Jesus told his disciples repeatedly that in Jerusalem he would suffer and be rejected, die and then rise again. Now those three steps are being played out before their eyes. Driving home the lesson, the number three echoes through Mark’s account of these solemn events. Jesus is crucified at the third hour; three hours later darkness comes; three hours later he dies. Jesus is crucified with two others. Three different groups mock him. God’s way to glory is shaped by these three stages: suffer, die, rise. Mark presents them powerfully. Christians must accept the same path for on it lies our great hope.
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And here is a short talk based on the same passage: He Changed The World (Episode 67)
The pattern of three