Jesus was speaking clearly to deaf ears

JESUS WAS SPEAKING CLEARLY TO DEAF EARS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 18:31-3431 Jesus took the Twelve aside and
told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem,and
everything that is written by the prophets about the
Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered
over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him
and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On
the third day he will rise again.” 34 The disciplesdid
not understandany of this. Its meaning was hidden
from them, and they did not know what he was talking
about.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
A Third PredictionBy Our Lord Of His PassionAnd Resurrection
Mark 10:32-34. Parallelpassages:Matthew 20:17-19;Luke 18:31-34
J.J. Given
I. REPEATEDPREDICTIONS ON THESE SUBJECTS. The disciples
required line upon line on this subject; they were so slow to grasp it and so

loth to entertain it. It appeared to them inconceivable and incredible. When it
was first directly and definitely announced, Peterdeprecatedit in the
strongestterms, and so far forgothimself that he presumed to rebuke his
Master, which drew down on him in turn that severe and sharp reproof, "Get
thee behind me, Satan," as though Satanhad employed Peteras his emissary,
and to do his work on that occasionby tempting our Lord to shrink from the
sufferings he foretold. Instead of affording our Lord that support and
sympathy, that strength and encouragementwhich, in view of the
approaching ordeal, his human nature craved, his servants whom he loved
and who loved him so well, though not always wisely, fell in with Satan's own
suggestionatthe temptation to the Savior, to seek the crownwithout the cross.
Why not prove his Messiahshipand assume his Kingship over the nations
with out such suffering and sorrow, without the sharpness of death and shade
of the sepulcher?
II. PREVIOUS PREPARATION. The previous training which the disciples
had receivedfrom the Lord would, one might think, be sufficient to have
disabused their minds of the prejudices of their race and nation to which they
were so prone. Even after they had been convinced of his Messiahship, and
after Peter's notable and noble confessionofit, they needed to be repeatedly
reminded of the necessityof his suffering and death to the completion of his
work, and to be instructed once and againabout the needfulness of his
resurrectionto demonstrate the divinity of his mission, and that he had power
to lay down his life and powerto take it again, as also that, delivered for our
offenses, he was to be raised for our justification. The notion of a temporal
kingdom was so firmly fixed in their minds, and intertwined with all their
Messianic hopes and expectations, thatit was next to impossible to eradicate
it. And yet, at an early period of his ministry, and almost immediately after
his proclaiming the near approach of the kingdom of heaven, he expounded
the principles, laws, and spiritual nature of that kingdom. Thus, in the sermon
on the mount, he explained the objectand elucidatedthe rules of that
kingdom in the fifth chapter of St. Matthew;he then interpreted, according to
the rules of the kingdom, those religious exercisesin which the subjects of the
kingdom engage, in the sixth chapter of the same Gospel;while in the seventh

he lays down the mutual duties of the members, with other duties of a more
generalbut practical kind. In his seaside parables, again, as recordedin the
thirteenth chapterof the same Gospel, he traces the gradual progress, steady
development in spite of all obstacles,and ultimate successof that kingdom.
When thus prepared for it, he proclaimed to them once and again, and now
the third time, in distinct, definite, and decided terms, his passion, death, and
resurrection.
III. AN ADDITIONAL FEATURE IN THIS PREDICTION. Inthis third
direct prediction a new element is introduced, the Gentiles are mentioned for
the first time in connectionwith our Lord's death. "The Son of man shall be
delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes;and they shall condemn
him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles. And yet, strange, yea,
passing strange, they understood," as St. Luke tells us, "none of these things."
It is probable that they understood his Language as figurative, and expressive
of the greatdifficulties to be overcome, and the formidable obstacles he would
have to encounter in making his way to his Messianic throne. Hence it was
that they were amazed at his alacrity, as he went before them and led the way
as they were going up to the capital. This much, at the least, they must have
known, that he was soonto face his bitterest foes;they must have had some
foreboding of the risk he was about to run, and the perils to which he was
going to expose himself. Consequently they were amazed at the more than
wonted energywith which he pressedforward to the place of danger and the
scene ofsuffering; and though, like a dauntless leader, and fearless but
faithful general, he marched at their head, preceding them and leading them
forward, they fell timorously behind, afraid to follow him in the perilous path
he was pursuing. We may here recallto mind that the first direct prediction of
his death was in the neighborhood of CaesareaPhilippi, soonafter Peter's
confession;the secondshortly after, as they were returning to Capernaum;
and now, on their way up to Jerusalem, he states the particulars more fully
and clearlythan ever before. The "spitting" is here mentioned by both St.
Mark and St. Luke, the condemnation of the JewishSanhedrim is referred to
by St. Matthew and St. Mark; the execution by the Gentiles is recordedby all

three synoptists; while the mode of death by crucifixion is mentioned by St.
Matthew alone. - J.J.G.
Biblical Illustrator
Behold we go up to Jerusalem.
Luke 18:31-34
The entrance into the Passionseason
Schaffer.
I. WE GAZE AT THE LORD, AND INQUIRE HOW HE ENTEREDTHE
SEASON OF PASSION.
1. Notunprepared, but with a full, clearconsciousness —(1)not only of His
sufferings in general, but also in all their particulars; and(2) of the relation
betweenHis sufferings and the Divine Word and will.

