No — the disciples did not understand the resurrection because God sovereignly hid the meaning from them until His appointed time.
Jesus plainly told the twelve in Luke 18 that He would be put to death and rise again the third day, but Luke 18:34 says they understood none of these things because the saying was hid from them. Even after seeing the empty tomb, John 20:9 says they still did not know the Scripture that He must rise again. Les Feldick emphasizes that God had not yet opened their eyes; it was not time for them to know.
Luke 18:31-34 — Jesus directly predicts His death and resurrection, and then the text states the disciples understood none of it because the saying was hidden from them.
John 20:9 — Even after Peter and John found the empty tomb, the Scripture says they still did not know that Jesus must rise from the dead.
In Luke 18, Jesus took the twelve aside and told them exactly what would happen: "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." The very next verse explains 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." Later, at the empty tomb, John 20:9 says, "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." The biblical record consistently shows that the meaning of the resurrection was not understood at that time because it was hidden from them.
Les Feldick points out that the disciples' failure was not because Jesus had failed to tell them. In Luke 18:31-33 Jesus plainly told the twelve what would happen, but verse 34 says they understood none of it. Les asks, "Who hid it? God did." God sovereignly kept them from understanding because it wasn't time for them to know. Les says the truth went off them "like water off a duck's back." They had no idea Jesus would die, and after He died they had no idea He would rise. Had they understood, Les argues, they would have been waiting outside the tomb on Sunday morning instead of being absent. He uses John 20:9 to show that even Peter and John, after seeing the empty tomb, still did not know the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.
Les says the disciples did not wait at the tomb because they had no idea Jesus would rise. He asks, "Had they understood that He was going to be raised from the dead, where would they have all been that Sunday morning? Outside the tomb, waiting to see it happen." Instead, they had all given up and thought it was all over.
Yes, Jesus explained it clearly. In Luke 18 He told the twelve He would be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, scourged, put to death, and rise again the third day. Yet the next verse says they understood none of these things because the saying was hid from them. Les notes that even though they heard Him, it went off them "like water off a duck's back."
According to Les, God did. He says, "Well who hid it? God did." God sovereignly kept them ignorant of the resurrection because it was not time for them to understand. Les says God reveals things in His own time, and no human teacher opens understanding — God does.
No. Even when Peter and John ran to the sepulcher and saw the evidence, John 20:9 says they still did not know the Scripture that He must rise again. Les uses this to show how thoroughly God had hidden the meaning from them.
The Resurrection Gospel Was Not Yet Known
Les shows that the gospel of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection was unknown to Peter and the eleven and kept secret as long as the Old Testament program was still on the scene.
God Hid the Saying from Them
Les stresses that Jesus told them more than once, but God never opened their eyes; had they understood, they would have been waiting outside the tomb on Sunday morning.
God Hid It — Even at the Tomb They Didn't Know
Les says God hid it from them, so they had no idea He would die or rise, and even at John 20 Peter and John saw the evidence but still did not know.
Had They Known, They Would Have Been at the Tomb
Les emphasizes that if the disciples had understood, they would have been outside the tomb early Sunday morning; instead they had given up and thought it was all done.
God Sovereignly Kept Them Ignorant
Les teaches that God sovereignly kept the disciples ignorant and that God alone opens a person's understanding.
Three Years of Ministry Still Left Them Without Understanding
Even after three years with Jesus, the disciples had no indication of His death, burial, and resurrection — the very heart of the gospel we preach today.
Sovereign God Hid It Until the Right Time
Les says the saying was hid from them by a sovereign God because it wasn't time for them to understand, and he points to John 20:9 to show they still didn't know even at the tomb.
Who Hid It? God Did
Les reads Luke 18:31-34 and asks who hid it — answering, "God did." It wasn't time for them to know.
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 gathers the twelve and tells them what is about to happen to Him in Jerusalem.
Luke 18:32: For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
Jesus specifically predicts His rejection and mistreatment by the Gentiles.
Luke 18:33: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
This verse contains Jesus' plain prediction of His death and resurrection 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 states that the disciples did not understand and that 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.
Even after Peter and John saw the empty tomb, they still did not know the Scripture that Jesus had to rise.
Yes. In Luke 18:31-33 Jesus told the twelve plainly that He would be delivered to the Gentiles, killed, and rise again the third day. But the next verse says they understood none of these things because the saying was hid from them.
Les Feldick teaches that God did. As he says, "Who hid it? God did." God sovereignly kept them from understanding because it was not time for them to know.
No. John 20:9 says they still did not know the Scripture that He must rise again from the dead. Even with the evidence before them, the meaning had not yet been revealed to them.
Les says they would have been outside the tomb waiting to see it happen. Instead, they had given up and had no idea Jesus was alive.
Watch the Teaching: Did the Disciples Understand the Cross? Luke 18 Explained