30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it;
31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
Following the exorcism of a mans son who had a mute and deaf spirit, Jesus and his disciples make their way through Galilee. Usually when in Galilee Jesus is doing public ministry works but in this case, he is keep his journey secretive as he is instructing his disciples.
First of all speaking in the third person, Jesus says that he must be “delivered into the hands of men” this means to be arrested, surrendering himself to them, not taken by force. He uses his favourite title for himself “The Son of Man”. Although its older meaning just meant a male human being, after the Prophet Daniels messianic revelations it took on a new, divine meaning.
The passage in Daniel is chapter 7:13-14 and it reads:
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and 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.
This figure in Second Temple Judaism was seen as divine as he shares dominion and glory with God the Father (The Ancient of Days. This figure is all the fulfilment of the first prophecy the Bible found in Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The “He” in this passage, the Messiah and the “Son of Man” were all perceived to be the same figure. Jesus using this title for himself is a divine claim, he is claiming to be that figure riding on the cloud with the glory of the Ancient of Days. Although to us in our Post-Resurrection context, we don’t see a problem here but to many Jews this was considered blasphemy to claim (unless it was true).
Jesus explains that the Son of Man must be surrendered to the powers of men and be killed but after three days, he will rise again. This was in fact foretold, again, by the Prophet Daniel, along with a whole timeline but pride veiling itself as piety prevented people from being able to accept. Even Jesus’ own disciples struggle with the concept.
Daniel 9:24-26 reads:
“Seventy weeks of years are decreed concerning your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off, and shall have nothing“
This timeline is from the Archangel Gabriel, the same messenger in the Annunciation, and it articulates that in the last week the “anointed one shall be cut off”. Greek for anointed is Christos and when comparing scriptures especially Exodus and Leviticus we can see that “Cut off” is a Hebraism for death, more specifically, execution. So even in the Prophet Daniel we find this message that Jesus is trying to teach his apostles. The Christ must be put to death. He must die so God as fully God and Man, can conquer death for us. That is what the Resurrection is, which explains will occur after three days.
32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
As the generations of Hebrews before, they also do not understand what Jesus is saying. Scripture requires humility and divine revelation, the reason why is because the Devil can read. This prideful blindness that stops them comprehending Jesus words will be expressed quite fully in the following verses.
33 And they came to Caperna-um; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”
34 But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.
Jesus has spent his time trying to reveal to the mysteries of the divine plan, telling them the horrible death he must endure and they have spent their time…trying to one up each. Discussing “who was the greatest”. It makes sense that they cannot understand what Jesus is saying because of that humility requirement.
35 And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
36 And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
Jesus then uses their competition among themselves to motivate them in the right direction. If you want to be the “greatest” you must be “last of all and servant of all”. The greatest’s obligations are not to lord over people but to serve all. This is what God does in the Incarnation. This is who Jesus. Power is not to be used selfishly but to use for others.
In order to show just how far from the humble state they must be in, Jesus takes a child in his arms and says to the apostles that “whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” If you are humble enough to accept a child among you in Jesus’ name. You are imitating him because what the Son does in the Incarnation is the same form. Change the child to Jesus and Jesus to God the Father and we’re seeing the same image. One on an earthly scale and the other on the divine scale. If you can be trusted in small things, you can be trusted in bigger things. It is all a part of the divine condescension of the mystery of the Incarnation but such things are difficult for us to understand because we can only see through the eyes of faith and a humble heart. So Jesus re-enacts the divine scene in a visual way with the young boy.
Several ancient writers actually believe that the young boy found in this passage was a young Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who took the surname “Theophorus” which typically means “God-Carrier” but you can read it also “Carried by God”. Similar to Saint Paul he wrote as being one “born out of time”, he wasn’t old enough to be a disciple of Jesus but as Jesus points out, he has the humility required that the apostles actually lack.
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