Why must the Son of Man suffer according to Luke 9:22? Text and Immediate Context “‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.’ ” (Luke 9:22) In Luke, this first explicit passion prediction follows Peter’s confession of Jesus as “the Christ of God.” Jesus immediately corrects triumphalist misunderstandings by revealing the road of suffering that lies ahead. --- The Divine Imperative in “must” (Greek dei) Luke’s favorite term dei (“it is necessary”) marks events decreed by God’s sovereign plan (Luke 2:49; 4:43; 13:33; 17:25; 24:26, 44; Acts 1:16; 17:3). Christ’s suffering is not accidental or merely probable; it is divinely mandated. The cross is God’s settled purpose, not a tragic miscalculation. --- “Son of Man”: Royal yet Representative Drawn from Daniel 7:13-14, “Son of Man” fuses royalty and solidarity. The glorious figure who receives an eternal kingdom also identifies with Adam’s race in weakness. Only by sharing our mortality can He reign on our behalf. His coronation requires His crucifixion. --- Old Testament Prophetic Necessity • Genesis 3:15 – The Seed’s heel is bruised while crushing the serpent. • Psalm 22; 69 – Davidic laments mirror crucifixion details (“They pierce my hands and feet” — 22:16). • Isaiah 52:13—53:12 – The Servant “was pierced for our transgressions… the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” • Daniel 9:26 – “The Anointed One will be cut off.” The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa, 125 B.C.) confirms that Isaiah 53 preceded Jesus by nearly two centuries, erasing claims of post-event editing. --- Theological Necessity: Atonement and Divine Justice a. Substitution – “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). b. Propitiation – “God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice, through faith in His blood” (Romans 3:25). c. Redemption – “The Son of Man… to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). d. Reconciliation – “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). God’s holiness requires sin’s penalty; His love provides the substitute. Only the incarnate Son can satisfy both. --- Covenant Fulfillment and Passover Imagery At the Last Supper Jesus calls the cup “the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). The Passover lamb (Exodus 12), the Levitical sin offerings (Leviticus 16), and the pierced but unbroken bones of the sacrifice (Exodus 12:46; John 19:36) converge at Calvary. The Son of Man must suffer to inaugurate the promised new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). --- Typological Patterns: Suffering Precedes Glory • Joseph suffers unjustly before saving nations (Genesis 37-50). • David endures exile before kingship (1 Samuel 24-31). • The bronze serpent is lifted up (Numbers 21:9; John 3:14). Luke embeds this pattern (24:26 — “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”) to show continuity between Scripture’s storyline and Jesus’ passion. --- Historical Expectation of a Suffering Messiah Dead Sea Scroll 4Q521 links Isaiah 61’s healing Messiah with resurrection of the dead—echoes of Jesus’ answer to John (Luke 7:22). Rabbinic Talmud (b. Sanh. 98b) speaks of “Messiah son of Joseph” who suffers before “Messiah son of David” reigns. Jewish sources thus acknowledge the plausibility of a suffering deliverer. --- Luke’s Literary Strategy Luke structures his Gospel around a travel narrative (9:51-19:27). The passion prediction in 9:22 initiates the journey to Jerusalem. Every subsequent miracle, parable, and teaching positions the cross as destiny, not detour. --- Christ’s Suffering as Paradigm for Discipleship Immediately after 9:22, Jesus commands, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (9:23). His path defines ours: suffering now, glory later (Romans 8:17-18). --- Cosmic and Eschatological Victory Through suffering Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15) and “destroyed him who holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14). The resurrection on “the third day” guarantees the eventual renewal of creation (Acts 3:21; Romans 8:20-21). --- Pastoral and Evangelistic Implications Because the Son of Man suffered: • We have a High Priest who sympathizes (Hebrews 4:15). • We possess an unshakeable hope in bodily resurrection (1 Peter 1:3). • We receive a model for enduring trials (1 Peter 2:21). Therefore repent and believe (Acts 17:30-31); the risen Lord now “commands all people everywhere to repent.” --- Summary Luke 9:22 teaches that the Son of Man “must” suffer to fulfill Scripture, satisfy divine justice, establish the new covenant, defeat evil, secure resurrection life, and set the pattern for His followers. The necessity is prophetic, theological, covenantal, cosmic, historical, and personal—uniting the entire biblical narrative in the crucified and risen Christ. |
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