How much did Jesus know about His death and resurrection before it happened?
Before His death, Jesus knew He would die and rise again. He told the twelve that He would go to Jerusalem, be scourged, beaten, put to death, buried, and on the third day rise from the dead. Yet the twelve understood none of these things; it was hidden from them.
Les teaches that even during His earthly ministry, Christ knew He was going to die. He points to Luke chapter 18, where Jesus told the twelve that they were going to Jerusalem and that everything written in the Prophets about the Son of Man would happen: He would be scourged, beaten, put to death, buried, and on the third day rise from the dead. He knew, but the next verse says the twelve understood none of these things, for it was hid from them. Even after He was crucified, His followers did not expect a resurrection; they thought it was all done. Paul can speak after the fact, declaring that Christ died for our sin and was risen for our justification, received by believing.