Luke 18:31Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Direct your heart and endure." This instruction is not meant to foster a passive complacency that yields no rewards, but rather, to convey that through practicing patience and perseverance, individuals can triumph over the trials faced by those who aspire to live virtuously, rising above all that pursues them.

Similarly, the Savior of all, aiming to prepare the hearts of His disciples, foretold that He must experience suffering on the cross and death in the flesh upon His arrival in Jerusalem. He also assured them that He would rise again, vanquishing the agony and erasing the disgrace of the Passion through the magnificence of the miraculous event. It was indeed glorious and divinely fitting for Him to conquer death and rush into life. As the wise Paul indicates, the resurrection from the dead affirms His divine nature and His identity as the Son of God.

We should consider how the holy apostles benefited from knowing about the forthcoming events. This foreknowledge shielded them from unsightly thoughts and potential stumbling blocks. You might wonder how this was the case. I respond that the blessed disciples accompanied Christ, our shared Savior, on His journey through Judea, witnessing firsthand His extraordinary power and divine authority. He raised the deceased from their graves, even when they had begun to decay, and restored sight to the blind; He performed various majestic and holy acts. They heard Him proclaim, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny, and not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge?"

Now, having witnessed all these miracles and being inspired by His words, they were about to observe Him endure mockery from the Jews, face crucifixion, and suffer humiliation at the hands of the servants. They might have been disheartened, pondering among themselves: How could He, possessing such immense power and divine authority, be unaware of what was to unfold? Did He fall victim to His enemies, becoming their prey despite His promise to save us? Did He disregard His Father’s will, even though not a single sparrow is taken without it? It is plausible that such thoughts circulated among the holy apostles. What could have followed from this line of reasoning? They, like the rest of the Jewish populace, could have succumbed to doubt and ignorance of the truth.

Thus, to affirm to them that He had foreseen His suffering, and that He willingly chose this path despite the possibility of evading it, He disclosed in advance what was destined to occur. When He said, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem," He was emphatically reminding them to reflect on what had been prophesied.

Further along, He states, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark maintains this narrative but indicates that it was the sons of Zebedee who themselves sought to be seated at the right and left of the Lord in His glory, whereas Matthew presents their request through their mother. The fact that John and James, not their mother, made this inquiry is evidenced by the Lord's response, which in both Matthew and Mark is directed to the sons rather than to her. In this instance, Luke preserves the Lord's foretelling of His suffering and resurrection to the twelve but omits this particular episode. All three will converge at Jericho.

Jesus had previously assured them in His teachings in Galilee that they would be rewarded for their sacrifices by becoming judges of Israel, seated on twelve thrones. This promise, while spiritually profound, was taken literally by the disciples. Coupled with their hope that this journey could signify the last before the inauguration of the Messiah's reign during Passover, their imaginations were filled with delightful prospects, especially with the prevailing mood of the populace leaning favorably towards Christ.

Yet, as their hopeful thoughts dwindled and they confronted the stark reality of the past and present—realizing their vulnerability, poverty, and the malice of their adversaries—they found themselves engulfed by confusion and fear. In this state, which did not escape the notice of the Heartbreaker, the disciples wrestled with uncertainty; their fear stemmed from their indecision and lack of insight into the future. Thus, it became necessary for the Lord to clarify once more what they had not fully comprehended: in Jerusalem, He was destined not for a throne, but for a cross. This cross, while bearing profound sorrow, would ultimately fulfill the divine plan and bring salvation to mankind, highlighting a glory far surpassing any earthly honor they could imagine.

With that, the Lord called His disciples to Him, parting ways from the other travelers, and spoke to them clearly: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes; they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked, scourged, and crucified, and on the third day, He will rise again!” So precise and detailed were His words about His forthcoming fate, encapsulating both the sadness and comfort of the events to come. In their hearts, the disciples might have reasoned that since their Master would soon be betrayed, condemned, and crucified, He would also rise in glory; hence, worrying about His fate and their own seemed futile—the plans of the Most High must come to fruition.

