For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse highlights a profound intentionality in Jesus' suffering: He wasn't just delivered to the Gentiles, but He knew the specific indignities—mockery, insult, and spitting—that awaited Him. This detailed foreknowledge underscores His voluntary embrace of such deep humiliation, not as an accidental outcome, but as a foreordained path of love and obedience.
For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem with his disciples, and he pulls the twelve aside to tell them plainly what awaits him there. He explains that everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man is about to come true, detailing his betrayal, mockery, suffering at the hands of Gentiles, and ultimately, his death, followed by resurrection on the third day. The disciples are amazed and fearful, not grasping the full meaning of his words.
Jesus knew exactly what was coming, and he walked right into it. Why would he do that?
Jesus wasn't caught off guard by his suffering; it was a planned, intentional journey.
A Foregone Conclusion
Luke 18:31-32 makes it clear: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon."
This wasn't a detour or an accident. Jesus explicitly states that everything written about him, including his suffering, would be accomplished. He was heading to Jerusalem with a full understanding of the mockery, the insults, and the physical abuse he would face.
Divine Purpose Over Personal Comfort
This highlights Jesus' incredible resolve and divine purpose. He wasn't avoiding suffering; he was embracing it as the necessary path. His willingness to face such profound humiliation demonstrates a will completely aligned with God's plan, choosing obedience over comfort and anticipating the outcome even in the face of extreme degradation.
The words used to describe Jesus' suffering are intensely graphic. What do these specific details reveal?
The description of Jesus being "mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon" isn't just filler; it paints a vivid picture of profound dishonor and utter contempt.
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Deeper Than Physical Pain
These aren't just physical torments, though those were certainly part of it. Mockery ('empaizetai' in Greek) implies being made a laughingstock, a spectacle of ridicule. Shameful treatment ('hybrizētai') speaks to outrageous insult and personal violation. Spitting ('rhaptētai') was an act of extreme degradation, reserved for the lowest and most despised individuals.
The Weight of Humiliation
Jesus knew he would face not only the pain of crucifixion but also these deeply humiliating experiences. This wasn't just about dying for sins; it was about absorbing the very worst of human scorn and rejection. He voluntarily endured this ultimate disgrace to redeem us from shame and condemnation.
Jesus laid it all out, yet the disciples didn't get it. What does their misunderstanding reveal about us?
Despite Jesus' clear and detailed predictions, his disciples remained tragically clueless, highlighting a common human tendency to filter reality through our own expectations.
The Unseen Truth
Luke 18:34 notes, "But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said." Even with Jesus spelling out his impending suffering and death, the disciples were unable to comprehend it.
Expectation vs. Revelation
Their minds were so set on a glorious, conquering Messiah that the idea of a suffering, dying Savior was a conceptual impossibility. They were looking for a king who would overthrow Rome, not one who would be delivered over to Gentiles, mocked, and killed. Their preconceived notions acted like blinders, preventing them from seeing the truth that was right in front of them.
This serves as a powerful reminder that our own expectations, desires, or deeply held beliefs can blind us to spiritual realities, even when they are clearly revealed.
Understand the original words
paradothēsetai · Greek Verb
The act of being given over to others, often used in the Gospels to refer to Jesus being handed over to His enemies or to authorities for judgment. It carries overtones of divine providence, as Jesus was 'delivered up' according to the predetermined plan of God.
ethnesin · Greek Noun
A term referring to non-Jewish nations, representing the world outside the covenant of Israel. In the context of the Passion, it highlights the universal nature of the rejection of Christ.
This verse captures Jesus' specific, and unflinching, foreknowledge of the humiliation and brutal treatment he would endure from Roman soldiers after being handed over by Jewish leaders.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Final Journey to Jerusalem
Jesus, knowing his impending death, purposefully leads his disciples toward Jerusalem for the Passover festival. This journey is laden with his teachings about the events to come.
c. 30 AD
Jesus Predicts His Suffering
During this journey, Jesus explicitly foretells his betrayal, condemnation, and suffering at the hands of both Jewish leaders and Gentiles.
c. 30 AD
Jesus Arrested
Following the Passover meal, Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane by Jewish authorities.
c. 30 AD
Jesus Before Jewish Council
Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, where he is accused and condemned.
c. 30 AD
Jesus Before Pilate
Jesus is handed over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who represents the Gentile authority in Jerusalem.
c. 30 AD
Jesus Crucifixion
Pilate, despite some reluctance, ultimately yields to the crowd's demands and sentences Jesus to crucifixion, carried out by Roman soldiers.
This passage directly prophesies the spitting and shame that Jesus would endure, highlighting that these insults were foretold by the prophets.
Matthew 20:18-19This parallel account in Matthew's Gospel provides a very similar prediction of Jesus being delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, and crucified, showing the consistent prophetic understanding of His Passion.
Acts 2:22-23Peter's sermon in Acts emphasizes that Jesus was delivered up by God's set purpose and foreknowledge, directly connecting the events of His suffering and death to a divine plan, which includes the humiliation described in Luke.
Philippians 2:7-8This passage speaks of Christ emptying Himself, taking the form of a servant, and becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross, which encompasses the mockery and shameful treatment He willingly faced.
calvinLuke 18:31-34: "Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished."
- And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said to them, 18. Lo, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes; and they will condemn him to death. 19. And they will deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to…
pulpitLuke 18:32: "For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:"
Verses 32, 33. - For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. The outlines of the Passion he had sketched for the disciples before on two occasions, But never so clearly as now. He even tells them the manner of his end, and h…
This verse highlights a profound intentionality in Jesus' suffering: He wasn't just delivered to the Gentiles, but He knew the specific indignities—mockery, insult, and spitting—that awaited Him. This detailed foreknowledge underscores His voluntary embrace of such deep humiliation, not as an accidental outcome, but as a foreordained path of love and obedience.
Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem with his disciples, and he pulls the twelve aside to tell them plainly what awaits him there. He explains that everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man is about to come true, detailing his betrayal, mockery, suffering at the hands of Gentiles, and ultimately, his death, followed by resurrection on the third day. The disciples are amazed and fearful, not grasping the full meaning of his words.
Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem with his disciples, and he pulls the twelve aside to tell them plainly what awaits him there. He explains that everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man is about to come true, detailing his betrayal, mockery, suffering at the hands of Gentiles, and ultimately, his death, followed by resurrection on the third day. The disciples are amazed and fearful, not grasping the full meaning of his words.
"For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon." — This verse highlights a profound intentionality in Jesus' suffering: He wasn't just delivered to the Gentiles, but He knew the specific indignities—mockery, insult, and spitting—that awaited Him.…
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Last reviewed October 2026