2. His consciousnessaffordedHim the peace, courage,and decisionto endure
the sufferings willingly and patiently.
II. WE GAZE AT OURSELVES, AND INQUIRE HOW WE SHOULD
ENTER THIS SEASON OF THE CHURCH YEAR.
1. Notlike the world, whose customis to celebrate it with all kinds of
amusement and folly; but, as the followers of Christ, let us get ready to
accompanythe Lord in His seasonofsuffering.
2. Yet not like the twelve, of whom we read that they understood none of these
things. We must know why and for whom the Lord suffered and died.
3. The blind man of Jericho is a goodexample to show how we should enter in
with the Lord as He approaches His sufferings.(1)He appeals again and again
for mercy.(2)He concentratesall his desires into one plea — that he might see.
And the Lord opens his eyes.
(Schaffer.)
A study for a doctrine of the atonement
N. Smyth, D. D.
I shall proceed, accordingly, to indicate some personalways in which it seems
to me we may learn to enter, in some degree, into Jesus'consciousnessthat He
must needs suffer. Yet only in some degree, and in no full measure, canwe
hope to comprehend in our human experience the mind that was in Jesus. The
open and most natural way of thought for us to take, in our desire to

understand this most sacredtruth, seems to me to be in generalas follows:
Study what forgiveness of injuries involves to the most Christian man or
woman, learn what forgiveness ofwrong may costthe most Christlike heart,
and from such knowledge gainthe means of understanding why the Christ
from God must needs suffer on the Cross. If we have not been compelled by
some bitter experience of our own to learn the moral necessitiesofsuffering in
forgiving sin, let us searchwith reverent sympathies the depth of the trouble
into which others have been plunged by some erring one to whom they were
bound by vital ties; learn how father, mother, wife, must needs suffer in the
continued charity, and shielding love, and ever open forgiveness ofthe home
towards one who has gone forth from it, unworthy of it, and been lost in the
world. Such in generalis the vital method, the personalway, in which we may
study the doctrine of the atonementof Christ for the sin of the world. Let me
briefly indicate severalmore definite truths which we may find in such study
of the Cross. First, In our experience of forgiveness, and its moral necessities,
we find that there must be penitence or confessiononthe part of the person
who has done wrong. The sense ofjustice and right which demands confession
of wrong and restitution is as human and as Divine as the love which would
forgive an offence, and acceptanother's willingness to make restitution.
Secondly, Human forgiveness involves a painful knowledge ofthe wrong
which has been inflicted. Forgivenessis always born of suffering. You surely
cannot forgive a friend if you have never knownand felt the hurt of his
unkindness. Some suffering for the injury receivedis an indispensable
condition, or antecedent, of the exercise offorgiveness. Thirdly, We approach
now another element in the history of human forgiveness, whichis of deep
moral significance;viz., the suffering of the injured person must be so
discoveredto the wrong-doerthat he canknow it, and have some appreciation
of it, in order that forgiveness may be granted and received, and its perfect
work accomplished. But you will ask, Is it not the glory of the forgiving spirit
to hide its sense of hurt? And the human forgiveness is never more than a
polite fiction, if there is not in the hour of reconciliationthis frank declaration
and acknowledgmentof the wrong done, and the suffering receivedfrom it.
One thing in it seems to me clear as conscience.Thatwrongedman cannot
forgive his repentant enemy by treating his sin as though it had been nothing,
by making light of it as though it had not costhim days of trouble, by hiding it

in his goodnature as though it were not an evil thing. Somehow that sense of
injustice in his soul must find vent and burn itself out. Somehow that sense of
wrong must manifest itself, and in some pure revelationof itself pass away. It
cannot pass foreverawayexcept through revelation, as the fire expires
through the flame. Yet in forgiveness justice must be a self-revealing flame,
and not a consuming fire. Something like this has been the process ofall
genuine human reconciliations whichI have observed. As an essentialelement
of the reconciliationthere was some revelationof pure justice. There was no
hiding of the wrong. On either side there was no belittling the injury. There
was no trifling with it as though a sin were nothing. It was no thoughtless
forgiveness outof mere goodnature, in which the heart's deeper sense of
righteousness was notsatisfied. I have left myself time only to point to the way
by which we may ascendfrom this our human experience of forgiveness to the
Cross of Christ, and the necessityfor it in the love of God. It is a part of the
penalty of sin that in every human transgressionsome just one must needs
suffer with the guilty. This is a natural necessityofour human, or organic,
relationship. And because we are so bound up togetherin goodand in evil, we
can bear one another's burdens, suffer helpfully for another, and to a certain
extent save one another from the evil of the world. Now, according to these
Gospels, Godin Christ puts himself into this human relationship, and, as one
with man, bears his burden and suffers under the sin of the world. The Father
of spirits in His owneternal blessednessmay not suffer with men; but in
Christ Godhas humbled Himself to our consciousnessofsin and death. In
Christ the eternal love comes under the moral law of suffering, under which
forgiveness may work its perfect work. More particularly, in the life and
death of Christ these severalelements which we have found belonging
essentiallyto our experience ofreconciliationwith one another, have full
exercise and scope. ForChrist, identifying Himself with our sinful
consciousness, makesa perfectrepentance for sin and confessionofit unto the
Father. Christ experiences oursin as sinful, and confesses it. And again,
Christ realizes the costof the sin of the world. His loneliness of spirit, the cruel
misunderstandings of Him by all men, His Gethsemane, His Cross — all
realize the costand suffering of sin, and in view of such sufferings of the Son
of Man sin never can be regardedas a light and trifling thing. And still

