“And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
My Notes
What Does Mark 8:31 Mean?
Jesus begins explicitly teaching the disciples what lies ahead: suffering, rejection by the religious establishment (elders, chief priests, scribes — the three groups composing the Sanhedrin), death, and resurrection after three days. The word "must" (dei — it is necessary, it is divinely required) means this isn't a possibility; it's a necessity.
The teaching is described as something Jesus "began" (erchomai) — suggesting a new phase. Before this point, Jesus taught about the kingdom. From this point forward, he teaches about the cross. The curriculum shifts. The disciples who learned about healing and authority now learn about suffering and death.
The rejection by elders, chief priests, and scribes constitutes a comprehensive institutional rejection. Every component of the religious establishment will participate. The rejection isn't partial — it's the entire religious system saying no to the one the system was designed to receive.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the word 'must' change your understanding of Jesus' suffering — from possible to necessary?
- 2.Why does the entire religious establishment reject the one it was designed to receive?
- 3.How does Peter's rebuke (and Jesus' response) reveal the human resistance to a suffering Messiah?
- 4.Where does your understanding of Jesus need to include more of the cross and less of the crown?
Devotional
Jesus starts teaching a new curriculum: suffering, rejection, death. The disciples signed up for a kingdom. They're about to learn that the kingdom comes through a cross.
The word "must" eliminates negotiation. This isn't a risk Jesus might face or a possibility he's prepared for. It's a divine necessity. Suffering must happen. Rejection must happen. Death must happen. And then — after three days — rising again. The must covers both the darkness and the dawn.
The comprehensive rejection is worth noting: elders, chief priests, scribes. That's the entire Sanhedrin — the religious supreme court of Israel. Every branch of the religious establishment will participate in rejecting the Messiah. The system designed over centuries to recognize God's chosen one will, when the chosen one arrives, unanimously reject him. The failure isn't individual; it's institutional.
Peter will immediately rebuke Jesus for this teaching (verse 32), and Jesus will call Peter "Satan" (verse 33). The severity of Jesus' response reveals how important this lesson is: the cross is not optional. It's not a backup plan. It's not the worst-case scenario. It's the plan. And anyone who opposes it — even out of love — is opposing God.
If your understanding of Jesus doesn't include suffering and rejection, you have an incomplete Jesus. The kingdom comes through the cross. The resurrection comes through death. The glory comes through shame. And all of it must happen.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he began to teach them,.... For as yet he had said nothing to them about his sufferings and death, at least in…
See this passage illustrated in the notes at Mat. 16:13-28. Mar 8:32 He spake that saying openly - With boldness or…
We have read a great deal of the doctrine Christ preached, and the miracles he wrought, which were many, and strange,…
And he began to teach them The question and the answer it called forth were alike preparatory to strange and mournful…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture