“FULFILLING PROPHECY”
LUKE 18:31-34

I. Introduction
“God’s ways are not our ways!” That’s hardly earth-shaking news to a Bible-believing Christian, is it? We know that. But even though we know it to be true, how often do we need to be reminded of it? “God’s ways are not our ways!” So when God speaks, or when He acts, or when He moves in a certain way in our lives, we sometimes say, “I don’t under-stand what is happening,” or “I don’t like that, Lord.”

So we remain blind to a truth God has for us, or we fail to move in a direction He wants us to go, or we don’t respond to a call we should answer. We say, “That’s not the way it looks to me,” or “That’s not where I think I should go,” or “That’s not the way I’d do it.”

Then we go ahead and do things our way and according to our understanding and desires, and in the process, we often miss God’s best for us. We do this because, in our heart of hearts, we’ve convinced ourselves that our way is better. We never say that. We just do it. Instead of asking for God’s guidance and His wisdom, instead of seeking the Lord, we do it our way, and we hope for the best. Can anyone here this morning relate to that?
*Isaiah 55:6-11
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts (higher) than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 so shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

In vv. 8-9 God makes it clear that His knowledge and His wisdom are infinitely above and beyond our own. “Infinitely” is not an exaggeration. Can you measure the heights of the heavens? Just how much “higher” are the heavens than the earth? The Apostle Paul says,
Romans 11:33
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
That’s a lesson Jesus’ disciples are going to learn, but they aren’t going to learn it in today’s text in Luke’s gospel. If our Lord had given them a choice, you can be sure that they would have tried to find some way for Jesus to accomplish the mission His Father had given Him that would not include His death on the cross. That’s not the way they would have done it. It’s not the way we would have done it either. Surely we could have found a better way! But then we hear God speak, and He says, “…My ways (are) higher than your ways…”

There is a second lesson Jesus’ disciples are going to learn. They won’t learn this one in today’s text in Luke’s gospel either. But one day they’ll look back on it, they’ll be reminded, and they’ll understand. This second lesson has to do with what Jesus says about the future. It has to do with prophecy.

Look again at Isaiah 55:11. God says, “…My word…which goes forth from My mouth… shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” We may not understand what God says He is going to do, but that really shouldn’t matter. The day will come when we will understand it. In that day we will understand it because our spiritual eyes will have been opened and we will have been fully illumined. We will see the culmination of every prophecy, every word, and every jot and tittle. It will all be fulfilled.

Because what God says will happen, will happen. It may not happen today or tomorrow. It may not happen for a thousand years, but it will happen! God’s Word guarantees it.

So this morning, you will understand the significance and the magnitude of Jesus’ words, but His disciples won’t. Try to put yourself in their sandals and imagine what it would have been like for them. In Luke 18:31-34 Jesus is going to tell His disciples some things that are beyond their ability to understand. They will not be able to process them. At this point in their spiritual growth the facts are simply beyond them. Then we are going to see how Jesus’ prophecy will be something that, in the months and years to come, the disciples will be able to look back upon, and their faith in Jesus’ words, all of them, will be strengthened.

“…My ways (are) higher than your ways, and My thoughts (are higher) than your thoughts,” and, “…My word…shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
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II. Review
Over the past three Sundays we have seen what God demands of those who would enter into His eternal kingdom. That is to say, we’ve seen the marks of a true Christian. The Pharisee and the tax-gatherer taught us about our need for humility before God. The babies and little ones taught us about simple childlike faith and trust. The rich young ruler taught us about the willingness to lay aside the temporary pleasures of this present world so that we might lay hold of the eternal joys of the next.
These character traits – humility, faith and trust, and a sharp focus on eternity – are not only reasonable, they’re logical. Such things are to be the norm for all true Christians.
Romans 12:1-2 (how believers are to live their lives in light of the truth)
1 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Back in Luke 18:28 Peter brought attention to the sacrifices that he and the other disciples had made to follow Christ. He was right. They had made sacrifices…and they would make many more. But this morning, in Luke 18:31-34, Jesus will turn attention from Peter’s and the other disciple’s sacrifices to an infinitely greater one – His own.
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III. Text
The end of Jesus’ earthly ministry is drawing to a close. The cross is only weeks away. So Jesus prepares for what lies ahead. And as He tells His disciples what’s coming one thing should be obvious to all of us. Every bit of what will happen has been planned from eternity past. And the same Bible that tells us that Jesus would be crucified also tells us that He will one day return to rule and reign over the earth.

