Luke 9:44

The Son of Man shall be delivered

Repeated predictions

As the time of our Saviour’s death was approaching, He thought proper to repeat the prophecy of it again and again.

For this various reasons may be assigned.

1. It was necessary to show that the death of Christ was an appointed as well as an important event in the plan of Divine providence.

2. It tended to prove that it was voluntary on the part of Jesus, and not the debt of nature, as it is on the part of those who are merely human.

3. It was necessary for the fulfilment of ancient prophecy, and consequently to prove that Jesus was the predicted Messiah.

4. It was requisite to show that He was a prophet in the highest sense of the word, and that not a part, but the whole future dispensation was thoroughly known to Him.

5. The frequent repetition of the prophecy of His death tended also to prepare the minds of the disciples for what might otherwise have overwhelmed them. (J. Thomson, D. D.)