That is, to whip. This was done with thongs, or a whip made for the purpose, and this punishment was commonly inflicted upon criminals before crucifixion. See the notes at Mat_10:17.

To crucify him - That is, to put him to death on a cross - the common punishment of slaves. See the notes at Mat_27:31-32.

The third day ... - For the evidence that this was fulfilled, see the notes at Mat_28:15. Mark and Luke say that he would be spit upon. Spitting on another has always been considered an expression of the deepest contempt. Luke says Luk_18:31, “All things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.” Among other things, he says he shall be “spitefully entreated;” that is, treated with spite or malice; malice, implying contempt. These sufferings of our Saviour, and this treatment, and his death, had been predicted in many places. See Isa_53:1-12; Dan_9:26-27.

Jesus betrayed and condemned B.Illustrator

I. The language of the text is the testimony of our great Prophet concerning His own sufferings. You see it is a prophecy; the event had not yet taken place.

1. His suffering was substitutional.

2. Acceptable.

3. Covenanted.

II. The hands employed.

1. The ruthless traitor.

2. The infidel priesthood.

3. The far-famed literary men.

III. The end accomplished. “They shall condemn Him to death.” (J. Irons.)

How the faithfulness of Christ toward His disciples appears in the announcement of His impending sufferings.

I. It is seen in the gradual manner in which He makes the fact known. From the first He had intimated that His path was one of suffering; but, while putting an end to their spurious hopes, He had never said anything to cast them down.

II. He now set it before them in all its terrors. He dealt candidly with them. Return was still possible for them, though, from their former decision, He no longer asked them whether they would forsake Him.