Mark 10:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

NIV: who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.'

NASB: And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead.'

CSB: and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days."

NLT: They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.'

KJV: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

NKJV: and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

Mark says Jesus will be resurrected after three days while Matthew and Luke say, "on the third day" (Matthew 20:19; Luke 18:33). The timeframe of Jesus' crucifixion has been discussed for centuries, so an in-depth analysis isn't appropriate here.

First, it's crucial to understand that to Jews, a part of a day is counted as a full day when reckoning time. So, if Jesus was crucified just prior to Friday evening, then Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday morning would fulfill the three days. Another alternative is that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday and the "Sabbath" mentioned in Mark 15:42 wasn't Saturday but the Passover on Thursday. That would place Jesus in the tomb for three full days: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

The truth is, we don't know the specific day of the crucifixion. And debate over the minutiae completely misses the point of the miracle: Jesus not only comes back from death, but He does so in exactly the manner He predicted. Whatever length of time Christ was in the tomb, it was entirely compatible with Old Testament prophecy, His words, and Jewish language.

While Mark and Matthew's accounts end here, Luke adds some insight as to the disciples' misunderstanding: "But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said" (Luke 18:34). God hid the full meaning of Jesus' words from the disciples, but we aren't told why. We know the disciples understand something; as Jesus left Perea, Thomas fatalistically said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). Still, the disciples didn't remember and understand Jesus' words until after the resurrection (Luke 24:6–8).

God does this to us as well. As much as we think we would like to know what will happen in our lives or what decisions we should make, we're not always ready to hear the truth. Sometimes we need to grow a bit first, in knowledge, maturity, or faith. Sometimes we don't understand how strong we are and how well we will be able to handle what's coming. When God doesn't answer our prayers for clarity, we can always pray that He will prepare us for the future. Knowing we need to trust Him may be all the preparation we require.

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.