No — because the disciples did not understand or believe that Jesus would rise from the dead; God had hid it from them, so they could not preach His resurrection before it happened.
Jesus told them plainly that He would be killed and rise the third day, but Luke records that they understood none of these things and the saying was hid from them. After the crucifixion, instead of waiting at the tomb, they scattered and thought everything was over. Mary Magdalene came only to anoint His body, not to meet a risen Lord. Les Feldick explains that since the resurrection had not yet happened and was not understood, they could not preach it as the gospel.
John 20:9 — This is the verse Les cites as the clear explanation that even Peter and John did not yet know from Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.
Luke 18:34 — This verse records that the disciples understood none of Jesus' death-and-resurrection prediction because the saying was hid from them.
In Luke 18:31-34, Jesus took the twelve aside and told them that everything written by the prophets about the Son of man would be accomplished: He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, spitefully entreated, spitted on, scourged, and put to death, and the third day He would rise again. But the very next verse says, "And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken." John 20:1-9 records that after Mary Magdalene found the stone taken away, Peter and John ran to the sepulchre and saw the linen clothes lying. Verse 9 then gives the plain statement: "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."
Les Feldick says the Gospel accounts make it clear that the twelve comprehended none of Jesus' predictions about His death and resurrection. Even though Jesus told them more than once that He would go to Jerusalem, be put to death, and rise the third day, it never registered — God had deliberately hidden it from them and never opened their eyes to it. Consequently, after the crucifixion, the eleven scattered like quail and went back to Galilee, convinced it was all over. Mary Magdalene's presence at the tomb on Sunday morning was not to see the resurrection; she came to carry out the Jewish custom of anointing the body. If they had known Jesus would rise, Les asks, wouldn't they have been gathered outside the tomb waiting for it to happen? Their absence proves they had no expectation. From this Les draws the conclusion that the disciples could not have preached Paul's gospel of Christ crucified and risen during Jesus' earthly ministry. It was impossible because no one understood that He was going to die, and after He died no one understood that He would rise. The Old Testament prophets had already written about His death, burial, and resurrection, but the twelve were kept in ignorance of it. Only later, after the fact, could Paul proclaim that Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification.
Les Feldick asks this question repeatedly. If the eleven men had understood that Jesus was going to be raised from the dead, they would all have been outside the tomb on Sunday morning waiting to see it happen. Instead, none of them were there. They scattered like quail and went back to Galilee, bemoaning that it was all over. Mary Magdalene was the only one who came, and she was not expecting a resurrection; she came to anoint Jesus' body with spices according to custom.
According to Les, God sovereignly kept them ignorant of it. Luke 18:34 says the saying was hid from them, and Les emphasizes that it was God who hid it. Jesus told them plainly more than once what was going to happen, but God never opened their eyes to understand it. Les is careful to say that when anyone's understanding is opened, it is God who does that, not a human teacher.
Les says they could not. Since they had no idea Jesus would be crucified and no idea He would rise from the dead, preaching our gospel of death, burial, and resurrection was impossible. He says the message was already in the Old Testament prophets, but no one understood it. When the crucifixion came, no one stood by the cross saying, 'Don't worry, He'll rise again.' They all scattered. In Les's words, they could not preach a gospel based on death, burial, and resurrection because it hadn't happened yet.
What the Tabernacle Reveals About Christ Most People Miss
-the-wool Calvinist. A lot of Calvinists maintain that His redemption was only for those who would believe it. They call it limited atonement, and I can't buy that because the Scripture is so plain that His death potentially was enough for every human being who was ever brought into the scene.
Disciples Comprehended None of Jesus' Predictions
Les points out that even after three years with Jesus, the disciples had no idea He was going to die and rise; Mary Magdalene came to the tomb only to anoint His body, not to see a resurrection.
God Hid the Understanding From Them
Les explains that the disciples understood none of Jesus' predictions because God hid it from them, which is why even at the empty tomb Peter and John only then began to see the evidence.
John 20:9 — They Knew Not the Scripture
Les uses John 20:9 to show that even Peter and John did not know from Scripture that Jesus must rise, making it impossible for them to have preached the gospel during His earthly ministry.
If They Had Known, They Would Have Waited at the Tomb
Les argues that if the disciples had understood the resurrection, they would all have been outside the tomb Sunday morning waiting to see it happen — but none of them were.
After His Death They Thought It Was All Over
Les shows that after the crucifixion the followers did not say, 'Let's wait three days'; they thought everything was finished, and only later Paul could speak of the accomplished death and resurrection.
God Sovereignly Kept Them Ignorant
Les teaches that the saying was hid from the disciples and that God sovereignly kept them from knowing He would rise, so they did not camp out at the tomb.
They Scattered Instead of Waiting
At the crucifixion no one said, 'He'll be raised' — the disciples scattered, and on resurrection morning they were bemoaning that it was all over, proving they could not preach a gospel that hadn't happened yet.
John 20:9: For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Les cites this as the clearest explanation for why Peter and John did not yet understand the resurrection.
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 shows that even when Jesus predicted His death and resurrection, the disciples understood none of it because it was hid from them.
Because they did not know or understand that Jesus would rise from the dead. Mary Magdalene came only to anoint His body with spices. Les says that if they had understood, they would have been outside the tomb waiting to see it happen.
Yes, Jesus told them more than once that He would be put to death and rise the third day. But Luke 18:34 says they understood none of these things, and Les explains that God had hid it from them.
No. Les says they could not preach a gospel based on death, burial, and resurrection because no one understood He would die or rise, and the events had not happened yet.
God did. Les teaches that God sovereignly kept them ignorant of it and never opened their eyes to understand the predictions, even though the Old Testament prophets had written about it.
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