Section 16:21–28
Jesus said that he would suffer and be killed
In the previous section, Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ (or Messiah). But Peter and the other disciples did not fully understand what it meant that Jesus was the Messiah. They probably had the same ideas as many other Jews at that time. They thought that the Messiah would be a fighting hero. He would defeat the enemies of Israel and establish a political kingdom.
In this section, Jesus began to try and teach them about the real work of Messiah. He did not come to lead armies and set up a kingdom like other countries. His work was to suffer and die and then be raised back to life again. He also told them that all those who want to follow him should prepare to suffer in the same way. He also promised that the true kingdom was coming very soon.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus foretold/predicted his death and resurrection
-or-
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus Says that He Must Die (New Century Version)
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 8:31–9:1 and Luke 9:22–27.
Paragraph 16:21–23
In this paragraph Jesus told his disciples what was going to happen to him. This probably happened soon after the events in the previous paragraph.
16:21a
From that time on Jesus began: This phrase marks a transition in the story of Jesus. Here the story changes from the ministry of Jesus to the preparation for his suffering and death. (This same phrase occurs at 4:17 to mark the start of his ministry.)
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
From that time on Jesus began (God’s Word)
-or-
Starting from then, Jesus began
-or-
From that day, Jesus started
to show: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as show can also be translated as “explain” or “make clear.” Jesus had hinted before that he would suffer and die. Now he began to make it clear to his disciples.
Here are some other ways to translate this verb:
to say plainly (Good News Translation)
-or-
to explain (New International Version)
-or-
to clearly say/tell
16:21b–e
that He must: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must is often used to talk about something that God’s will requires. It is sometimes translated in English as “it is necessary.”
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
that it was necessary for him (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
that it was important/required that he
-or-
that it was God’s will for him
There are four things that were “necessary” for Jesus to do at that time to follow God’s will:
(a) go to Jerusalem (16:21b)
(b) suffer many things (16:21c)
(c) be killed by the leaders (16:21d)
(d) be raised on the third day (16:21e).
If possible, translate these clauses in a way that it is clear that Jesus must do these four things. For example:
he must go…and suffer…and be killed…and be raised…
In some languages, it may be natural to repeat “must” or “(it is) necessary” as the New International Version does in 16:21c. For example:
he must go…and suffer many things…and that he must be killed and…be raised… (New International Version)
In some languages, it will be natural to use direct speech for 16:21b–e. For example:
He said, “I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.” (Contemporary English Version)
16:21c
suffer many things: This is the second thing that Jesus must do.
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as many things indicates that Jesus must suffer in different ways.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
suffer a lot (God’s Word)
-or-
suffer many terrible things (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
⌊must⌋ have many hardships
at the hands of: The phrase at the hands of indicates that the elders, chief priests, and scribes were responsible for the suffering.
Here are some other ways to translate this idea:
from (English Standard Version)
-or-
caused by
the elders, chief priests, and scribes: These three groups of men were the leaders of Israel. When Jesus mentioned these three groups, he was probably talking about the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the ruling body of the Jews.
In some languages, it may be good to include a footnote to make it clear that these groups were the rulers in Israel. Here is a sample footnote:
These three groups of men were the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the highest ruling body in Israel. These men lived and worked in Jerusalem.
the elders: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as elders refers to the civil leaders of the Jews. These leaders were generally older men. People valued older men for their wisdom and experience.
Every location in Israel had elders who served in local governing groups. In Jerusalem the elders were a part of the Sanhedrin, the high council of the nation of Israel.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
the rulers/councilmen
-or-
the older Jewish leaders (New Century Version)
-or-
the nation’s leaders (Contemporary English Version)
chief priests: A priest was a religious leader who offered sacrifices to God for the people. Jewish priests led the people in worship at the temple in Jerusalem. The phrase chief priests refers to the leaders among these priests.
Here are some other ways to translate chief priests:
• Use a descriptive term that focuses on the duty of priests. For example:
the leaders of the sacrificers
-or-
the elders among the men who offer sacrifices to God
-or-
the leaders of those who represent people to God
• Use a local word for priest. This option may be acceptable if the duties of a local priest are similar to those of a Jewish priest. You may need to indicate that the word refers to a Jewish priest. For example:
Jewish people’s leading priests/sacrificers
The term chief priests also occurs in 2:4a. You should translate it here as you did there.
scribes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scribes refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the law of Moses. These men were called scribes because their original work was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. (A scribe is someone who copies manuscripts.) In New Testament times, this was no longer their main task.
Here are some other ways to translate this term:
teachers of the Law of Moses (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
teachers of religious law (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
teachers of the law (New International Version)
-or-
experts in the law
Translate this term in the same way as you did in 12:38a and 15:1a.
16:21d
be killed: This is the third thing that Jesus must do. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:
⌊and he must⌋ be killed
-or-
⌊it is necessary for him to⌋ be killed
-or-
⌊it was God’s will for him to⌋ be killed
This verb is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
be put to death (New Jerusalem Bible)
• Use an active verb. For example:
⌊the leaders⌋ must kill him
-or-
⌊people⌋ would kill him
16:21e
on the third day be raised to life: This is the fourth thing that Jesus must do. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:
⌊and he must⌋ be raised on the third day
-or-
⌊and it is necessary for him to⌋ be raised on the third day
-or-
⌊and it is God’s will for him to⌋ be raised on the third day
be raised to life: The verb be raised to life means “raised from the dead” or “brought back to life.”
This verb is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
then be raised from the dead (New Century Version)
-or-
⌊then he must⌋ be raised back to life ⌊by God⌋
• Use an active verb. For example:
⌊God⌋ will raise him ⌊from death⌋ ⌊to life⌋
-or-
⌊God⌋ will cause him to live again
• Use another type of verb. For example:
he will become alive again
-or-
he will live again
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