Luke 18:32Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

All who see Me ridicule Me; they hurl insults with their mouths and shake their heads, saying, "He trusted in the Lord; let Him deliver him."’ Some of the Jews, shaking their wicked heads, mocked Him, saying, ‘If You are the Son of God, come down now from the cross, and we will believe You.’ Again, it is written, ‘And they divided My garments among themselves, and upon My vesture they cast lots.’ Additionally, it is recorded about those who crucified Him, ‘And they gave Me gall for food, and for My thirst they gave Me vinegar.’ Thus, everything that was destined to occur to Him was foretold, with God orchestrating His providence for our benefit so that, when the time arrived, none could take offense. For it lies within the power of Him who foresaw what was to transpire to choose not to suffer.

Based on the context (John 11:8; Mark 10:35), two conflicting emotions were at battle within them: a longing for the swift realization of the Messiah’s reign and an eagerness to partake in the glory of His earthly kingship, paired with the dread of the peril they anticipated as inevitable. Jesus had promised them during a conversation in Galilee that He would reward their sacrifices by appointing them as judges over Israel, allowing them to sit on 12 thrones (Mt. 19:27-30). This promise, highly spiritual yet taken literally by the disciples, along with their expectation that this journey to Jerusalem would be the final one, filled their minds with hope. They anticipated the arrival of the Passover would herald the establishment of the Messiah’s kingdom through their Master, heightened by the prevailing sentiments among the populace leaning towards significant civil and religious transformations, especially in favor of Jesus. However, as their hopeful dreams faded and they confronted the harsh realities of their circumstances—recognizing their vulnerabilities, poverty, and the oppressive behavior of their adversaries—they were inevitably struck with confusion and fear. They were alarmed, feeling overwhelmed as they followed Him. This emotional turmoil was not lost on the One who understood their inner turmoil. Recognizing that their fears stemmed from uncertainties and ignorance of what lay ahead, He deemed it crucial to clearly reiterate to the disciples what they had failed to grasp until now: that in Jerusalem, He would not find a throne awaiting Him, but a cross. This fate would not hinder God's purpose nor His tremendous work; instead, it would usher in salvation for humanity and the incomparable glory of the Redeemer, surpassing any grandeur they could imagine. Thus, separating from the other travelers, the Lord called the disciples to Him and said: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man (as He often referred to Himself) will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, hand Him over to be mocked, scourged, and crucified, and on the third day He will rise again!” (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34). His words contained a clarity, decisiveness, and detail regarding the impending events that had not been spoken with such specificity before; encapsulated within them was the profound sadness and the glimmer of hope intertwined in the coming narrative. They perceived their Master would soon face betrayal, condemnation, suffering, and death on a cross, yet He would rise again in glory; thus, they might have thought it futile to indulge in dreams of His earthly dominion and to fear for Him and themselves, as the decrees of the Most High must come to pass. Yet, the disciples did not arrive at such conclusions; they failed to comprehend even a word of His prediction. And they understood nothing of these matters: this knowledge was concealed from them, and they did not grasp what was said (Luke 18:34). The depth of their incomprehension is remarkable—for those of us who struggle to fully empathize with the disciples' perspectives and feelings. They had never envisioned, as commonly believed, that the Messiah could suffer death—particularly the horrific manner foretold by the Lord—nor did they expect, on the contrary, the imminent establishment of His glorious earthly rule. Thus, their good intentions blinded them from understanding His words in the way they were meant to be understood. To illustrate, consider a close friend of a royal heir, who, hearing promises of inheritance and experiencing royal favor, later hears the heir state that his father will allow him to suffer disgrace, torture, and death despite his ability to evade such fate. Would this friend readily believe him or truly grasp the import of his statement? They might assume his words held a deeper, metaphorical meaning, especially knowing the heir favored parables in speech. Similarly, the apostles likely interpreted their Master's declarations in a symbolic context. Yet, what, then, was the purpose of the Lord's foretelling of His suffering and death? It was beneficial, despite the disciples’ lack of understanding. Furthermore, it would later become abundantly clear that the God-Man foresaw the full extent of His impending agony yet chose this path voluntarily for the salvation of humanity. Additionally, certain disciples would later recall His prophecy amidst His suffering, finding encouragement in witnessing its tragic aspects, helping them anticipate the joyful fulfillment of His glorious resurrection. Was it not through this very prophecy that St. John would later find strength, demonstrating remarkable courage during the trials and death of Jesus, outshining all the other disciples in his resolve?

At this moment, the Lord took His closest followers, the twelve, aside to forewarn them of the imminent events in Jerusalem. He revealed that He would be handed over to His adversaries, particularly the Sanhedrin, who would condemn Him to death. However, they would not carry out the execution themselves but would turn Him over to the Gentiles, specifically the Roman authorities. Yet, those Gentiles would not immediately enact the death sentence; rather, they would first mock Him, scourge Him, and spit upon Him before ultimately killing Him. The Lord affirmed that all of this was necessary in order to fulfill the prophecies, concluding with the promise that the Son of Man would rise again on the third day, outpacing even Lazarus in the grave.

However, unlike that previous occasion (John 11:9-10), Jesus did not offer them comforting words this time; instead, He took the twelve aside and provided a frank and explicit prophecy regarding the suffering and death that awaited Him in Jerusalem. By forecasting such anguish and demise, Jesus led the way ahead of them, instilling courage in His followers and demonstrating that when His appointed time arrived, He would willingly embrace death.

It is noteworthy that the disciples ‘understood nothing’ of the Lord’s announcement regarding His death and resurrection: ‘these words were hidden to them, and they did not understand what was said’.

As they proceeded, amidst the silence of the mournful crowd, He summoned the twelve apostles and declared, "Your fears are not unfounded; indeed, we are heading to Jerusalem, where all that the prophets have proclaimed about the Son of Man will come to pass: They will hand Him over to the Gentiles, mock Him, insult Him, spit on Him, scourge Him, and ultimately kill Him; yet on the third day He will rise again." This was not the first occasion on which He conveyed this message, but just as before, they struggled to grasp its meaning. In the person of Peter, they had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, but they could not fathom the idea of the Messiah, the Son of God, suffering death. If He could indeed die, how could He also rise? If Jesus were to die, then He could not be the Messiah, the Son of God. This left them grappling with the question of His true identity—such concerns needed exploration, yet they remained unanswerable for the apostles, as the significance of His words eluded their understanding.

He foretold that they would condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles, who would ridicule and scourge Him. For the first time, He explicitly disclosed the most horrific aspect of His fate: He would be crucified, but He assured them that on the third day He would rise again. Yet, their minds were still clouded by earthly expectations of the Messiah; they were so consumed by visions of the glorious establishment of God’s kingdom that they failed to grasp His words; they neither understood nor wished to comprehend His prediction. This became painfully evident when, during the journey, certain disciples made a misguided and self-serving request, demonstrating that even the closest followers had not fully perceived the illuminating truth of the Gospel (Matt. 20:20-28, Mk. 10:35-45).