further, Christ reveals to the world what its sin has cost, and enables man who
would be forgiven to appreciate it, and to acknowledgeit.
(N. Smyth, D. D.)
They understood none of these things
Misunderstanding Christ
N. Smyth, D. D.
The disciples'failure to understand the Mastersuggests analways timely
question for the followers of Jesus:What misunderstandings of Christ may
still be lingering in Christianity? The question is the more pertinent and the
more necessarybecause one reasonforthe disciples'failure to perceive the
things that were said by Jesus onHis way to the Cross, was the knowledge of
Him which they already possessed. Two truths in particular which they had
learned better than any one else concerning Jesus,they allowedto stand in the
way of their further understanding of Him. They had been taught His
wonderful power. They had been eye-witnesses ofHis mighty works. They
beganto believe that Jesus could do anything. This truth of the powerof the
Son of Man they were ready to receive, and they stopped with the knowledge
of it. He who had power from God could not be takenand killed by the
Pharisees.So they graspedwith eagerhope the truth that Jesus was the
promised Messiahof Israel, and missed the deepertruth of His character, that
God so loved the world. Then againthe truth which they had learned better
than any others of Jesus'wonderful kindness, and justice, and humanity, in
their partial view of it, may have hidden from their eyes the full revelation
which He would have them perceive of His Divine life. How could He who had
powerover death, and who had so pitied two sisters that He had restoredtheir
brother to them, and who had enveloped their lives in a friendship of
wonderful daily thoughtfulness — how could He, having all power, go away
from them, leave them comfortless, throw them back again upon the world,
and disappoint their high hopes of Him? No wonder Peterthought it was
impossible, and even said impulsively, "Be it far from Thee, Lord!" The truth

of Christ's friendship which they did know prevented them from
understanding the diviner secretof God's sacrificiallove for the world, which
they might have learned. So they who knew the Lord best, misunderstood
Him the most; and Jesus wentbefore His disciples in a deeper purpose and a
diviner thought than they perceived. Our text reads like a devout apologyof
the disciples for their singular misunderstanding of Jesus Christ. The
providence of God had taught them their mistake. And very instructive for us
is the method by which God correctedthe false perception of the disciples,
and opened their eyes to true and larger knowledge ofthe Lord. They
overcame their misunderstanding, and were brought to better understanding
of Jesus Christ, through the trial and the task of their faith. These two, trials
and tasks, are God's ways of correcting men's imperfect faiths. For you will
recallhow those disciples, at the time of the crucifixion, and while they were
waiting in Jerusalem, learnedin their disenchantment, and were taught
through that fearful strain and trial of their faith, as they had never been
before, of what Spirit Jesus was, andwhat His real mission to this world was;
and thus they were prepared to see and to become apostles ofthe risen Lord.
That trial of their faith, while Jesus was mocked, andscourged, and delivered
to death, and crucified betweentwo thieves, and buried — all the light blotted
from their skies, allthe proud ambition brokenin their souls — yet in His
death a new, strange expectancyawakenedin their hearts, and on the third
day a vision seenwhich made all things a new world to them — that trial of
their faith was the Lord's method of teaching the disciples what before had
remained hidden from them even in the plainest words of Jesus. And then this
knowledge ofthe new, largertruth of Christ's work was rounded out, and
filled full of a steady, clearlight to them, by the task immediately given them
to do in the name of the crucified and risen Lord. They learned at Pentecost
what Christianity was to be.
(N. Smyth, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(31-34)Then he took unto him the twelve.—See NotesonMatthew 20:17-19;
Mark 10:32-34. St. Luke, like St. Mark, passesoverthe parable of the
Labourers in the Vineyard. The insertion of the reference to the prophecies of
the Passionis, on the other hand, peculiar to him, and is, perhaps, connected
with the prominence given to those prophecies in Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-45.
BensonCommentary
Luke 18:31-34. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, &c. — See notes on Matthew
22:17-19;Mark 10:32-34. Theyunderstood none of these things — They could
not but understand the literal meaning of what our Lord said. But as they
could not reconcile this to their preconceivedopinion of the Messiah’s
kingdom, they were utterly at a loss in what parabolical, or figurative sense to
take what he said concerning his sufferings;having their thoughts still taken
up with the temporal kingdom.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
18:31-34 The Spirit of Christ, in the Old Testamentprophets, testified
beforehand his sufferings, and the glory that should follow, 1Pe 1:11. The
disciples'prejudices were so strong, that they would not understand these
things literally. They were so intent upon the prophecies which spake of
Christ's glory, that they overlookedthose which spake of his sufferings.
People run into mistakes, becausethey read their Bibles by halves, and are
only for the smooth things. We are as backwardto learn the proper lessons
from the sufferings, crucifixion, and resurrectionof Christ, as the disciples
were to what he told them as to those events; and for the same reason;self-
love, and a desire of worldly objects, closeour understandings.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
See the notes at Matthew 20:17-19.
By the prophets - Those who foretold the coming of the Messiah, and whose
predictions are recorded in the Old Testament.

