In the passage before us, Jesus for the third time reiterates the nature of His ministry as Messiah. The disciples know that He is the Messiah, now Jesus continues His task of unfolding for them what this means.
The announcement tells the same basic story as the previous passages. However, it does add a new twist. In this third announcement Jesus describes his suffering in much greater detail and includes the Gentiles in His death. Not only will the Jews condemn Him to death, the Gentiles will mock Him, scourge Him, spit upon Him, and kill Him. What is the implication of the inclusion of the Gentiles in this third announcement? It is this question that we explore today.