The bad news becomes the good news.

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Mark 8:31

Yes, the disciples believed Jesus was Messiah and the Son of God. But Jesus wanted them clear on what that meant. It was not what people around Him had in mind for the Messiah. In fact, even Peter got it wrong and had to be rebuked (Mark 8:33). They all wanted a popular political leader and an earthly provider. Jesus was much more than a quick fix. He was saving the world. And it meant a different and antithetical path.

Jesus would suffer and in His sufferings take on all our pains and sorrows. Jesus would be rejected, and in His rejection show hope for all those who have ever been hated. Jesus would be killed and in His death defeat the power of sin and death for those who believe. Jesus would rise again from the dead to bless His followers with life in Him forevermore!

In Jesus then, all this bad news that He willingly embraced out of obedience to the Father and love for us, is really good news. The road of suffering in Him, even as we ourselves will suffer, leads to life for us! He doesn’t take away the pain of suffering, He takes it on, bears it with us and for us and transforms it. All our hardships have already been borne by the Man of Sorrows, the Savior of the world, the Lord of all! And the beautiful power of the gospel is that it is sufficient, not just for all the sins we may do, but for our the sorrows we experience! The bad news becomes the good news all because of Jesus! Thank You, Lord!