Son of man - The Messiah. Theypredicted that certainthings would take
place respecting the Messiahthat was to come. See the Daniel 9:25-27 notes;
Isaiah53 notes. "These things," Jesussaid, would be accomplished"in him,"
he being the Son of man, or the Messiah.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
Lu 18:31-34. FullerAnnouncement of His Approaching Death and
Resurrection.
(See on [1691]Mr10:32-34.)
31. all written by the prophets concerning the Son of man … be
accomplished—showing how Christ Himself read, and would have us to read,
the Old Testament, in which some otherwise evangelicalinterpreters find no
prophecies, or virtually none, of the sufferings of the Son of man.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Ver. 31-34. We shall afterward, in the history of our Saviour’s passion, see all
these things exactlyfulfilled, and our Lord here assures his disciples, that it
was but in accomplishmentof all that was prophesied concerning the Messiah;
nor was it any more than he had told them, Luke 9:22, and again, Luke 9:44
Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34.Yet it is said, that they understood none of
these things. The words were easyenoughto be understood, but they could
not reconcile them to the notion of the Messiahwhichthey had drank in, they
could not conceive how the Messiah, that should redeemIsrael, should die, or
be thus barbarously used by those whom he came to redeem, or save. We have
greatneed to considerwell what notions we entertain concerning the things of
God. All this blindness and unbelief of the disciples was bottomed in the false
notion of the Messiahwhich they had taken up. However, our Saviour thought

fit to inculcate them, to prepare them againstthe offence they might take at
them when the providence of God brought them forth. It is goodfor us to
hear, though it be only for the time to come.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Then he took unto him the twelve,.... His twelve disciples, as the Ethiopic
version expressesit; he took them aside from the restof the company, as they
were travelling on the road, and privately delivered to them, what follows;see
Matthew 20:17
and said unto them, behold, we go up to Jerusalem;to the feastof the
passover, whichwas drawing near, and the last Christ was to eat with his
disciples, the time of his sufferings, and death, being now at hand; and of
which he thought fit to give his disciples notice:and therefore he calledthem
aside, and in a private manner, told them,
that all things that are written by the prophets, concerning the son of man,
shall be accomplished;particularly, Psalm2:1 Psalm22:6 for to these the
following things have respect.
Geneva Study Bible
{10} 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.
(10) As sure and certain as persecutionis, so sure is the glory which remains
for the conquerors.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary

Luke 18:31-34. See onMatthew 20:17-19;Mark 10:32-34. Luke, it is true,
abridges Mark’s narrative, yet he also expands it by the reference to the
fulfilment of Scripture, Luke 18:31, and by the observationin Luke 18:34.
παραλαβὼνκ.τ.λ.]A continuation of the journey, on which at Luke 18:35 ff.
the narrative then againlingers at Jericho.
τῷ υἱῷ τ. ἀνθρ.] belongs to τὰ γεγραμμ., nextto which it stands: everything
shall be completed, i.e. shall come to its complete actual fulfilment (comp.
Luke 22:37), which is written by the prophets with reference to the Son of
man (with the destination for Him, in order to become actual in Him). On the
dative of reference with γράφειν, comp. 3Ma 6:41. The reading περὶ τοῦ υἱ. τ.
ἀνθρ. (D, Vulg. al.) is an inaccurate gloss onthe correctconstruction. Others
(Castalio and many more, including Kuinoel, Bornemann, Schegg, comp.
Buttmann, Neut. Gr. p. 154 [E. T. 178], who refers it to both τελεσθ. and
γεγραμμ.)connectit with τελεσθ., and explain either: upon the Son of man, as
Matthew 13:14 (so the majority), or of Him (Bornemann, following Beza). But
even apart from the fact that the position of the words rather suggeststhe
connectiongiven above, the unlimited πάντα τὰ γεγρ. is opposedto the latter,
since the prophets have written much, which was neither to be fulfilled upon
nor of the Messiah. Besides, the following Luke 18:32 f. is opposedto
Bornemann, seeing it is not there said what the Messiahshoulddo, but what
He should suffer.
Luke 18:34. An emphatic prolixity, even more than at Luke 9:45. The failure
to understand has reference not to the meaning of the words, but to the fact as
the Messianicdestiny.
ἀπʼ αὐτῶν]comp. Luke 9:45, Luke 10:21, Luke 19:42, frequently in the LXX.
Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 18:31-34. Third prediction of the Passion(Matthew 20:17-19,Mark
10:32-34). Vide notes on the accountin Mk., which is exceptionallyrealistic.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
31. Then he took unto him the twelve] apart, and on the road, as we learn
from Matthew 20:17. St Mark, with one of his graphic touches of detail,
describes Jesus walking before them, and (as we infer from the expressionof
the Evangelist)in such awful majesty of sorrow that those nearestHim were
filled with deep amazement, and those who were following at a greater
distance felt a hush of fear (Mark 10:32). Then it was that He beckonedthem
to Him, and revealedthe crowning circumstances ofhorror respecting His
death.
all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Sonof man shall be
accomplished]Rather, all the things that have been written through the
prophets for the Son of Man shall be accomplished;or, perhaps, shall be
accomplishedto the Son of Man.
31-34. Jesusprophesies that He should be crucified.
Betweenthese verses andthe last should probably be inserted the journey
from the PeraeanBethanyto the JudaeanBethany, and the Raising of
Lazarus (John 11:1-46). This signalmiracle was omitted by the Synoptists for
the same reasons as those whichled them to a marked reticence about the
family of Lazarus (see on Luke 10:38 and my Life of Christ, ii. 173). This
miracle led to a meeting of the Sanhedrin, at which it was decided—mainly on
the authority of Caiaphas—thatJesus must be put to death though not during
the ensuing Passover,—withsuchprecautions as were possible. The terrible

