#DailyDevotion Jesus Is YHWH, Our Atoning Sacrifice, Our Yom Kippur

Mark 9:30–32 ³⁰Leaving that place, they started to go on byways through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know about it, ³¹because He was teaching His disciples and telling them: “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, but on the third day after He’s killed He will rise.” ³²They didn’t understand what He said and were afraid to ask Him.

Secrecy is a big theme in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus doesn’t want people seeing his miracles. He doesn’t want them seeing him cast out demons. He often is trying to get away from people for a while. It’s like he doesn’t want a whole lot of attention spent on him. Same thing today. He traveling the byways back to Galilee so he can have some time alone teaching his disciples.

And just what is Jesus teaching his disciples? Well Mark tells us he is teaching them about his upcoming death and resurrection. This isn’t the first time Jesus teaches them about this. He had brought it up earlier in chapter eight after Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ. Now this is just one sentence in Mark. It is likely this a summary of all that he taught them during this time. In chapter eight of Mark we see a bit more of what Jesus may have included in this teaching, namely that we who follow him would also bear our crosses and follow him in this path.

So we have here several interesting things. First is Jesus’ title “Son of Man.” Most agree Jesus is referring to himself as the figure in chapter 7 of Daniel, ¹³“In the visions during the night I saw One coming with the clouds of the heavens like the Son of Man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. ¹⁴And He was given glory, power to rule, and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and those of every language should serve Him. His authority is everlasting and will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” Now this doesn’t what Jesus is talking about so it’s I think we can understand their confusing. Yet Jesus is letting them and us know that this Son of Man is the same person as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah.

Yes, Jesus must suffer first before sitting at the right hand of God in glory and returning to redeem his people and rule over the earth. His suffering includes being betrayed by his friend Judas and being abandoned by his disciples. It includes being betrayed by his own people being handed over to the Romans, the occupying force in Judea and a pagan people. He would be beaten, insulted, ridiculed and shamed by the Roman soldiers. His own people would prefer the pagan emperor of Rome to him as their God and King. Jesus would suffer and die an excruciating (from the cross) death taking our sin upon himself and suffering the due penalty for them in his body and soul to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin. His blood would redeem us from our sins and purify us. His death would be the ransom from our death. Finally, after being buried he would on the third day rise again from the dead bodily to justify us. This suffering, death and resurrection saves us and sets the path for us as well. We who follow Jesus will also follow him through suffering, death and resurrection, in our baptism and then in our lives. Through his death and resurrection he has opened to kingdom of heaven to all who put their faith in Jesus and his work of salvation. He offers it free to all who will receive it.

Heavenly Father, you prepared Jesus to be our atoning sacrifice for our sin. Grant us faith in him so we may receive the benefits of his death and resurrection so we may be raised to eternal life on the day of his return. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.