Mark 9:31 Commentary and Bible Study

For the second time in the Gospel of Mark the Christ taught them about his coming suffering and death. Now it's necessary for these words to be repeated to the disciples, and they will be repeated yet again. They are going to have to understand what he is going to do in giving his life in suffering and dying for the sins of his people, of those called out of the world,. But it is interesting that he should repeat these words immediately before the instructions that follow, because it sets the theme, the subject. ‘The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men’, more particularly, the Romans. The Jewish leaders will deliver him into the hands of the Romans. The word here is ‘delivered’; in Matthew's Gospel it is translated ‘betrayed’. It is the same word in the Greek – ‘delivered over to’. It very strongly implies betrayal, and that's the translation in Matthew. ‘Delivered’, in other words Christ willingly, voluntarily, placed himself under the power of men: to do their worst, to murder him, to do as they wish. Of course he knew exactly what would happen. It was all determined and allowed in the will of God. But we reflect on that: the Creator of all things is delivered over, put into their power, put under their temporary authority, as it were. He is under the authority of the Father during the period of his time on earth, because he is our representative. He has to live a life of perfect obedience to the Father to be our representative, to be our spotless sin-bearer. Before he was incarnate, he exercised equal authority and power with the Father. He was in every sense, truly God, and equal to the Father. He will return to that state and condition. But while he is on earth, he will submit himself to the authority of God as Father, living the perfect life that we should live. And here he is delivered over into the hands of men to be our sin-bearer. ‘And they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.’ We should see in these few words, the sacrificial life of Christ. Of course, he has come to die an atoning substitutionary death, and act in absolute obedience to the predetermined plan of the Trinity – the plan of himself and the Father and the Spirit – that he would lay down his life and in three days he would rise again, a life completely laid down and submitted. So this is drawing our attention to the example of Christ as he talks about his conditions for service.