As we delve into today’s text in Luke, let’s ask ourselves this: Since we already know the details of Jesus’ first coming, His ministry, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension, why would anyone doubt the details of His return?
*Luke 18:31-34 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
31 And He (Jesus) took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.
32 “For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,
33 and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”
34 And they understood none of these things, and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

Gentlemen, do you have a tendency to ignore things you don’t want to hear? As you all shake your heads no, all your wives are shaking their heads yes. At least Ginny is. Let’s face it, guys – this is one of our shortcomings, isn’t it? But I would suggest to you that there are times and circumstances when we all – men and women alike – fail to fully grasp some-thing going on around us simply because we just don’t expect it.
In Luke 18 the disciples aren’t expecting Jesus to die. If He really is the Messiah, they’re expecting Him to take over, drive out the Roman occupiers, and set up His kingdom on the throne of David. But they had “a blind spot,” as it were. Even though Jesus had already warned them what was coming, they just didn’t want to deal with the sorrow and suffering that would necessarily precede the joy and victory. All of us, men and women alike, have the same blind spot. Wouldn’t we all prefer to dwell on the glory instead of the agony?

So as we look at the passage and find ourselves thinking, “What’s wrong with Jesus’ dis-ciples?” we would do well to remember that they were just like we are…with one major exception. They had not yet received the indwelling Holy Spirit.
*Luke 18:31
31 And He (Jesus) took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.”

“Going up to Jerusalem…” refers to more than the ascent that’s required to get there from the surrounding countryside. Jerusalem is on higher ground. So it doesn’t matter from which direction you approach the city, because you’ll be “going up” to get there. But there is also a spiritual component to “going up to Jerusalem.” Psalm 84:5 touches on this when it says, “How blessed is the man whose strength is in You (LORD); in whose heart are the highways to Zion (Jerusalem)!”

God’s temple was in Jerusalem. It was where God’s people would go “up” to worship. That worship included the bringing of an offering for sin. At the conclusion of this journey up to Jerusalem, Jesus would Himself become God’s perfect offering for sin. This is what John the Baptist was referring to when he saw Jesus coming down to the Jordan River to be baptized. He said…
John 1:29b
29b “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

In Luke 18:31 Jesus says, “…all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.” This statement makes it clear that whatever is going to take place has already been planned in heaven and prophesied on earth. There will be no surprises. God will not be caught off guard. Every event, down to the minutest detail, will be orchestrated and controlled by a sovereign and holy God for a purpose – He will glorify Himself! And as a result of all of it, you and I will be redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb of God. What will take place in Jerusalem? Jesus tells us.
*Luke 18:32-33
32 “For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,
33 and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”
I want us to take the time to look at each of the things Jesus mentions in these short verses. They have at least two major truths to teach us beyond their immediate context.

First, we will see how critically important the OT writings are to our understanding of the NT. If there is no understanding of the OT, there will be no rationale for Jesus coming to earth in the first place, let alone dying for men’s sins. But far too many people who profess to be Christians treat the OT like it has no real value for the church. They think it’s a “Jewish” book, while the NT is a “Christian” book. But the fact is that without the OT the NT makes no sense. With the OT as its base and foundation, the NT makes supreme sense.

Second, we will be reminded that since all the prophecies of Jesus’ coming to earth the first time were true – being born of a virgin, ministering for three years, being tried, crucified, buried, resurrected, and triumphantly returning to the Father who sent Him – since all of those things actually happened, you can also be assured and take comfort in the fact that all the prophecies of Jesus’ return to this earth to set up His kingdom will happen as well.

In v. 32 Jesus tells His disciples, “…He will be delivered to the Gentiles.” Not only will His own people, the Jews, turn away from Him and give Him over to a people that are not His own, but Jesus’ half-brothers and sisters (Joseph’s and Mary’s other children) will initially reject Him as well. (among them are James and Jude who will ultimately write two books of the NT)
Psalm 69:8 (David prophesies)
8 I have become estranged from my brothers, and an alien to my mother’s sons.

