The foretelling of Christ's Passion is a significant theme throughout the Scriptures, revealing God's redemptive plan through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This prophetic narrative is woven through the Old Testament and explicitly articulated by Jesus Himself in the New Testament.

Old Testament Prophecies

The Old Testament contains numerous prophecies that foreshadow the suffering and sacrifice of the Messiah. One of the most poignant is found in Isaiah 53, often referred to as the "Suffering Servant" passage. Isaiah writes, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief... He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:3, 5). This passage vividly describes the suffering and purpose of the Messiah's affliction, emphasizing the substitutionary nature of His sacrifice.

Psalm 22 is another critical text, where David, under divine inspiration, writes, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). This psalm not only reflects the anguish of the Messiah but also details the circumstances of His crucifixion, including the piercing of His hands and feet and the casting of lots for His garments (Psalm 22:16, 18).

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, Jesus explicitly foretells His Passion to His disciples. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus begins to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life (Matthew 16:21). This prediction is repeated multiple times, underscoring its importance and inevitability (see also Matthew 17:22-23, 20:18-19).

The Gospel of Mark records a similar account, where Jesus tells His disciples, "The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise" (Mark 9:31). This foretelling is met with confusion and fear among the disciples, highlighting their struggle to comprehend the necessity of the Messiah's suffering.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus' foretelling is accompanied by a call to discipleship, as He declares, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and on the third day be raised to life" (Luke 9:22). This prediction is closely linked to the call for His followers to take up their cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

Theological Significance

The foretelling of Christ's Passion is central to the Christian faith, as it underscores the fulfillment of God's salvific plan through Jesus' atoning death and victorious resurrection. The prophetic announcements in the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament affirm the divine orchestration of redemption history. Jesus' predictions of His suffering and resurrection serve to prepare His disciples for the events to come and to affirm His identity as the promised Messiah.

The Passion of Christ, as foretold, is not merely a historical event but a profound theological truth that reveals the depth of God's love and the cost of human redemption. Through His suffering, Jesus fulfills the righteous requirements of the law, bearing the penalty for sin and reconciling humanity to God.