Part of the habits of grace, of our renovation of heart–so termed by John Owen in his treatise on Mortification of Sin–includes the habits of our minds. Scripture refers to this as setting our minds, musing, remembering, thinking about certain things, rehearsing and reciting truths; and Romans 12:2 sums this up as our being transformed by the renewing of our minds. This habit will have you periodically pondering Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection as the New Testament directs us to; not in any new and updated ways, and not by compartmentalizing each as though they were not connected works of God.
Jesus began telling His disciples that He would die and rise again before the time that it would take place, Mark even says “He was stating the matter plainly.” Peter, whose knee jerk reactions resemble our own if we are honest, rebukes Jesus for this, and Jesus does not take that lightly. What is Jesus’ response to Peter? Keep in mind Jesus is never sarcastic. His words are always in keeping with His unchanging nature; He is Love, Wisdom, Truth, Light, our Good Shepherd. His rebuke is stern, but loving and wise and good. It is worth some time sitting in Mark 8:31-38 for an extended season.
Though Jews in that era believed in a far future resurrection (John 11; see also the lengthy discussion in Beale’s book: Union with the Resurrected Christ) yet they did not understand that Christ would defeat death and rise as He said within three days; and that He was beginning to make all things new, as the firstfruits (Colossians 1:11ff).
He is the beginning, not merely some precursor. What has begun?
The Word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing; but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… (Romans 1:18)
Let His Word mightily dwell and work in you powerfully as you ponder His cross and resurrection. Steward your time, directing your thoughts and affections toward the Word, and allowing for moments of reflection on the fulness of the work of Redemption. Consider that Jesus first recorded teaching of His death and resurrection comes after Peter declared that he believed that Jesus is the Christ. Consider Jesus’ words, and a few prophecies from Isaiah:
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.” 34 And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31-38
32 Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33 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. 34 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.” Mark 10:32-34
20 Then He gave the disciples strict orders that they were to tell no one that He was the Christ. 21 From that time Jesus began to point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. 22 And yet Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.” Matthew 16:20-23
22 And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men; 23 and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved. Matthew 17:22-23
17 As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the road He said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and flog and crucify, and on the third day He will be raised up…28The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:17-19, 28
4
The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
So that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5
The Lord God has opened My ear,
And I was not disobedient,
Nor did I turn back.
6
I gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard;
I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.
7
For the Lord God helps Me,
Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have made My face like flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8
He who vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand up to each other.
Who has a case against Me?
Let him approach Me.
9
Behold, the Lord God helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, they will all wear out like a garment;
A moth will eat them.
10
Who is among you who fears the Lord,
Who obeys the voice of His servant,
Who walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Isaiah 50:4-10
1
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2
For He grew up before Him like a tender [a]shoot,
And like a root out of dry ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we would look at Him,
Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
3
He was despised and abandoned by men,
A man of great pain and familiar with sickness;
And like one from whom people hide their faces,
He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.
4
However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by God, and humiliated.
5
But He was pierced for our offenses,
He was crushed for our wrongdoings;
The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.
6
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To fall on Him.
7
He was oppressed and afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off from the land of the living
For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due?
9
And His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10
But the Lord desired
To crush Him, causing Him grief;
If He renders Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11
As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
For He will bear their wrongdoings.
12
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the plunder with the strong,
Because He poured out His life unto death,
And was counted with wrongdoers;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the wrongdoers.
Isaiah 53:1-12
Consider
Consider what Christ took on Himself. He took our sins, our lawless deeds, our offenses and wrongdoings, our guilt and shame and anguish of soul, our apostasies; our infirmities, our sicknesses, our pain… Consider why. Not because we are lovely, but because God, our Triune God, is Love. Consider the faithfulness of our God, and unbreakable constant connection of the Trinity–One in Purpose, in Will, in Essence. And because He does not change, we rest secure in the unchangeableness of His work in and for us. Jesus willingly laid down His life, even knowing how horrific a wrath He would endure-the wrath due to our sins.
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20