And taking the twelve again, He began to tell them what was to happen to Him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise."
Mark 10:32-34

The Lord knew very well what was about to happen. It had been the plan all along and He went into it with His eyes open.

I noticed today that Jesus here used His favorite title for Himself, “Son of Man.” He could have referred to Himself by His other title, “Son of God.” Both are His; both describe who He is: Son of God and Son of Man.

“But,” some people say, “God can’t die!”

Well, yes, He can, and He did. Of course, God can do anything He wants; He is God.

Our problem is that we think of death as ceasing to exist, and that’s not what it means. Death is simply what happens when our physical body ceases to function. We don’t cease to exist, and neither did Jesus. When His physical body, horribly abused and tortured, quit working, Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, died.

Friends who were approaching their own death have often said to me, “I don’t mind dying. I know I’m going to heaven. It’s the process of getting there that scares me.” They knew their body would fight to stay alive and finally, inevitably, painfully, lose that battle. That’s the scary part: the pain, the fight, the process of getting there.

Jesus felt the same way. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

He knew what He was doing, where He was going, and what would come after that. So we can “Look to Jesus,the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

He knew it was all going to be worth it.

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me the way. Now I know that no matter how painful and humiliating the process of dying, I’ll be with You, redeemed, forgiven, and safe. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles