Matthew 20:19, commentary and pictures

Jesus told His disciples beforehand what would happen to Him at Jerusalem, that He would be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, handed to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify, and rise again the third day.
The prediction fulfilled what the prophets wrote about the Son of man and was repeated to prepare the faith of His disciples for His death and resurrection with hope and comfort.
Its exact fulfillment in His trial, suffering, death and burial, with the signs surrounding His death, shows He is the Son of God and proves the promised resurrection is just as certain as what already came to pass.
The disciples did not understand at the time because they looked for a temporal kingdom, and when He died they forgot His words and were overwhelmed with sorrow without hope.
His enemies remembered the prediction once the suffering and death were fulfilled, and trembling with fear that He would rise with power, they had the tomb sealed and guarded, while after every detail was fulfilled the disciples believed with an unshakable experience no sophistry could overturn.

Prediction and Fulfillment

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus told His disciples beforehand what would happen to Him there, that He would be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, delivered to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and rise again the third day. The words foretold condemnation, handing over to the Gentiles, mocking, scourging, crucifixion, and rising on the third day. They were plain prophecies of events that then took place.

What He foretold fulfilled what the prophets had written concerning the Son of man. The events of His trial, suffering, death, burial and resurrection fulfilled the prophecy in every detail. The suffering and death happened exactly as He said, including rejection, condemnation, scourging, crucifixion and burial.

That exact fulfillment, together with the signs surrounding His death, showed that He was the Son of God. Because the suffering and death came exactly as foretold, the last part about the resurrection was proved to be just as certain to be fulfilled as the first part. Since the other predictions had been fulfilled, even His enemies trembled lest this prediction also come true and He rise with power.

He repeated the predictions to prepare the faith of the disciples for His death and resurrection. The promise of rising held hope and comfort for them, though sorrow blinded them to it.

Hearers Forgot and Remembered

The disciples did not grasp the foretelling that He would be handed to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify and rise the third day, because they looked for a temporal kingdom and were unwilling to believe He would be rejected and killed. Sorrow blinded them to the hope and comfort held in the promise of rising. Even after He had told them beforehand what the priests and rulers would do to Him, including rejection, condemnation, scourging, crucifixion, burial and rising on the third day, they could not understand His words at the time.

When He died they forgot His words and were overwhelmed with sorrow and without hope. Their faith was shaken and they became discouraged, though remembering what He had said would have helped them see hope amid their sorrow. They should have remembered the promise that His resurrection on the third day was just as certain as His death, but they did not. The travelers to Emmaus were discouraged and should have remembered His word and believed in His resurrection instead of giving up hope, yet they forgot it. The women who came to anoint His body had also forgotten the promise that He would rise again and did not expect Him to rise.

When they found the stone rolled away and the grave empty and heard the angel say He is risen, they remembered His words and repeated He is risen, seeing no more need for anointing spices. Remembering enlarged their understanding, revealed the deep and broad character of the Master's glory, and made many things that had been incomprehensible clear. After every detail was fulfilled the disciples believed and gained a valuable experience, and their faith in Christ became unshakable so that no sophistry or theories could turn them from Him. This was followed by seeing their risen Master, hearing His voice open the Scriptures, and obtaining much knowledge.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had not openly accepted Him while He lived but had listened to His teachings and closely watched His ministry, and they remembered His foretelling well. The scenes connected with His death that disheartened the disciples proved to these rulers that He was the true Messiah and led them to take their stand firmly as believers in Him. His enemies also remembered the prediction after the other parts were fulfilled and trembled with fear that He would rise with power. The priests had ridiculed His foreknowledge, but because His other predictions had been fulfilled they feared this prediction would also come true. So they arranged for the tomb to be sealed and guarded, remembering the promise and fearing that Jesus would rise as He had said.

Judas had repeated the words to the priests, who mocked them and called Christ a deceiver. When the people clamored for the Healer who cured the sick and raised Lazarus, the priests saw the betrayal and death part fulfilled and remembered the third-day rising with horror. They feared He would rise from the dead and arraign them as judge, and feared He would rise with power. Thus even the priests and rulers remembered what the discouraged disciples forgot.