Once again Jesus is headed for Jerusalem but this time it would be from Ephraim, not Galilee (Mark 10:32; cp. John 11:54). He had gone up to Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication (Mark 10:1) and then the Feast of Purim (Mark 10:17), from which he retreated to Bethabara, where John had baptized (John 10:40), because he knew he would need to return to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead (cp. John 11:1-7). Now, however, Jesus led his disciples into the coasts of Judea to confront the Jewish authorities. The disciples followed him both out of fear and amazement (Mark 10:32), but why so? Why does Mark phrase, this, Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem, in such a manner?
Actually, it is hardly a mystery why Jesus’ disciples were amazed at this particular time. It was because Jesus had recently, within a week or two, raised a man from the dead. Who ever heard of such a thing? Why wouldn’t these men follow him in amazement! On the other hand, they were also afraid, as they followed him, because they knew Jesus fled Bethany, because the Jewish authorities had sought his life (John 11:53-54), and probably theirs as well, even Lazarus’ life would soon be in jeopardy (John 12:9-11).
It was the season of the Passover, and the population of Jerusalem would swell many times over its normal size.[1] Jewish pilgrims from all over the Empire would arrive there for worship and, some, to satisfy a life-long desire to make a pilgrimage to their holy city. It was during this season that Jesus came up to Jerusalem, because his time had come (John 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1), and Jesus spoke to his disciples yet a third time about his approaching crucifixion, and what the Jewish authorities would do to him there (Mark 10:32).
It seems more than the Twelve had been journeying with Jesus, because Matthew says he took the Apostles apart from the others (Matthew 20:17; cp. Luke 18:31), and he explained to them that he would be delivered (G3860) over to the chief priests who would condemn him to death, and they, in turn, would deliver him over to the Romans (Mark 10:33). However, Luke tells us the Twelve didn’t understand anything Jesus told them (Luke 18:34). How could they not understand? What was it in Jesus’ words that was too difficult to comprehend? He said he would be delivered / betrayed into the hands of the chief priests, and they would try him, condemn him to death, and then they would deliver him over to the Romans to be crucified (Mark 10:33-34; cp. Matthew 20:17-19; Luke 18:31-33). Except for rising again on the third day, what was so difficult for the Twelve to process and understand?
The problem with believing the truth is that it often has no context in what one already believes about a matter. The then current understanding about the Messiah was he would never die (John 12:34). When the Twelve first heard about the crucifixion, Peter approached Jesus and rebuked him for thinking the Messiah could die (Mark 8:32). Matthew uses stronger language, showing Peter believed such a thing would have been impossible to occur to the Messiah (Matthew 16:22). If one really believes one thing and that thing is wrong, how does one fit the truth into the lie? Such is the power of false doctrine. It is an idea that is difficult to penetrate, because the one believing the lie doesn’t perceive he is wrong. Therefore, he will not only defend the lie against the truth, but he won’t be able to recognize truth when it’s told him (cp. Luke 18:34).
The Twelve believed, as many do today, that Jesus would be King over a physical Kingdom. His throne would be in literal Jerusalem, and everyone would be able to enter therein at will, because, after all, that would be like any other physical government in the world. The problem is that Jesus claimed the Kingdom of God is within man (Luke 17:21). It isn’t a place that one could point to and say, ‘there it is!’ It is, as it was in the beginning, a resting place for God in a submissive heart that images him (Genesis 1:27; 2:1-2; 2Corinthians 3:18; cp. Luke 9:58). Therefore, since the Apostles looked for a physical Kingdom, they couldn’t possibly see the victory in a resurrection of the Messiah (Mark 10:34; Acts 13:33; cp. Psalm 2:1-12), because their false worldview demanded a Messiah who couldn’t die.
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[1] Josephus claimed that, during the governorship of Cestius a census of the population of Jerusalem was taken during the Passover season of cir. 65 AD. This was done to inform Nero of its power, who was otherwise disposed of holding the city in contempt. The population was determined by the number of sacrifices slaughtered for the Passover Holy Day, of which no less than ten were permitted to partake (cp. Exodus 12:3-4). The number of men was determined to be 2.7 million (see Josephus; Wars of the Jews 6.9.3 [422-427]). Some critics try to discredit this figure, but even if it were only a quarter of what was true, the number of Jewish men in the city would have been 700, 000. Such a number or a reasonable facsimile would come to witness Jesus’ crucifixion in 31 AD.
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