and on the third day He will rise again.
This phrase proclaims the resurrection of Jesus, a cornerstone of Christian belief. The "third day" is significant, as it aligns with Jewish understanding of time and prophecy, such as Jonah's three days in the belly of the fish (Jonah 1:17), which Jesus Himself references as a sign (Matthew 12:40). The resurrection is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, including Psalm 16:10, which speaks of God not allowing His Holy One to see decay. The resurrection is also a type of new creation, paralleling the creation narrative where God completed His work and rested on the seventh day, with Jesus rising to inaugurate a new covenant. This event is pivotal, as it confirms Jesus' divinity, His victory over sin and death, and the promise of eternal life for believers (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).

• Jesus speaks plainly: “They will flog Him…” The scourging was not a vague hardship but a brutal Roman punishment (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15).

• Long before the soldiers raised a whip, Isaiah had written, “He was wounded for our transgressions… by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). What Isaiah saw in prophecy, Jesus now places on the disciples’ calendar.

• The flogging is more than cruelty; it is part of the atoning work. Peter later writes, “By His stripes you are healed” (1 Peter 2:24), tying the lashes to our redemption.

• Notice Christ’s resolve. Knowing what is coming, He still moves toward Jerusalem (Luke 18:31). His love outweighs the cost.

• The prediction continues: “and kill Him.” Jesus is not guessing; He is revealing the Father’s plan (Acts 2:23).

• Luke later records the fulfillment: “When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him” (Luke 23:33).

• The cross is not a tragic mistake. Jesus Himself says, “I lay down My life… No one takes it from Me” (John 10:17–18).

• Paul rejoices in this purposeful sacrifice: “God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

• For believers, the death of Christ is the hinge of history—the moment justice and mercy meet.

• Timing matters. “On the third day” echoes Hosea 6:2: “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up”.

• Jesus ties His resurrection to the sign of Jonah (Jonah 1:17; Matthew 12:40), anchoring the promise in Scripture and prophetic pattern.

• The third day also underlines completion. God created, rested, and now recreates life through Christ.

• When women hurry to the tomb “very early on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2), they find a timetable kept to the minute.

• The final phrase lifts the whole prediction: “He will rise again.” Death is real, but it is not final.

• Peter later preaches, “God raised Him up, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24).

• Resurrection validates everything Jesus taught and every promise God made (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Romans 6:9).

• Because He lives, believers receive “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

• The risen Christ now says, “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of Death and of Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Our future is as secure as the empty tomb.

Luke 18:33 is Jesus’ concise roadmap of redemption: scourging that heals, a death that atones, a timetable that fulfills prophecy, and a resurrection that guarantees eternal life. Knowing every detail, He still chose the path, proving His love and power beyond question.

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