Matthew 17:22-23 Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection
“Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”
Peter, James, and John have just come down off the mountaintop where they have witnessed Jesus being transfigured and chatting with Moses and Elijah. Surely, surely, SURELY, this means that there are great things ahead and that all this talk Jesus has been making about eventually having to die is not really true. Surely, Jesus is going to fulfill the disciples’ expectations about the Messiah by riding into Jerusalem on a white horse, conquering the Roman legions, reducing the religious professionals to mindless murmurers, and bringing in his earthly kingdom RIGHT NOW….or is he?
Jesus already knows that his whole life is one long preparation for a sacrificial death; meanwhile, the disciples are vainly hoping Jesus will bring in an earthly kingdom and that they will be his trusted associates. But once more, Jesus is advising them of his upcoming death and resurrection.
Unfortunately, the disciples only hear the first part of the statement and not the second. The disciples understand death. In a time when life expectancy is generally 30-35 years, they have seen all kinds of deaths. During the time of Jesus, there is a high infant mortality rate with many dying from pneumonia or diarrheal diseases, skewing the statistics. Accidents and war claim young people as well, also skewing the statistics. There are examples of longevity, notably Simeon and Anna who met Mary and Joseph in the temple when they presented Jesus as a baby, but they are the exceptions.
When Jesus mentions the resurrection, the sign of Jonah, or any other prophecy about his resurrection, the disciples simply don’t understand. Even though these men have watched as Jesus has raised people from the dead, they still don’t believe that Jesus will rise himself.
Yet another reason the disciples don’t want to hear Jesus is simple: If Jesus is going to die, they too might die also. Most of the disciples are young men with their lives before them; death is something they don’t mention, let alone think about for themselves.
There have always been false teachers eager to avow that if you are a Christian, nothing bad will happen to you. But look at what happened to Jesus’ twelve disciples according to Faith on Hill Church: “What happened to these men after Jesus is based in part on historical record and in part on church tradition. Unfortunately, politics enters into the traditions of men and so we have traditions claiming that James, the brother of John, went to Spain, when the Bible makes it clear that he was the first of the 12 to be martyred (killed) for his faith in Jesus, when he was put to the sword in the early days of the church in Jerusalem.
PETER-Peter was crucified around 66AD in Rome under the persecution of Emperor Nero.
JAMES-James was the first of the 12 to be put to death. King Herod had him killed by the sword in Jerusalem (Acts 12).
JOHN-The writer of the Gospel of John, the book of the Revelation and three epistles bearing his name, John is the only one of the 12 that history says was not put to death for his faith, although he suffered greatly because of Jesus throughout his long life. Tradition says he ended his life ministering in the region around Ephesus in modern day Turkey and is buried there.
ANDREW-The brother of Peter, Andrew traveled north, bringing the good news to what is now Russia and the western regions of the former Soviet Union. He later traveled through modern day Turkey and Greece where he was martyred.
PHILIP-Philip ministered in North Africa and then Asia Minor. Traditions says that a Roman Proconsul was so enraged that his wife had converted to Christianity because of Philip’s preaching that he had Philip brutally put to death.
BARTHOLOMEW/NATHANIEL-Bartholomew was apparently someone who loved to travel. Some accounts have him going to India with Thomas, then Armenia before heading along the trade routes between Ethiopia and the southern Arabian regions.
MATTHEW/LEVI-The gospel writer who had previously been a tax collector, Matthew traveled to modern day Iran and then down to Ethiopia, probably following established trade routes and preaching the gospel along the way. While some accounts do not include how he died, others say he was stabbed to death in Africa.
THOMAS-Although he doubted the resurrection at first, Thomas’ faith in the risen Jesus was strong enough to send him traveling east to Syria and Iraq to preach the gospel, eventually ending up in India were the Marthoma Christian tradition considers him to be their founder. The Marthoma tradition says that Thomas died by stabbing at the hands of four soldiers.
JAMES THE SON OF ALPHAEUS-Very possibly the brother of Matthew/Levi, James is believed to have preached in the regions north of Israel. A non-Christian historical account says that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.
SIMON THE ZEALOT-Simon’s ultimate end is somewhat unclear. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire it became politically advantageous to be connected with the apostles or notable Christian events or leaders. This means that places like Turkey, Greece, Rome and Jerusalem naturally had more power/influence than churches in places like Britain, France, Africa and Spain. The majority view seems to be that Simon was sawn in half in Persia.
PHILIP-Little is known about Philip’s life after Acts 2. Some have tried to link him with the Philip found later in the book of Acts but the circumstantial evidence doesn’t seem to fit other than sharing the same name. Tradition says that he preached in the Phrygia region of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and was martyred for his faith in Jesus in the town of Hierapolis.
JUDAS THADEUS-The early church father Jerome called Jude “Trinomius” which means three names. Mark and Matthew list him by his family name “Thaddeus”, while Luke refers to him as Judas the Brother of James. Tradition holds that he preached the gospel in the area we could think of as Northern Syria, Iraq and Turkey. He was said to have been killed with arrows in Turkey’s mountainous northern region.
MATTHIAS-Tradition says that Matthias traveled north, possibly as far as the Caspian Sea. He was martyred for his faith although the method of his death is unclear.
PAUL-Paul suffered for the Lord throughout his life. In addition to imprisonment and multiple threats to his life, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:25 that “Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.” Paul was beheaded in Rome in 66 AD, possibly at the same time as Peter…
https://www.faithonhill.com/blog/what-happened-to-the-12-disciples
Notice the description of Paul’s career. 2 Corinthians 11:25 “Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.” Paul was beheaded in Rome in 66 AD, possibly at the same time as Peter.”
In modern times, Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor, was tortured by being beaten so badly on the soles of his feet that he could never stand when he was addressing audiences. Christians in North Korea may be run over by bull dozers in front of their family members, simply for showing a Christian video in their homes. Muslim believers may be killed by their own families as infidels.
Many Christians have died from various physical illnesses. Edith Schaeffer in her book entitled Affliction has avowed that miraculous healings prove that God can heal miraculously. There are those who are not healed but who are given the grace to endure whatever sufferings their illnesses bring, proving that the grace of God is sufficient for these circumstances as well.
Belief in Jesus Christ does not protect you from suffering, but you have the constant comfort and strength of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge that no matter what happens, God will never leave you or forsake you. Nobody else can offer such a great deal!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives, knowing that no matter what happens, You will always be there to encourage us, to give us strength, and to guide us. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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