No—the disciples could not understand because God had hidden the meaning from them.
Jesus had spoken plainly about His death and third-day resurrection, but Luke 18:34 says the Twelve "understood none of these things" and that the saying "was hid from them." Les Feldick answers the who and why: God hid it, and it was not time for them to know. Because their understanding was closed, they had no expectation of His resurrection even on Sunday morning.
Luke 18:31-34 — Jesus plainly tells the Twelve about His death and third-day resurrection, yet they understand none of it because the saying is hidden from them.
Luke 9:44-45 — Jesus warns that the Son of Man will be delivered into men's hands, and the disciples' understanding is again hidden.
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, put to death, and on the third day rise again. The following verse records, "And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken." Earlier, in Luke 9:44-45, Jesus warned that the Son of man would be delivered into the hands of men, and again the text says they "understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying."
Les Feldick emphasizes over and over that Jesus could not have been plainer. In the Luke 18 passage, Jesus told the Twelve exactly what would happen to Him in Jerusalem, yet the very next verse says they understood none of it. Les asks, "Was He speaking a foreign language? No. Was this the first time He had ever said something to them? No." The explanation, Les says, is in the text: "this saying was hid from them." He answers the obvious question—who hid it?—with "God did." Les also draws practical consequences from the disciples' ignorance. If they had understood the resurrection, they would have been waiting outside the tomb Sunday morning; instead, no one was there to see Jesus come out, and Mary Magdalene came only to anoint His body. Since the finished work of the cross had not yet happened and the disciples had not comprehended it, they could not have been preaching Christ crucified and risen from the dead during His earthly ministry.
In Luke 18:31-33, Jesus took the Twelve aside and plainly told them that He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, spitefully entreated, spitted on, scourged, put to death, and rise again on the third day. Les Feldick comments, "Plain as day, I don't see how He could have said it any plainer."
Luke 18:34 says they "understood none of these things" because the saying "was hid from them." Les Feldick stresses it was not a problem with language or with Jesus never mentioning it before. He tells us who did the hiding: God did. God did not let them understand; it was not time for them to know.
Because the Twelve did not understand the predictions, Jesus' death came as a shock and the resurrection was not expected. Les points out that had they understood, they would have been outside the tomb on Sunday morning. Instead, they were not there, and even Peter and John were still amazed at the empty tomb. During Jesus' earthly ministry, the Twelve therefore could not preach a gospel centered on the finished work of the cross.
Ministry Still Under the Law
Les sets the context that Jesus' earthly ministry was under the law and the finished work of the cross had not happened yet, so the disciples could not preach something not yet accomplished.
God Never Opened Their Eyes
Les says Jesus told the disciples more than once about His death and resurrection, but God never opened their eyes; had they understood, they would have been waiting at the tomb on Sunday morning.
No Indication of Resurrection
Les notes that the disciples comprehended none of Jesus' predictions and had no idea He would rise; Mary Magdalene came only to anoint the body, not to see the resurrection.
God Hid It
Les says the saying was hid from the disciples and asks who hid it, answering that God did; He did not let them understand that Jesus was about to be crucified.
Not Time for Them to Know
Les repeats the answer—God hid it—and adds that it was not time for them to know, wondering how different the Gospel accounts would be if they had known.
Plain Words, Hidden Meaning
Les argues that Jesus spoke in plain language and had said this before, so the only explanation for their failure is that the saying was hid from them.
Who Hid It? God Did
Les says the Twelve understood none of these things because God hid the saying from them; it was not time for them to know.
God's Revelation Before Belief
Les connects the principle that God must speak before a generation can believe, and even the Twelve never comprehended the plain words about the crucifixion.
Luke 18:31-34: 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. 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 main passage: Jesus plainly predicts His death and resurrection, yet the disciples understand none of it because the saying is hidden from them.
Luke 9:44-45: Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.
An earlier occasion where the disciples do not understand Jesus' prediction about being delivered into men's hands.
John 20:9: For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
After the empty tomb, Peter and John still did not know from Scripture that Jesus must rise, matching the earlier hidden understanding.
Yes. In Luke 18:31-33 He plainly told the Twelve He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, killed, and rise on the third day. Les Feldick comments that He could not have said it any plainer.
God did. Les Feldick says God did not open their eyes to it because it was not time for them to know. The text says the saying was hid from them (Luke 18:34).
During Christ's earthly ministry, the Twelve were not preaching the death, burial, and resurrection as the finished work of the cross, because it had not yet happened and they had not understood it.
Watch the Teaching: Why Did the Disciples Not Know Jesus Would Die?