decisionbecame known. Indeed, it led to attempts to murder Lazarus and
seize Jesus, whichcompelled Him to retire secretlyto the obscure village of
Ephraim (John 11:54)— probably Et-Taiyibeh, not far from Bethel (Beitin),
and about 20 miles from Jerusalem. Here our Lord spent, in undisturbed and
unrecorded calm, the last few weeksofHis life, occupiedin training the
Apostles who were to convert the world. Towards the close of the time He
would see, from the hill of Ephraim, the crowds of Galilaeanpilgrims
streaming down the Jordan valley to keepthe PassoveratJerusalem.;and,
secure under their protection till His brief days of destined work were done,
He left His place of retreat to join their caravans for His last solemn progress
to Jerusalem.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 18:31. Παραλαβὼν, having takento Him) in private: Matthew 20:17.—
πάντα τὰ γεγραμμένα, all things that are written) Jesus made of the utmost
consequence those things which had been written. The Word of God, which is
in Scripture, is the rule of all the things which shall come to pass, even of the
things which shall come to pass in the life eternal.—τῷ)The Dative expresses
the force of ‫ל‬ prefixed, i.e. “as concerns the Son of man:” and there is included
the notion of the Dativus commodi. See the end of Luke 18:33.[203]
[203]“He shall rise again.” This was written for the Sonof man—for His
glory.—E. and T.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 31-42. -Jesus againtells them of his Passion. The healing of the blind
at Jericho. Verse 31. - Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them.
St. Mark (Mark 10:32)prefaces this announcement with the words, "And
they were in the way going up to Jerusalem;and Jesus wentbefore them: and
they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid." There was
something unusual, evidently, in the manner and behaviour of the Master;
silently, wrapped up in his own lofty meditations, he strode on in front of the
company of his followers. A feeling of awe and fear stole over them as they

watchedthe silent Masterwith the shadow of the coming cross falling,
perhaps, acrosshis countenance. Muchhad happened lately: the teaching
growing more and more solemn as the end drew near; the raising of Lazarus;
the intense enmity of the greatmen of the nation; the fixed determination to
put the Masterto death; his short retirement; then the announcement that he
was going up to face his enemies at the greatfeastin Jerusalem;and now
alone and silent he walkedat their head. What was coming? thought the
twelve and their friends. He read their thoughts, and, calling them round him,
told them what was about to happen. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all
things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be
accomplished.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCESON V. 31
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
And he took unto him the twelve, and saidunto them, Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets shall be
accomplishedunto the Son of man. Forhe shall be delivered up unto the
Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon: and
they shall scourge and kill him: and on the third day he shall rise again. And
they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, and
they perceivednot the things that were said.
ANOTHER PREDICTIONOF HIS PASSION

All the things that were written ... Some 333 prophecies of the Old Testament
were fulfilled in Christ, and these included many prophecies of his sufferings,
rejection, and death, as well as of his resurrection.
That are written through the prophets ... Jesus keptthe distinction ever in
view that it was not the prophets who wrote the Holy Scriptures, but God who
wrote them "through the prophets." We believe the same thing is true of the
words of the sacredauthors of the New Testament;and this writer, in a
lifetime of reading, has found nothing whateverin the insinuations of those
who abuse the sacredNew Testament, in their assumption that it was written
by fallible MEN, that justifies any relaxing of this confidence. In Matthew
1:22; 2:5; 2:17, etc., throughout the Gospel, there are many texts in which this
same conceptof God's writing "through the prophets" is emphatically stated.
For a list of things Jesus prophesiedof himself, see under Luke 9:22,45;13:33,
and parallels, in Matthew and Mark. Geldenhuys saw this passage as the
FOURTH announcementof Jesus'Passion. "Forthe fourth time now the
Saviour announces that he will be delivered to suffer and to die"[33](this
verse, plus the three cited above). This makes it certain that one of the four
Passionpredictions recordedby Luke is peculiar to this Gospel, since
Matthew and Mark eachhave three.
The third day ... See the article in my Commentary on Mark on "What Day
Was Jesus Crucified?" for a full discussionof the meaning of this expression.
Summers was surely right in perceiving this passage as anidentification of
Jesus with "the Suffering Servant sectionof Isaiah."[34]He also denied any
necessityofsupposing that the details in view here were retrospectively
included in Luke after the events occurred. We are face to face here with
genuine prophecy.

This saying was hidden from them ... "It was not hidden in that Jesus did not
want them to understand. It was hidden because oftheir reluctance to accept
it."[35]
[33] NorvalGeldenhuys, op. cit., p. 463.
[34] Ray Summers, op. cit., p. 219.
[35] Ibid., p. 220.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Luke 18:31". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/luke-18.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
Return to Jump List return to 'Jump List'
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Then he took unto him the twelve,.... His twelve disciples, as the Ethiopic
version expressesit; he took them aside from the restof the company, as they

were travelling on the road, and privately delivered to them, what follows;see
Matthew 20:17
and said unto them, behold, we go up to Jerusalem;to the feastof the
passover, whichwas drawing near, and the last Christ was to eat with his
disciples, the time of his sufferings, and death, being now at hand; and of
which he thought fit to give his disciples notice:and therefore he calledthem
aside, and in a private manner, told them,
that all things that are written by the prophets, concerning the son of man,
shall be accomplished;particularly, Psalm2:1 Psalm22:6 for to these the
following things have respect.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Luke 18:31-34. Fullerannouncement of His approaching death and
resurrection.
(See on Mark 10:32-34.)
all written by the prophets concerning the Son of man … be accomplished—
showing how Christ Himself read, and would have us to read, the Old
Testament, in which some otherwise evangelicalinterpreters find no
prophecies, or virtually none, of the sufferings of the Son of man.
John Lightfoot's Commentary on the Gospels

