No — the disciples did not understand Jesus' promise of resurrection because God sovereignly hid its meaning from them until His appointed time.
Jesus plainly told them He would be crucified and rise on the third day, yet they 'understood none of these things' because the saying was 'hid from them' (Luke 18:34). Les Feldick teaches that this was God's sovereign, providential hiding — it was not yet time for them to know. As a result, none of the disciples expected the resurrection; none was waiting at the tomb on Sunday morning. Even after John saw the empty tomb and believed, John 20:9 says they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise.
Luke 18:34 — This is the key verse showing that even after Jesus plainly predicted His death and resurrection, the disciples understood none of it because the saying was hidden from them.
John 20:9 — It shows that even after John believed at the empty tomb, they still did not understand the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.
In Luke 18:31-34, Jesus took the twelve aside and told them plainly what lay ahead in Jerusalem: 'all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.' He went on to specify that He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, spitefully entreated, spitted on, scourged, put to death, and on the third day rise again. The very next verse states 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.' John 20:8-9 gives the same picture after the empty tomb. When Peter and John looked inside, the other disciple saw and believed. Yet the very next verse says, 'For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.' Scripture itself records both that Jesus spoke clearly and that the disciples did not yet understand.
Les Feldick teaches that the disciples' failure to understand Jesus' resurrection predictions was not mental dullness but divine concealment. He points to Luke 18:31-34, where Jesus spoke plainly of His scourging, death, and third-day resurrection, and the very next verse records that they 'understood none of these things' — because the saying was 'hid from them.' Les asks rhetorically who hid it, and answers: 'Well God did.' He emphasizes that God providentially and sovereignly keeps truth hidden until His ordained time. Because the truth was hidden, the disciples had no expectation of resurrection. They were not waiting at the tomb on Sunday morning; Mary Magdalene came only to anoint the body. When told Jesus was alive, they could not believe it. Even when Peter and John saw the empty tomb and John believed, John 20:9 says they did not yet understand the Scripture. Les also notes that had the twelve known and been waiting at the tomb, the Gospel record would have been completely different — evidence of God's prerogative to hold things secret.
Yes. In Luke's account, Jesus took the twelve aside and told them exactly what would happen in Jerusalem: He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, spitefully entreated, spitted on, scourged, put to death, and on the third day rise again (Luke 18:31-33). Yet the very next statement is that they 'understood none of these things' because the saying was 'hid from them' (Luke 18:34).
Les points out that the disciples had no expectation that Jesus would rise. If they had understood His promise, they would have been outside the tomb waiting to see it happen. Instead, they all gave up and thought everything was finished. The only one who went to the tomb that morning was Mary Magdalene — and she went to anoint the body with spices, not to witness a resurrection.
Les emphasizes that this was God's prerogative. The disciples understood none of these things; God purposely hid it, keeping it secret until His ordained time of revealing. Les says if the twelve had known and been waiting outside the tomb, the Gospel record would have been completely different — a 'whole apple cart upset.' God providentially and sovereignly hid these things from them.
Even after being told Jesus was alive, the disciples could not believe it. Peter and John ran to the sepulchre, and John saw the evidence and believed. But John 20:9 says that as yet they did not know the Scripture that He must rise again from the dead. In other words, the empty tomb convinced them of the fact, while the understanding of the Scripture came later. Les also notes that after seeing the risen Christ, Peter was a totally different person — ready to face persecution because the power of the resurrection was real.
Before the crucifixion, Peter and the others were scattered in fear, and Peter denied Christ three times. Les says that after the resurrection, that attitude was gone. The disciples were ready to face persecution because they had witnessed the power of Christ's resurrection — it was real, not a figment of someone's imagination. That transformation is another evidence of the resurrection.
The Resurrection's Effect on the Disciples
Before the crucifixion, Peter and the rest were scattered and Peter denied Christ in fear; after seeing the risen Christ, they were transformed into men willing to face persecution because the resurrection was real.
The Disciples Comprehended None of Jesus' Predictions
Jesus told the disciples plainly that He would die and rise again the third day, yet they comprehended none of it — otherwise they would have been at the tomb that Sunday morning.
God Hid the Saying From Them
The saying was hid from them; Jesus told them more than once, but God never opened their eyes to it, so none of the eleven expected Him to be alive Sunday morning.
God Purposely Hid It Until His Own Time
Had the disciples had any understanding, they would have waited outside the tomb; instead they gave up, because God had purposely hidden these things until His own time.
Even the Empty Tomb Did Not Bring Scripture Understanding
God's prerogative to keep things secret is seen in the twelve: when told He was alive they couldn't believe it, and even after Peter and John saw the proof and believed, they still did not understand the Scriptures that He should rise.
Luke 18: The Foretelling and the Hiding
Luke 18 records Jesus telling the twelve of His suffering and rising, but the next verse says they understood none of these things, and Les asks the obvious question: who hid it? God did — it wasn't time for them to know.
John Believed at the Tomb but Didn't Yet Know the Scripture
Even after three years with Christ, the disciples did not know the Old Testament Scripture that He must rise; John believed only when he saw the evidence, and even then he still did not know the Scripture.
God Providentially and Sovereignly Hidden
Les says we should not blame the twelve for failing to understand, because God providentially and sovereignly hid a great deal from them until the time He ordained for them to understand.
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.
Jesus begins His clearest prediction of His suffering and resurrection in the hearing of the twelve.
Luke 18:32: For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Jesus details the Gentile involvement in His suffering, fulfilling what the prophets wrote.
Luke 18:33: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
This is the explicit promise of resurrection on the third day that the disciples still did not grasp.
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.
Luke directly states that the disciples understood none of it and that the saying was hidden from them.
John 20:1: The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb that morning with no expectation of a resurrection.
John 20:8: Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
John believed when he saw the evidence of the empty tomb.
John 20:9: For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Even after believing, the disciples still did not understand the scriptural necessity of the resurrection.
Yes. In Luke 18:31-33, Jesus told the twelve exactly that He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, put to death, and rise again the third day. The next verse says they understood none of it and that the saying was hid from them.
They had no expectation of a resurrection. Les points out that had they understood Jesus' promise, they would have been outside the tomb waiting. Instead, they had given up; only Mary Magdalene came — and she came to anoint the body, not to see Him rise.
Les is clear that it was not the disciples' fault. God providentially and sovereignly hid these things from them until His ordained time to reveal them.
After seeing the empty tomb, John believed, but John 20:9 says they still did not know the Scripture that He must rise again from the dead. Understanding came after God revealed it in His own time; the risen Christ then transformed Peter from a fearful denier to a bold witness.
Watch the Teaching: Christ's Resurrection Body: What Yours Will Look Like