It is relatively early in the public ministry of Jesus. In the eyes of the disciples everything is going very well. Jesus and his followers have been going from town to town healing people, feeding them at table, freeing them from their demons. Large crowds are following them wherever they go. Surely Jesus is the Messiah. In no time at all Israel will be restored and they will be in power in the restored kingdom. How could it be otherwise?
But Jesus continually tells them that he will be handed over to the authorities and be executed? How could this be true? Sure, here and there they have had disputes with Pharisees and other religious authorities, but look at all the good that is being done! Look at the crowds and how popular Jesus is with them! Surely the religious and political leaders see the good, see the popularity. They would not dare execute Jesus!
Yet, Jesus will be right. The authorities will indeed arrest him and execute him. Jesus realized what should be obvious to us all by now: those in authority do not care about the good done for people or popularity based on this good. They care only about their own power, privilege, and influence. Jesus' good deeds and popularity threatened those things. So Jesus must die. We struggle to accept it, but this is the way of the world, the way of the cross, the way to the empty tomb.
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