Mark 10:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: We are going up to Jerusalem,' he said, 'and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,

NASB: saying, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles.

CSB: "See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles,

NLT: Listen,' he said, 'we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.

KJV: Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:

NKJV: “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;

The title the "Son of Man" is taken from Daniel: "There came one like a son of man…And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13–14). Jesus uses this title for Himself often. The Twelve welcome the image of Jesus as the conquering Messiah, come to rescue Israel from the evil Romans. Their fear is mixed with the hope that they will see the day promised in Daniel and be a part of His ruling government (Mark 10:35–37). They will (Matthew 19:28), but not before facing their own death marches (Mark 8:34–38).

Once again, Jesus tells the disciples that this Son of Man is going to be betrayed (Mark 14:10), beaten, and killed (Mark 10:34). This time, however, He is more specific, explaining that He will be taken to the chief priests and scribes but executed by the Gentiles. He also adds that He will be mocked, spit on, and scourged. The prediction recalls Old Testament prophecies which mention mocking (Psalm 22:6–7), scourging, and spitting (Isaiah 50:6). Isaiah 53 predicts several other ignominies Jesus will suffer, including being despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3), pierced (Isaiah 53:5), silent when given the chance to defend Himself (Isaiah 53:7), killed near wicked men, and buried near the rich (Isaiah 53:9).

The argument over who killed Jesus has caused great pain over the centuries and terrible persecution against Jews. Jesus is clear here, and His words will be proven in the crucifixion account: while the Jewish chief priests and scribes condemn Jesus to death, it is the Gentile Romans who kill Him. Spiritually, the accountability spreads further; God sent Jesus to die (John 3:16; Acts 2:23) because of our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). So, the answer to the question of who killed Jesus is: all of us.

Mark 10:32–34 is the third time (Mark 8:31–33; 9:30–32) that Jesus tells His disciples He will be killed and rise again after three days. For the third time, the disciples don't understand. Their incomprehension seems inexcusable, but our hindsight benefits from more than two thousand years of Christian teaching. Luke gives us additional insight: God is hiding the full meaning of Jesus' words from them (Luke 18:34). Maybe to bolster the disciples' courage, but maybe because the fulfilled prophecy would have a greater effect on the disciples than a warning (Luke 24:6–8). This section is also found in Matthew 20:17–19 and Luke 18:31–34.

In this passage, Jesus again confronts the Pharisees by clarifying God's views on marriage and divorce. He reminds the disciples not to dismiss the spiritual perspective of children. This chapter also records Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, who becomes an object lesson in why wealth makes it hard for people to rely on God. After this, Jesus deftly sets aside an arrogant request from James and John, and again predicts His impending death. Just prior to the triumphal entry of chapter 11, Jesus is sought out by Bartimaeus, whom He heals of blindness.

In between chapters 9 and 10, Jesus resumes His public teaching as He travels to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Luke 9:57—18:14; John 7—10). We meet Him here across the Jordan in Perea and follow as He makes His way west again to Jericho. This chapter surrounds a third prophecy of Jesus' death (Mark 10:32–34) with lessons on His value for those others often dismiss: women (Mark 10:1–12), the powerless (Mark 10:13–16), those who value God more than the world (Mark 10:17–31), servant-hearted leaders (Mark 10:35–45), and those with bold faith (Mark 10:46–52). Next is the triumphal entry and the beginning of Passion Week.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.