This week, we’ve been looking into predictions about Jesus’ life, death and Resurrection. Why are these predictions so crucial to the fulfillment of the Gospel?

Jesus often predicted His violent death. Read the following passages and note the repeated ideas and phrases.

Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. —Mark 8:31

For he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after he is killed, he will rise three days later.” —Mark 9:31

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles, and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days.” —Mark 10:33–34

What repeated themes did you notice?

If the early church had a rallying cry, it would have been “on the third day.” These words were critical for the earliest witnesses of the Resurrection (Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 15:4). In the eighth century BC, the Israelite prophet Hosea used those words to console a defeated Northern Kingdom with the promise that God would restore the nation. Then, anticipating the eventual restoration of sinful Israel, he uttered a startling prediction: “He will revive us after two days, and on the third day, he will raise us up so we can live in his presence” (Hosea 6:2).

This is one of the essential Bible texts for understanding the interpretation and self-understanding of Jesus because it lies behind His passion and predictions. 

We hear [Hosea’s] prophecy echoed in Jesus’ predictions of suffering: “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” (Mark 9:31; compare Mark 8:31; 10:33–34). Indeed, the resurrected Jesus alludes to Hosea’s prophecy: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46).

Matthew, Mark and Luke significantly emphasize Jesus’ passion predictions using “on the third day” or “after three days” repeatedly. Jesus took Hosea 6:1–3 and applied these passages to Himself. The risen Jesus taught more than once from Hosea in discussion with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–27) and during another appearance (Luke 24:44–49, specifically verse 46). Without a doubt, this is why Paul calls the Gospel the “most important” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4) thing he received.

Why does it matter that Jesus predicted He would rise from the dead?

Why does it matter that the biblical storyline points out and explains the importance of Jesus’ Resurrection?