However, rather than drawing such conclusions from His prophecy, the disciples failed to grasp His words at all. According to the Evangelist, they did not comprehend any of it: “And they understood nothing of these things; this saying was hidden from them” (Luke 18:34). Such incomprehension astounds us today, as we struggle to mentally place ourselves in the shoes of Jesus' disciples and fully embrace their thoughts and emotions. The disciples had never envisioned that the Messiah would perish, let alone in the shameful manner Jesus described—by crucifixion. Instead, they expected the immediate establishment of His glorious kingdom, and thus, could not interpret His words as intended.

To clarify, imagine a close friend of a prince who has heard that the king has named him heir to the throne, and having witnessed moments of favoritism from the king, is then told that the king will allow corrupt individuals to bring shame and suffering upon him, albeit having the power to prevent it. Would such a friend take his words at face value? Likely, he would search for some allegorical meaning, particularly if he knew his friend enjoyed speaking in parables. This is exactly what the apostles experienced; they probably interpreted their Master’s words through a lens of allegory.

Despite their misunderstanding, the Lord’s foretelling of His sufferings and death still holds value. For one, it was later revealed that the God-Man foresaw the horrors of the cross yet chose to embrace it voluntarily for humanity’s benefit. Furthermore, some disciples, when the time came for their Master’s suffering, would recall this foretold prophecy. Witnessing its tragic fulfillment could bolster their faith to anticipate the joy of His promised resurrection. Was it not this very prophecy that inspired St. John, who, despite his youth, would display greater courage during the events surrounding Jesus’ suffering and death than all of the other disciples?

Later, taking aside His closest followers, the twelve disciples, the Lord began to forewarn them about the impending events awaiting Him in Jerusalem. He explained that He would be handed over to His adversaries, specifically the Sanhedrin. He shared that the chief priests and scribes would condemn Him to death; however, they themselves would not carry out the execution. Instead, they would deliver Him into the hands of the Gentiles, meaning the Roman authorities in Judea. The Romans would not execute the Sanhedrin’s sentence immediately but would first mock Him, whip Him, spit on Him, and subsequently put Him to death. The Lord emphasized that all of this was necessary to fulfill the prophecies. He concluded by stating that the Son of Man would rise from the dead on the third day, embarking on a victory over death that surpassed even that of Lazarus.

However, this time, Jesus did not comfort them as He had previously; instead, He called the twelve aside and provided them with a clear and specific prophecy regarding His impending suffering in Jerusalem. With such a vivid foretelling of the agony and death that awaited Him, Jesus proceeded ahead of His disciples, instilling courage in them and demonstrating that when His appointed time arrived, He would approach His death willingly.

It is important to note that the disciples were perplexed by the Lord’s prophecy of His death and resurrection, as "these words were hidden from them, and they did not understand what was said."

During their journey, amidst the somber silence of the distressed crowd, Jesus summoned the twelve apostles and spoke to them, saying, “Your apprehensions do not mislead you; indeed, we are heading to Jerusalem, where all that has been prophesied regarding the Son of Man will come to pass: He will be handed over to the Gentiles, they will mock Him, insult Him, spit on Him, scourge Him, strike Him, and ultimately kill Him; but on the third day, He will rise again.” This was not the first occasion He had revealed these truths to them, yet once more they struggled to grasp His words. Though they had recognized Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God through Peter’s declaration, they could not fathom how the Messiah, the Son of God, could face death. If He could be killed, could He truly be the Messiah, the Son of God? And if so, how could He rise again? The unasked questions loomed large: who then is He? These inquiries remained unanswered by the apostles, as these truths were veiled from their understanding.

They would condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles, who would mock Him and scourge Him, and for the first time, He distinctly revealed the gravest ordeal of all: He would be crucified, but on the third day, He would rise again. Nevertheless, their thoughts remained entwined with earthly Messianic aspirations; they were so consumed by the anticipation of the glorious coming of God’s kingdom that this prophecy seemed to bypass them entirely; they did not grasp it, nor were they inclined to accept it. This was further evidenced by an unfortunate, selfish request made by some of the disciples during their journey, highlighting the extent to which even the closest followers had not yet been illuminated by the truth of the Gospel (Matt. 20:20-28, Mk. 10:35-45).