There are several references in the Synoptic Gospels (the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke) to Jesus predicting his own death, the first two occasions building up to the final prediction of his crucifixion.St Mark's Gospel and the Christian faith by Michael Keene 2002 pages 24-25 Matthew's Gospel adds a prediction, before he and his disciples enter Jerusalem, that he will be crucified there.The Temptations of Jesus in Mark's Gospel by Susan R. Garrett 1996 pages 74-75
Gospel of Mark
In the Gospel of Mark, generally agreed to be the earliest Gospel, written around the year 70, Jesus predicts his death three times, recorded in Mark 8:31-33, 9:30-32 and 10:32-34. Some scholars, such as Walter Schmithals, suggest a redactional formulation of the author, but recent scholarship is increasingly skeptical of reconstructing pre-Markan tradition, and Brandon Massey describes a dead end in Markan redaction criticism. Massey notes that Markan redaction criticism was reliant on a form-critical model of Jesus tradition and ultimately untenable, while recent scholarship conceptualizes the gospel in terms of ancient biography instead. Schmithals states there are "vexxing questions" relating to the sayings.Walter Schmithals, The Theology of the First Christians (Westminster John Knox Press, 1997) page 22. Meanwhile, other scholars analyze these arguments and present a different view, and believe these sayings are historical. Ultimately, no consensus has emerged among scholars.
The setting for the first prediction is somewhere near Caesarea Philippi, immediately after Peter proclaims Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus tells his followers that "the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again".Martin, G. (2005), The Gospel according to Mark: meaning and message pages 200-202 When Peter objects, Jesus tells him: "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men". ()
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of includes this episode,Matthew for Everyone: Chapters 16-28 by Tom Wright 2004 page 9 saying that "from that time", i.e. on a number of occasions, Jesus "began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed ...".
The Gospel of shortens the account, dropping the dialogue between Jesus and Peter.
Each time Jesus predicts his arrest and death, the disciples in some way or another manifest their incomprehension, and Jesus uses the occasion to teach them new things.Mercer Dictionary of the Bible by Watson E. Mills, Roger Aubrey Bullard 1998 page 550 The second warning appears in (and also in ) as follows:
He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
The third prediction in specifically mentions crucifixion: Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
The fourth prediction in Matthew is found in , immediately before the plot made against him by the religious Jewish leaders: "As you know, the Passover is two days away — and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
The hypothetical Q source did not contain any predictions of Jesus’ death, though many others increasingly reject the hypothesis in favor of Luke’s use of Matthew or vice versa.John S Kloppenborg, Q, the Earliest Gospel (Westminster John Knox Press, 2008) page 75.
Gospel of John
In the conversation with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, Jesus pointed Nicodemus towards his death when he said Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up Jesus was intimating that something similar would happen to him as in Numbers 21:4-9, where Moses raised a bronze statue of a serpent up on a pole.
In chapters 12 to 17 this gospel also mentions several occasions where Jesus prepared his disciples for his departure, which the gospel also refers to as his "glorification":Dictionary of biblical imagery by Leland Ryken, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, Colin Duriez, Douglas Penney, Daniel G. Reid 1998 page 269
Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
Comparison of Synoptic Gospel predictions
In each of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus foretells of his own death and resurrection after three days. The concordances are summarized in the following table: Matthew Mark Luke Matthew 16:21-23: From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 8:31-33: And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Luke 9:21-22: And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Matthew 17:22-23: 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. Mark 9:30-32: Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. Luke 9:43-45: But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Matthew 20:17-19: Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” Mark 10:32-34: Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and [a]scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again Luke 18:31-34: Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. Matthew 26:32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
As shown in the Daily Mass Readings provided in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the prediction given by Jesus in Mark 9:32 has one of its main references in the Wisdom of Solomon:
Historical context
The gospels report Jesus making predictions about the "Son of Man". This is a Hebrew term with five different meanings, depending on the context in which it is used: all mankind (humanity as a whole), a human being (a man, as opposed to God), a personal pronoun ("I", "myself"), a sinner (an unjust person, as opposed to a just person),Jewish Encyclopedia: Son of Man The rendering for the Hebrew "ben adam", applied to mankind in general, as opposed to and distinct from non-human relationship; expressing also the larger, unlimited implications of humanity as differentiated from limited (e.g., national) forms and aspects of human life...The New Testament expression ὅ ὑιὸς τοῦ ἀνθρόπου is a translation of the Aramaic "bar nasha", and as such could have been understood only as the substitute for a personal pronoun, or as emphasizing the human qualities of those to whom it is applied..."Sons of men", or "children of men", designates also the slanderers and evil-doers in contrast to the righteous, that is, Israel (Ps. lvii. 5 [A. V. 4], lviii. 2 [A. V. 1]). and the messiah (the awaited king).Jewish Encyclopedia: Messiah The Messiah is called "the Son of Man," and is described as an angelic being, his countenance resembling a man's, and as occupying a seat in heaven beside the Ancient of Days (xlvi. 1), or, as it is expressed in ch. xxxix. 7, "under the wings of the Lord of spirits."...In the Assumptio Mosis, however (c. 4 B.C.), it may be concluded, on the ground of the identification of the Son of Man = Messiah with Enoch = Meṭaṭρον in Enoch lxxi. 14, that it is the preexistent Messiah who is referred to (x. 2), for it is stated that, at the end of the last tribulation, when God's dominion will be established over all creation, "the hands of the angel who stands in the highest place will be filled, and he will immediately avenge them [Israel] on their enemies."