No — the Twelve understood none of Jesus' predictions about His death and resurrection.
In Luke 18:31-34, Jesus plainly told the Twelve that He would be delivered to the Gentiles, killed, and rise on the third day, yet the next verse says they understood none of these things and the saying was hid from them. Les Feldick teaches that God hid the meaning from them because it was not time for them to know. Their behavior at the cross and the empty tomb confirms they had no expectation of the resurrection.
Luke 18:31-34 — This passage records Jesus' plain prediction of His death and resurrection and then states that the Twelve understood none of it because the saying was hid from them.
The Gospel of Luke records that on the way to Jerusalem Jesus took the Twelve aside and said, 'Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished' (Luke 18:31). He then told them exactly what would happen: 'For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again' (Luke 18:32-33). The very next verse gives the disciples' response: 'And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken' (Luke 18:34). Acts 1:3 adds that after His passion, Jesus 'shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.'
Les Feldick repeatedly points out that Jesus could not have spoken more plainly. In Luke 18, the Twelve heard Him say He would be mocked, scourged, killed, and raised the third day — yet they 'understood none of these things' (Luke 18:34). He asks whether the Lord said this while they were sleeping, and answers no: they heard Him and listened intently, but the meaning was 'hid from them.' Who hid it? Les's answer is direct: 'God did.' It was not time for them to know. This divine concealment explains their behavior in the Gospels. Les notes that even after three years with Jesus, those men had no idea He was going to die, and after He died they had no idea He was going to rise. Had they known, he says, they would have been waiting outside the tomb on Sunday morning. Instead, Mary Magdalene came only to anoint the body, and the disciples thought the whole thing was over and went back to Galilee. Les also uses Acts 1:3 to show how the risen Jesus remedied their blindness: for forty days He appeared to them and explained things they previously had no comprehension of, speaking to them about the kingdom. In every clip, the emphasis is the same — the problem was not the clarity of the prediction but God's sovereign timing; He had not yet opened their eyes to it.
Jesus took the Twelve aside and said He was going up to Jerusalem and that all things written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man would be accomplished. He then said He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, spitefully entreated, spitted on, scourged, put to death, and would rise again on the third day. Les Feldick calls this 'plain language' and says He could not have made it any plainer.
The verse immediately following the prediction says, 'And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them' (Luke 18:34). Les Feldick points out that the disciples were not sleeping or willfully refusing to listen; they heard Him and listened intently. God Himself hid the meaning from them because it was not time for them to know. This explains why three years of teaching still left them unprepared for the crucifixion.
Les observes that had the Eleven known Jesus was going to rise, they would have been outside the tomb waiting that Sunday morning. Instead, after the crucifixion they had no expectation of resurrection, thought it was all over, and returned to Galilee. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to carry out the custom of anointing the body with spices, not to witness a resurrection. Later, when Peter and John ran to the sepulchre, they only saw the evidence that the tomb was empty.
Acts 1:3 says the risen Jesus showed Himself alive by many infallible proofs and was seen by them for forty days, speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom. Les explains that in those forty days Jesus was explaining things that up until then they had no comprehension of.
Forty Days of Explaining
Les introduces Luke 18 to show how blinded the disciples were, and explains that Jesus spent forty days after the resurrection explaining things they had not previously comprehended.
God Never Opened Their Eyes
Les states the disciples understood none of Jesus' repeated predictions because God never opened their eyes, and that if they had understood the resurrection they would have been waiting at the tomb Sunday morning.
No Expectation of Death or Resurrection
Les says Jesus told them clearly, yet they had no idea He would die or rise; Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to anoint the body, not to see resurrection.
God Hid It
Les explains that God hid the meaning from the disciples, so they had no idea Jesus would die or rise; they thought it was all over and went back to Galilee.
It Wasn't Time for Them to Know
Les stresses that the Twelve heard Jesus' clear words and were listening intently, but God hid the meaning because it was not time for them to know.
Plain Language, No Comprehension
Les points out that the prediction could not be made any plainer, yet the Twelve never comprehended a word of it.
God Sovereignly Hid the Saying
Les asks 'Who hid it?' and answers that God did, because it was not time for them to know.
Hid From Them
Les says Jesus spoke plain as day in the disciples' own language, yet the Twelve understood none of these things because the saying was hid from them.
Luke 18:31: Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
This is Jesus' plain announcement to the Twelve that the Old Testament prophecies about Him would be fulfilled in Jerusalem.
Luke 18:32: For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Jesus explicitly predicted the Gentile involvement in His suffering.
Luke 18:33: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
This is the clearest statement that He would be killed and rise on the third day.
Luke 18:34: And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
This verse directly answers the question by stating that the disciples did not understand and that the meaning was hidden from them.
Acts 1:3: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
This shows that after His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days explaining things to the disciples that they had not previously comprehended.
Yes. Luke 18 records that He took the Twelve aside and said in plain language that He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, killed, and rise again on the third day. Les Feldick says He could not have made it any plainer.
Luke 18:34 says the saying was hid from them. Les Feldick teaches that God did the hiding because it was not time for them to know. This is why the disciples were totally unsuspecting despite hearing the clear words.
They were not waiting outside the tomb. Les says that if they had understood, they would have been there. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body with spices, not to witness a resurrection.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Twelve Apostles Stayed in Jerusalem — Acts 1 & 8