Mark 9:12
Jesus replied, to be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be treated with contempt? — the answer confirms the Elijah-first expectation but immediately adds the passion prediction: if Elijah comes to restore, why does the Son of Man suffer? The question within the answer forces the disciples to hold both realities simultaneously: Elijah comes and restores (preparation), and the Son of Man suffers (the path the restored preparation leads to). The cross is not the failure of the restoration but its mechanism.