“And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 20:19 Mean?
"And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again." This is Jesus' third and most detailed passion prediction in Matthew. Each successive prediction adds specificity — this one names the Gentiles, specifies mocking and scourging, and explicitly states crucifixion. Jesus knows exactly what's coming: the method, the participants, the sequence, and the outcome.
The juxtaposition of "crucify him" and "rise again" in the same sentence captures the paradox at the heart of the gospel. Death and resurrection aren't separate events in Jesus' mind — they're one unified act of redemption. He doesn't mention the crucifixion and then pivot to the resurrection as an afterthought. They're presented as a single, inseparable plan.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does knowing Jesus chose the cross willingly (rather than being trapped by it) affect how you understand his love for you?
- 2.What 'crucifixion' in your life right now might have a 'third day' resurrection on the other side?
- 3.Why do you think Jesus told his disciples the specific details of what was coming rather than sparing them?
- 4.How does the inseparability of death and resurrection in Jesus' prediction change how you view your own suffering?
Devotional
Jesus describes his own death in detail — the mockery, the scourging, the cross — and ends the sentence with resurrection. In the same breath. As if dying and rising are the same event, just seen from different angles.
Notice how specific he is. He doesn't say "something bad is going to happen." He says: they will deliver me to the Gentiles. They will mock me. They will scourge me. They will crucify me. He walks into this with open eyes, knowing every brutal detail in advance. This isn't someone caught off guard by tragedy. This is someone choosing to walk into it.
And the third day he shall rise again. Seven words that transform the entire horror of what precedes them. Without the resurrection, the cross is just another Roman execution. With it, the cross becomes the doorway to the most powerful event in human history.
Whatever you're walking through right now — if it feels like mockery, like being scourged by circumstances, like a crucifixion of your hopes or plans — notice that Jesus' story didn't end at the cross. And yours won't end at whatever cross you're carrying. The same God who planned the crucifixion planned the third day. There's a "rise again" on the other side of what's destroying you.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children,.... Whose name was Salome, as may be concluded from Mat 27:56…
See also Mar 10:32-34; Luk 18:31-34. And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem - That is, doubtless, to the Passover. This…
Observe the exactness of the prediction; the Sanhedrin shall condemn but not kill, the Gentiles shall scourge and…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture