Matthew 17:22-23

Matthew 17:22-23

And while they were being gathered together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be given over into the hands of man.  And they will kill Him.  And He will be raised on the third day.”  And they were being greatly saddened.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s do some theological grammar today.  You’ll notice that there are several passive verbs in this passage.  The disciples were “being gathered.”  The Son of Man is about to “be given over.”  He will “be raised.”  Naturally, there is no declared author of each of these actions.  However, looking at the last one, it is clear that God is the source of raising Jesus from the dead.  In other passages of scripture where Jesus is spoken of being “handed over” the verb is perfect passive, which similarly indicates God hand at work.  It is also not much of a stretch to think that God would be gathering the disciples in Galilee as Jesus prepares to go into Jerusalem for the last time.  What does all of this mean?  It means that God is at work.  As Jesus’ ministry turns deadly serious, as the stakes are raised, and as the religious leaders around Jesus appear to be gaining the upper hand in reality God is still at work and His will is actually what is being done.

Why is it important to remember that God is always at work, even when things appear bleak?  Why can these verses actually be a source of hope for us?

Second Thought:

In fact, we can also look at the only fully active verb construction in Jesus’ whole dissertation.  “They will kill Him.”  Jesus is driving home a point through His grammar here.  Getting the disciples together is God’s work.  Giving His Son over to mankind is God’s work.  Undoing death and causing Jesus to live again is God’s work.  But killing?  Killing is the work of mankind.  It was God’s plan for Jesus to be the sacrifice we all needed Him to become.  But the men who incite the crowd against Jesus in order to get the Romans to kill Jesus are responsible for their own actions.  They want to kill Jesus.  They don’t want to submit to God’s will and His hand at work.  The actively seek out their own will.

When are you likely to seek out your own will instead of the will of the Father?  Why do you seek out your own will from time to time?

Third Thought:

Notice the description of the disciples.  They are saddened.  Interestingly, here is another passive verb, too!  But what is significant here is how the disciples react to Jesus’ teaching.  This is the second time that He tells the disciples about His impending death.  In the first try, Peter flat out rebukes Jesus.  Of course, Jesus rebukes Peter in return.  But now the disciples don’t rebuke Jesus when Jesus speaks about God’s plan.  Instead, they are simply made sad.  They are more accepting, but that still doesn’t mean that they have to like it.  In truth, such is life.  I occasionally find things happening in my life that I don’t particularly enjoy.  But I know that they are for the best.  And I know that it is God’s will.  So it is my job to accept it and carry on.  I give the disciples credit for being more receptive to Jesus’ message this time – even if they don’t quite understand why it is ultimately good news.

When have you known that you were doing God’s will yet you were still sad about the change or circumstances?  How does this context speak to our human nature?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 17:24-27