Scripture to Read: Luke 18:34
Though Jesus sought to prepare His disciples for what was to come, they still did not understand it. We read in Luke 18:34, “But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.” Jesus had told the disciples that they were all going to Jerusalem where everything that had been written by the prophets about the Son of Man would be fulfilled. Jesus specifically told them that He would be handed over to the Gentiles, mocked, insulted, spit upon, flogged, killed, and raised again on the third day, and the disciples did not understand any of it. What the disciples could not understand was that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that His mission would involve suffering. They could not understand that His death would not be an accidental defeat but the fulfillment of God the Father’s perfect plan. They also could not comprehend that Jesus’ resurrection would be real and that His resurrection would defeat death for all mankind. They also had a hard time understanding that all of the Old Testament prophecies pointed to a suffering and rejected Messiah as well as a glorious One. At that time, the disciples’ spiritual understanding had not yet been opened. We must understand that spiritual truth requires divine illumination. The disciples eventually understood because Jesus opened the Scriptures and their minds (Luke 24:44–47). The god of this world still blinds the minds of non-believers (2 Corinthians 4:3–4); that is why we preach Christ and His Word.
Challenge & Application
Why could the disciples not understand what Jesus shared with them?
How are we given understanding of God and His Word, and what does this teach us about our full dependence on Him?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!