Luke 18:34Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is particularly highlighted in the words of John: "His disciples did not understand it at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that it was written of Him" (John 12:16; John 14:29). The Comforter, recalling all things to their minds, bestowed upon them the most reliable witness concerning Christ. Additionally, the burial spanning three days is adequately noted in the interpretation provided by other Evangelists (see Mt. 12).

In their hearts, two conflicting emotions battled: an eagerness to witness the establishment of the Messiah's reign and to share in the glory of His earthly sovereignty, combined with a dread of the peril that they believed awaited them. They recalled Christ’s promise in Galilee, which spoke of their future role as judges of Israel, seated on twelve thrones. This divine promise, while profound in its spiritual significance, was taken literally by the disciples. Hope swelled within them that this journey to Jerusalem would culminate in the arrival of the Messianic kingdom during Passover. The people's prevailing sentiment towards civil and religious transformation, especially their growing favor towards Jesus, filled the disciples with joyful anticipation.

However, as their hopes waned and they faced the stark realities of their present circumstances—vulnerability, poverty, and the might of their adversaries—they became filled with confusion and trepidation, experiencing fear and cowardice. Their anxious state did not go unnoticed by the Savior. Recognizing that the root of their fear was their uncertainty and ignorance about the future, He deemed it essential to clarify once more what they had yet to grasp: that in Jerusalem, He was not to receive a throne, but a cross. Yet, He assured them that this would not thwart His divine mission or the salvation it would bring to humanity, nor the glory that would surpass any earthly majesty they could conceive.

Therefore, drawing the disciples closer and distancing Himself from the others, the Lord addressed them: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and 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!” This declaration, spoken with unprecedented clarity and detail, encapsulated the forthcoming events—both deeply sorrowful and profoundly hopeful.

The disciples might have reasoned that their fears were unfounded in light of the promised resurrection, yet they failed to comprehend the weight of His prediction. The Evangelist testifies that they did not grasp the meaning of His words; they remained oblivious to the truth that was hidden from them. This incomprehension is astonishing to us, who struggle to fully appreciate their mindset. Lacking the belief that the Messiah could possibly endure death—especially through the horrific means foretold—while instead anticipating the imminent establishment of His glorious kingdom, they could not take His words at face value.

To illustrate, consider a close friend of a king’s son who, having been assured of his status as the heir, might find it hard to accept that his friend would endure shame, suffering, and death despite possessing the means to evade it. Such a friend might doubt the clarity of those grim words and instead look for a metaphorical interpretation, especially if the prince often spoke in parables. The apostles similarly misinterpreted their Master’s meaning, perhaps viewing His declaration as allegorical.

Nonetheless, the Lord’s foretelling of His suffering and death was not without purpose, though the disciples did not realize it at the time. It was later revealed that Christ, in full knowledge of the cross and its agonies, chose to submit to it willingly for the salvation of mankind. Furthermore, when the Master’s suffering began, the disciples, particularly some, could draw upon His previous prediction, finding encouragement in the fulfillment of the distressing elements of His prophecy—the calamities He would endure—while eagerly awaiting the triumph of His resurrection. This very foresight would inspire St. John, who, despite his youth, exemplified remarkable courage during the trials and death of Jesus.

He spoke of these matters in front of the Apostles to others, and to the Apostles directly, addressing them repeatedly and clearly, outlining the details, as when He stated: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:31-33). Can anyone articulate the message more clearly? How could it be possible, one might wonder, to misunderstand these matters? And is it conceivable, you may ask, that we have not grasped this? The Holy Evangelist anticipated this uncertainty and thus distinctly noted that they indeed did not understand. “And they,” he writes, referring to the Apostles, “understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken” (Luke 18:34). Another Evangelist recounts that when the Apostles heard from the Lord about His resurrection, they found His words so challenging to comprehend that they pondered them like an unsolvable riddle, debating among themselves what He meant. “And they kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant” (Mark 9:10). It was not until after the resurrection of the Lord that “He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures, saying, ‘Thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day’” (Luke 24:45-46).

The name of Jesus, widely recognized, began to inspire the worshippers, which may have overshadowed the disciples' concerns and fueled their aspirations for the Messiah's kingdom.

Then, taking His closest followers, the twelve, aside from the others, He began to prepare them for what lay ahead in Jerusalem. He foretold that He would be handed over to His adversaries, including the Sanhedrin, who would condemn Him to die. However, they themselves would not carry out the sentence, but instead would turn Him over to the Gentiles, meaning the Roman authorities governing Judea. The Gentiles, initially, would not quickly execute the Sanhedrin's sentence; they would mock Him, scourge Him, spit upon Him, and ultimately bring about His death. He emphasized that all of this needed to happen in accordance with the prophecies, concluding with the assurance that the Son of Man would rise from the dead on the third day.

However, unlike that earlier occasion when He comforted them (John 11:9-10), in this situation, the Lord separates the twelve and gives them a clear and unmistakable prophecy regarding what awaits Him in Jerusalem. With such a vivid premonition of the suffering and death that lay ahead, Jesus leads them onward, instilling courage in His followers and demonstrating that when His time had come, He would willingly embrace death.

It is noteworthy that the disciples ‘understood nothing’ of the Lord's foretelling of His death and resurrection: ‘these words were hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what was said’.

Jesus then gathered the twelve apostles and addressed them, saying, "Your apprehensions do not mislead you; indeed, we are going to Jerusalem, where all that the prophets have foretold concerning 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, beat Him, and kill Him; and on the third day, He will rise again." This was not the first occasion He had shared such news, yet once again, His words eluded their understanding. Although they recognized Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God through Peter's declaration, they struggled to grasp the idea that the Messiah, the Son of God, could face death. If He were to die, then how could He truly be the Messiah, the Son of God? And if He were not the Messiah, who was He? These inquiries lingered unanswered, as the apostles found these truths concealed from them, leaving them bewildered by His message.

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 dreadful aspect of His fate: He would be crucified, but on the third day He would rise again. Still, their minds were clouded with earthly expectations of a Messianic kingdom, fixated on the imminent arrival of God's kingdom in all its glory, leading them to overlook His prophecy. They did not comprehend it nor were they willing to accept its weight. This was poignantly illustrated by a subsequent event that distressed Christ; during this journey, some disciples made an inappropriate and self-serving plea, revealing how the hearts of even His closest followers were not yet illuminated by the truth of the Gospel (Matt. 20:20-28, Mk. 10:35-45).