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.
[He took unto him the twelve.]This falls in with that of John 11:7, "Let us go
into Judea." What! saythey, into Judea again, where thou wastlately in so
much danger? However, he comes out and goes on, his disciples following him
wondering, and fearing the effects of it, Mark 10:32. He mentioned only at
present his journey into Judea, to see Lazarus: but, as they were going, he
foretells his progress to Jerusalem, and what was to be done with him there. It
is probable he was at Bethabarahwhen the messagecame to him that Lazarus
was sick;and from thence, his way lying conveniently over the Scythopolitan
bridge, and so through part of Samaria, he chooseththe transjordanine way
to the fords of Jericho.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
Took unto him (παραλαβων— paralabōn). Secondaoristactive participle of
παραλαμβανω — paralambanō Taking along with himself. So Mark 10:32.
Matthew 20:17 adds κατ ιδιαν — kat'idian (apart). Jesus is making a special
point of explaining his death to the Twelve.
We go up (αναβαινομεν — anabainomen). Presentactive indicative, we are
going up.
Unto the Sonof man (τωι υιωι του αντρωπου — tōi huiōi tou anthrōpou).
Dative case ofpersonalinterest. The position is amphibolous and the
constructionmakes sense eitherwith “shall be accomplished” (τελεστησεται
— telesthēsetai)or “that are written” (τα γεγραμμενα — ta gegrammena),
probably the former. Compare these minute details of the prophecy here
(Luke 18:32.) with the words in Mark 10:33.;Matthew 20:18., which see.

Sermon Bible Commentary
Luke 18:31
Why Christ suffered.
I. The answerto this question is very simple. He suffered as a sacrifice for the
sin of the world. It was the ultimate and perfecting act of His obedience, to
carry down into death that death-sentencednature which He had takeninto
the Godhead;to subject His Divine Personto the dark—and to us utterly
mysterious—contactwith the actuality of death; and to put by His almighty
powerof casting off from Himself the sentence of death which He bore about
Him. This is why Christ died; that He might in His own Body, as the Second
Head and including Representative of mankind, pay the penalty of death
which rested on that manhood which was summed up in Him. The Godhead
of our blessedLord is an element absolutely necessaryto the belief of even the
leastportion of the benefits and effects of His death. If a man do not firmly
and clearlyhold that, he has not a notion of what is meant by the doctrine of
Christ's atonement for sin. His entire oneness with the Fatherlies at the very
root of all.
II. I proceedto our secondenquiry. Granted, that it was necessaryfor Christ
to submit to death in order to the taking awayof the sin of the world, why did
He die as He did? First I sayin answer, that we cannot tell how much of deep
humiliation and desertionand anguish was absolutelynecessary, in the
covenantwhich infinite wisdom arranged, to make that death the full and
sufficient sacrifice, oblationand satisfaction, forthe sins of the whole world.
The analogyof the Redeemer's whole life leads us to the humble inference that
nothing less than such an amount of self-denial, and endurance of pain, and
contradiction of sinners, was enough for the accomplishmentof His mighty
purpose, even in its hidden and unfathomable recesses,where it flowed forth
from unity with the Father's will. (2) But if we look at this same matter from

another and a human point of view, even to us there may be made plain and
full and sufficient reasonwhy these sufferings should have been undertaken.
Our blessedLord sums it up for us in a few simple words "I, if I be lifted up,
will draw all men unto Me." These stupendous sufferings of the Son of God
were undertaken to put awaysin; the sin of the world; the sin of eachman;
and they were undertaken that eachman might be mightily constrainedby
the powerof the Divine love shown in them, to take up the freedom thus
purchased for him; to see himself complete in Christ his satisfactionbefore
God; to live as Christ's freeman, prevailing over and conquering sin, and
daily renewedwith God.
H. Alford, Sermons on Christian Doctrine, p. 166.
Expository Notes with PracticalObservations onthe New Testament
We find our blessedSaviour very frequently acquainting his disciples with his
approaching sufferings, to prevent the offence that they might take at them,
when the providence of God brought them on: this design was to arm them
with expectationof his sufferings;and to quicken them to preparation for
their own; yet, it is here said, That the disciples understood none of these
sayings:Why so? Were not the words easyenoughto be understood? Yes, but
they could not reconcile them to the notion of the Messiahwhich they had
drank in: they concludedhe should be a temporal prince, and subdue their
temporal enemies:but could not conceive how he, that should redeem Israel,
should die, and be thus barbarously used. We have great need to considerwill
what notions we have concerning the things of God, before we entertain them;
for false notions once taken up, are not without greatdifficulty laid down.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible

