Up to this point in the Gospel of Luke the big question has been “Who is Jesus?” It is not simply a matter of his identity, but, “Who is this guy and why is here - what has he come to accomplish?” Jesus is the Messiah and He has come to deal with the single and fundamental problem of all humanity – sin. The Disciples have been wrestling with this question and now they have the answer. But, immediately Jesus unravels their understanding again, by describing a mission completely opposite of what they envisioned for the Messiah. A Gospel centered mission - suffering, the cross, the resurrection. Thus, Jesus affirms that He is indeed the Messiah, but He defines what the mission of Messiah is in terms of the cross and the resurrection - in terms of His aim to deal with sin and all its consequences
