For Us He Suffers

Jesus foretells His own betrayal, death, and resurrection in today’s text (Mark 8:31–9:1). This shows us that the way of salvation only comes through the path of suffering (Hebrews 2:10). Jesus’ suffering, His Passion, does not simply mean that He sympathizes with us. Rather, it means that He participates in our suffering, and we in His. His betrayal, the crown of thorns, the shameful cross—all of these lead to how Jesus “gave His dying breath,” as we sing in the series hymn. In the Passion reading, we will also hear how He dies (Mark 15:33–47) and what that means for us today.