Ver. 31-34. We shall afterward, in the history of our Saviour’s passion, see all
these things exactlyfulfilled, and our Lord here assures his disciples, that it
was but in accomplishmentof all that was prophesied concerning the Messiah;
nor was it any more than he had told them, Luke 9:22, and again, Luke 9:44
Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34.Yet it is said, that they understood none of
these things. The words were easyenoughto be understood, but they could
not reconcile them to the notion of the Messiahwhichthey had drank in, they
could not conceive how the Messiah, that should redeemIsrael, should die, or
be thus barbarously used by those whom he came to redeem, or save. We have
greatneed to considerwell what notions we entertain concerning the things of
God. All this blindness and unbelief of the disciples was bottomed in the false
notion of the Messiahwhich they had taken up. However, our Saviour thought
fit to inculcate them, to prepare them againstthe offence they might take at
them when the providence of God brought them forth. It is goodfor us to
hear, though it be only for the time to come.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
31. παραλαβών. ‘Taking them apart,’ and on the road, as we learn from
Matthew 20:17. St Mark, with one of his graphic touches of detail, describes
Jesus walking before them, and (as we infer from the expressionof the
Evangelist)in such awful majesty of sorrow that those nearestHim were filled
with deep amazement, and those who were following at a greaterdistance felt
a hush of fear (Mark 10:32). Then it was that He beckonedthem to Him, and
revealedthe crowning circumstances ofhorror respecting His death.
τελεσθήσεται πάντα τὰ γεγραμμένα διὰ τῶν προφητῶντῷ υἱῷ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
‘All the things that have been written through the prophets for the Son of
Man shall be accomplished;’ or, perhaps, shall be accomplishedto the Son of
Man. D reads περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, which is a gloss.

PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
‘And he took to him the twelve, and said to them, “Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets will be
accomplishedto the Son of man.” ’
Jesus now recognisedmore clearly than everthat His time was approaching.
For quite some time He had lived with His eyes ever fixed on His final end in
Jerusalem. But now that end was rapidly approaching. And He took the
twelve to one side and informed them of His expectations. This was a secret
reservedfor them. They were approaching Jerusalem, and as far as He was
concernedit would be for the lasttime, for now the things clearly written
about Him in the Scriptures must come to fulfilment. The Shepherd must be
smitten and the sheepscattered(Zechariah 13:7). The Servant must be
arraigned and condemned and suffer for the sins of others (Isaiah 50:3-8;
Isaiah52:13 to Isaiah53:12). The Son of David must be pierced and made
mock of (Psalms 22:12-18). The Son of Man must suffer under the beasts
(where the suffering of the ‘son of man’ is depicted in terms of the suffering of
the people of the MostHigh) (Daniel 7). And this had been even more
reinforced by the factthat a prophet could not die outside Jerusalem(Luke
13:33).
Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
Luke alone recorded that the things that would happen to Jesus in Jerusalem
would be a fulfillment of Old Testamentprophecies (cf. Luke 12:50; Luke
22:37;Acts 13:29). Luke apparently stressedthe fact that Jesus" ministry
fulfilled prophecy so his readers would have greaterconfidence in Him (cf.
Luke 2:25-38;Luke 22:37).

The Hellenistic mind resistedthe idea that a God-man could be truly human.
The ancient Greek conceptofthe gods visiting human beings lay behind this
difficulty. Consequently Luke presentedmuch evidence for his Greek readers
throughout his Gospelthat Jesus was a real man. The Jews on the other hand
had difficulty accepting the fact that Jesus was truly God. This accounts for
Matthew"s stresson Jesus"deity. Throughout church history there have been
those who, like the Greeks, hadtrouble accepting Jesus"full humanity and
others, like the Jews, who have resistedHis full deity.
STUDYLIGHT ON VERSE 32
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles,.... As he was by the chief priests,
Scribes, and elders, to Pilate, the Roman governor, and by him to the soldiers:
and shall be mocked;as he was by the latter, when they crownedhim with
thorns, arrayed him in a purple robe, and put a reed into his hand, and bowed
the knee to him, saying, hail king of the Jews;and likewise by the Jews when
he hung upon the cross:
and spitefully entreated. The Syriac and Persic versions leave out this clause
here, and read it the next verse. It may regardthe injuries done him, the
abuses and affronts he received, both by words and blows:
and spitted on; as he was both by officers in the high priest's palace, and by
the Romansoldiers in Pilate's hall; see Isaiah50:6.

32. τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. This was the third, and by far the clearestand most
circumstantial prophecy respecting His death. Hitherto, except for scattered
hints which they could not understand (Luke 9:22; Luke 9:45), the Apostles
might have supposed that Jesus wouldbe put to death by the Jewish
authorities. Now He tells them that He shall be delivered to the Gentiles,
which involved the fact that He should be crucified, as indeed now for the first
time He plainly told them (Matthew 20:19). It was necessarythus to check all
blind material Messianic hopes, the ineradicable prevalence of which was
proved immediately afterwards by the ambitious request of Salome and her
sons (Mark 10:35-45;Matthew 20:20-28). But while the magnificent promises
which they had just heard, and the magnificent miracle which they would
immediately witness, togetherwith the shouting multitudes who would soon
be attending our Lord, made it necessarythus to extinguish all worldly hopes
in their minds, yet to prevent them from being crushed with sorrow, He now
adds, without any ambiguity, the prophecy of His resurrection on the third
day.
“Forhe will be delivered up to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and
shamefully treated, and spat on, and they will scourge and kill him, and the
third day he will rise again.”
He then spelled it out in detail. He was to be handed over to the Gentiles. This
was the indication of ultimate rejection, of ultimate shame (compare
Deuteronomy 28:37;Judges 4:2; Jeremiah29:18;Lamentations 2:9; Ezekiel
4:13; Hosea 8:8; Hosea 9:17). He would be treated as such an outcastthat He
was not fit to be sentencedin a Jewishcourt, as though He was cut off from
Israel. He would be ‘castout of the camp’ (Leviticus 24:23;Numbers 5:2,