John 7:3, 5 (John reports)
3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here, and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may behold Your works which You are doing.”
5 For not even His brothers were believing in Him. (believed after the resurrection)

When Jesus speaks of being mocked, mistreated, and spit upon, He is making reference to a variety of OT prophecies. Here are a few of them followed by their subsequent fulfillment.
Psalm 109:25; 22:7-8 (David prophesies)
25 I also have become a reproach to them; when they see me, they wag their head.
7 All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip (an idiom for sneering), they wag the head, saying,
8 “Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”

Luke 23:35-36a (Luke reports)
35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”
36a And the soldiers also mocked Him…
Isaiah 50:6 (Isaiah prophesies)
6 “I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out my beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”

Matthew 26:67; 27:30b (Matthew and John report)
67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him…
30b …and took a reed and began to beat Him on the head.

John 19:1
1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.

In Luke 18:33 Jesus continues His account of what will be done to Him. Again, try to put yourself in the disciples’ sandals as they listen to Him. Remember, they have been coming to believe that He is who He says He is. It was about six months earlier that Jesus had asked them who they thought He really was.
*Matthew 16:13-16
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
15 He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ (the Chosen One, the Messiah), the Son of the living God.”

So if they think Jesus really is God’s Son, the Jewish Messiah, then they most certainly do not think that anything or anyone can harm Him. They think He is coming to rid Israel of the Romans and restore Israel to her former glory. Therefore, they may be hearing His words, but are they making any sense of them? Not at this point they aren’t! Now with all of that in mind, let’s look again at Luke 18:33. “…and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”

Jesus’ disciples were all Jews. The OT prophets had already spoken of these things. So the disciples should have known their own Scriptures. If they had known them, Jesus’ words may have begun to make sense to them. So here again, are some of those prophecies.
Isaiah 53:5, 12 (Isaiah and David prophesy)
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
Psalm 22:16
16 For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; (and) they pierced my hands and my feet.

Mark 15:27-28 (Mark and John report)
27 And they crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.
28 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”

John 19:34
34 …one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.

The last thing Jesus says in Luke 18:33 is that on “…the third day He will rise again.”
Psalm 16:10 (David prophesies)
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol (the abode of the dead – the grave); neither will You allow Your Holy One (Messiah) to undergo decay. (body begins to decay after three days – Lazarus dead four days)

Mark 16:6-7 (Mark reports)
6 And he (the angel) said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He is not here; He has risen; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
7 “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’”

“…just as He said to you” – that’s the key. Jesus has said much to us. He has told us much more in the NT than his disciples ever knew while He walked and talked with them on this earth. But at the time, as Luke 18:34 tells us, “…they understood none of these things, and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

But that’s all right. They had not yet received the indwelling Holy Spirit. He would come and take up residence in each of them on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Only then would the disciples’ spiritual eyes be opened. Only then would they look back and understand all of Jesus’ words. But that was yet future. In Luke 18 they didn’t understand because the truth was still hidden from them.

There are yet things that are still hidden from us. God does not hold us responsible for them. But we are expected to know and be responsible for those things that are not hidden. That’s because the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to them. Among those things that we are to know is that God will fulfill prophecy. If He has said something will be, it will be.

This morning we’ve looked at only a few of the prophecies about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. In them we have seen amazing clarity and detail.
And from them we can take comfort in knowing that the prophecies about the future will come to pass with the same clarity and detail. Jesus is coming again. You can be sure of it! All prophecy will be fulfilled in God’s time and for His glory.
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IV. Conclusion
Today we’ve come together to worship at the Lord’s table. Ed and Linda opened the service by reading Mark’s account of Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper. When Mark wrote it, under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, he was reporting an actual event. But there is also a prophecy of something yet to come in Mark’s words. He quoted Jesus saying, “Truly I say to you, I shall never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God (Mark 14:25).”

Matthew’s account adds a few words of clarification that personalizes Jesus’ words for each one of us. Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, “…I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” He wants us to know that we will be there with Him in the kingdom of God.

And Luke’s account drives it all home.
*Luke 22:15-16
15 And He (Jesus) said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
16 for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Fulfilled prophecy! Whenever you take communion this morning remember Jesus has promised that the day will come when we will sit down at the table with Him in His Father’s kingdom. I am trusting that you can take the promise of fulfilled prophecy with you this morning.

Will you join me at the table?