No — the Twelve Apostles did not understand that Jesus was going to die and be raised, even after He told them plainly.
In Luke 18:31-34, Jesus explained exactly what would happen to Him, yet the next verse says they understood none of these things and the saying was hidden from them. Even after Peter and John saw the empty tomb and believed, John 20:9 says they still did not know the Scripture that He must rise again. Les Feldick teaches that God keeps truth hidden until He is ready to reveal it, and no one can believe what God has not yet spoken.
Luke 18:31-34 — This is where Jesus directly tells the Twelve He will be killed and rise again, and Scripture immediately records that they understood none of it.
John 20:9 — This verse confirms that even after seeing the empty tomb and believing, the disciples still did not know the Scripture that Jesus must rise again.
Luke 18:31-34 records that Jesus took the twelve aside and told them plainly that everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man would be accomplished. He said He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, spitefully entreated, spitted on, scourged, put to death, and rise on the third day. The very next verse reads: 'And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.' John 20:9 gives the same witness after the resurrection: 'For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.'
Les Feldick reads Luke 18:31-34 and stresses that the Lord could not have been plainer: Jesus told the twelve exactly what would happen, yet 'they understood none of these things.' He asks who hid it from them, and answers from Scripture that God did — 'It wasn't time for them to know.' For Les, this is a sovereign act of God: He does not reveal a truth until He is ready to reveal it. Les applies this to Peter's preaching in Acts 3. Peter accused Israel of killing the Prince of Life, but he did not preach that Christ died for their sins. In Les's words, 'these things were still hid in the mind of Peter,' and Peter 'couldn't go any further than what God had revealed.' Likewise, Les says that before the cross, no one understood that Jesus would die and rise again, so it was impossible for the disciples to have been preaching what believers call the Gospel during Christ's earthly ministry. This leads Les to his repeated principle: 'Faith is taking God at His Word,' and 'you cannot believe something that someone has never said.' God must first speak before a generation — or an apostle — can believe. Even Saul of Tarsus, Les notes, knew no more about the death, burial, and resurrection as God's plan of salvation than Peter did before the crucifixion, until God revealed it to him.
Les emphasizes that Jesus' statement in Luke 18 was plain, but the next verse says they understood none of it and that the saying was hid from them. He asks, 'Now for goodness sakes, who hid it? Well God did.' It wasn't time for them to know; a sovereign God does not reveal truth until He's ready.
No. Les says that if the twelve had no idea Jesus was going to be crucified and raised, they could not have been preaching our Gospel. It is impossible. Although the Old Testament was full of His death, burial, and resurrection, no one understood it at that time.
Les contrasts Peter's language in Acts 3 with Paul's later letters. Peter pointed at the nation and said 'you killed the Prince of Life,' while Paul never talks that way; Paul says He loved you and died for your sins. Les says Peter could not go beyond what God had revealed because 'these things were still hid in the mind of Peter.'
Les points out that the eleven were not waiting at the tomb. When told Jesus was alive, they couldn't believe it. In John 20, Peter and John raced to the empty tomb, and when they saw the proof, they believed — but the next verse says they still did not understand the Scripture that He should rise from the dead.
Why Peter Couldn't Say More in Acts 3
Les shows that Peter's Acts 3 sermon did not include the message that Christ died for sins. Peter could only go as far as God had revealed, because these things were still hidden from him.
Jesus' Plain Prediction in Luke 18
Les reads Luke 18:31-34 and emphasizes that Jesus plainly predicted His death and resurrection, yet the twelve understood none of it.
The Disciples Could Not Preach the Gospel
If the disciples had no idea Jesus would be crucified and raised, they could not have been preaching the Gospel during His earthly ministry; John 20:9 confirms they did not know the Scripture.
God Reveals Truth When He Chooses
Les explains that God had not yet seen fit to reveal the saying about His death and resurrection; a sovereign God reveals truth when He is ready.
Cannot Believe What God Has Not Said
The gospel was still hidden in the mind of God, and Peter could not speak of it because no one can believe something that God has not said.
No One Was Waiting at the Tomb
Les uses the empty-tomb account to show the eleven did not expect the resurrection. When they were told Jesus was alive, they could not believe it, and even after believing they still did not understand the Scripture.
Saul Knew No More Than Peter
Saul of Tarsus knew no more about the death, burial, and resurrection as God's plan of salvation than Peter did before the crucifixion. Faith waits until God speaks.
Who Hid It? God Did
After Jesus' plain words, the twelve still understood none. Les asks who hid it and answers that God did — it was not time for them to know.
Luke 18:31-33: 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. 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.
Jesus' own words made the prediction plain, which makes the disciples' lack of understanding all the more striking.
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 is the direct scriptural answer to the question: although Jesus had just predicted His death and resurrection, the Twelve did not understand it because the saying was hidden from them.
John 20:9: For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
This confirms the disciples still did not understand the resurrection from Scripture even after seeing the empty tomb and believing.
Yes, according to Luke 18:31-33, Jesus plainly told the twelve He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, put to death, and rise on the third day. But Luke 18:34 says they understood none of these things, and the saying was hidden from them.
No. Les points out the eleven were not waiting at the tomb; when they were told He was alive, they could not believe it. In John 20, Peter and John ran to the tomb and believed when they saw the evidence, but they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise again.
Les's answer is that no one understood Jesus would die and be raised; the Old Testament certainly predicted it, but God had not yet revealed it to them. Since faith comes after God speaks, the twelve could not preach what they did not yet know.
Watch the Teaching: What Peter Really Preached in Acts 3 — Israel's Call to Repent