And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to (1) mock, and to (2) scourge, and to (3) crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Matthew 20: 17-19
As you see, there are the three degrees of penalty in this case, as are in most situations in life. Most times, they are used on the guilty but, in some cases of persecution, they are used by those in power to those who disagree with them, to shut them down through fear.
There are many sets of ‘three’ in the Bible, such as this one. It’s appears such a strange way to deliver freedom to the world, doesn’t it?
However;
1. For a baby to be born it must first endure the hardship of birth
2. A seed must first fall to the ground and die, before it reproduces
3. For us, a new life in Christ means the old life must die
If we want to pursue anything great in life, we must first give up that which holds us back.
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