compare Hebrews 13:11-13). His prophetic status would be rejected, and He
would be judged as a common criminal.
And then He would be mockedand shamefully treatedand spat on. These
words had in mind Isaiah50:6; Isaiah 53:3; Psalms 22:6-8. He would be the
rejectedServant, the rejectedSon of David.
Then they would scourge Him and kill Him. In those days no man could come
before a Roman court on a serious crime without being scourged(Isaiah50:6;
Isaiah53:5). It was in order to bring home to him the seriousnessofthe
situation. And on top of this Jesus also knew whatthe final consequencemust
be. He knew that He must die (Isaiah53:7-9).
But above all He knew that He would rise again, for He would receive His
portion (Isaiah53:10-12;Hosea 6:1-2). Triumph must follow disasterbecause
God was in it. He would not allow His Holy One to see corruption (Psalms
16:8-11;Acts 2:25-28;Acts 13:34-37). RatherHe would be raisedto a
heavenly throne (Psalms 110:1;Acts 2:34-36).
Thus Jesus saw His whole future in terms of the Old Testamentprophecies. It
should be noted that as in Mark Jesus in Luke gives no hint of the factthat He
will die on the cross. In view of His other sayings about His disciples taking up
the cross this lack of mention of the cross would be quite remarkable unless
these sayings were actually made before that event, and unchanged
afterwards. We can imagine the greattemptation to do so.

(32) He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles.—Thewords are nearly the same
as in the other Gospels, but the “spitefully entreated” is peculiar to St. Luke.
Adam Clarke Commentary
And the third day he shall rise again - See Hosea 6:2;and let the reader
observe that the passageshould be read thus: In the third day he will raise
Him up, (‫ונמקי‬ ) and we shall live before him: his resurrectionshall be the
pledge, token, and cause ofours.
And they shall scourge him,.... As he was by Pilate's order, before he was
crucified:
and put him to death; a shameful, and a painful one, the death of the cross:
and the third day he shall rise again; as he accordinglydid.
The third day (τηι ημεραι τηι τριτηι — tēi hēmerāi tēi tritēi). The day the
third. In Matthew 20:19 it is “the third day” while in Mark 10:34 “afterthree
days” occurs in the same sense, whichsee.

Adam Clarke Commentary
They understood none of these things - Notwithstanding all the information
which Christ had given them concerning this awful subject, they could not as
yet fully comprehend how the Messiahshould suffer; or how their Master,
whose powerthey knew was unlimited, should permit the Jews and Gentiles to
torment and slay him as he here intimates they would.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Luke 18:34". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/luke-
18.html. 1832.
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
Understood none of these things - Though they were “plainly” revealed, yet
such were their prejudices and their unwillingness to believe them that they
did not understand them. They expectedthat he would be a temporal prince
and a conqueror, and they were not “willing” to believe that he would be
delivered into the hands of his enemies. They did not see how that could be
consistentwith the prophecies. To us now these things appearplain, and we

may, hence, learn that those things which to us appear most mysterious may
yet appearperfectly plain; and we should learn to trust in God, and “believe”
just what he has spoken. See Matthew 16:21;Matthew 17:23.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Luke 18:34". "Barnes'Notesonthe Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/luke-18.html.
1870.
And they understood none of these things,.... "Notone of them", as the Syriac
and Persic versions render it; every article of his sufferings and death were
unintelligible by them; they knew not how to understand him in any one
point: or how to reconcile these things to the notions they had entertained of
the temporal grandeur, and glory, of the Messiah, and his kingdom; and
which shows their greatignorance of the prophecies of the Old Testament
concerning these things.
And this saying, or "thing"; for it answers to the Hebrew word ‫,רבד‬ which
signifies any affair, or matter, as well as a word, or saying:and so here, the
whole of this affair

was hid from them; unless it should have a peculiar regard to that part of it,
which expresses his resurrectionfrom the dead; see Mark 9:10 or the delivery
of him to the Gentiles, Luke 9:44
neither knew they the things which were spoken;the meaning of them. The
Ethiopic version leaves out this, and puts the former clause, by way of
question, "and he said unto them, and is this saying hid from you?"
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Luke 18:34". "The New JohnGill Exposition of
the Entire Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/luke-
18.html. 1999.
Geneva Study Bible
And they understood h none of these things: and this saying was hid from
them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
(h) By this we see how ignorant the disciples were.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
understood none, etc. — The Evangelistseems unable to saystrongly enough
how entirely hidden from them at that time was the sense ofthese exceeding
plain statements:no doubt to add weightto their subsequent testimony, which
from this very circumstance was prodigious, and with all the simple-hearted
irresistible.
And they perceivednot (και ουκ εγινωσκον — kai ouk eginōskon). Imperfect
active. They kept on not perceiving. Twice already Luke has said this in the
same sentence.
They understood none of these things (ουδεν τουτωνσυνηκαν — ouden toutōn
sunēkan). First aoristactive indicative, a summary statement.
This saying was hid from them (ην το ρημα τουτο κεκρυμμενοναπ αυτων —
ēn to rhēma touto kekrummenon ap' autōn). Pastperfect passive indicative
(periphrastic), state of completion. It was a puzzling experience. No wonder
that Luke tries three times to explain the continued failure of the apostles to
understand Jesus. The words of Christ about his death ran counter to all their
hopes and beliefs.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them,
neither knew they the things which were spoken.
They understood none of these things — The literal meaning they could not
but understand. But as they could not reconcile this to their preconceived

opinion of the Messiah, theywere utterly at a loss in what parabolicalor
figurative sense to take what he said concerning his sufferings; having their
thoughts still takenup with the temporal kingdom.
The Fourfold Gospel
And they understood none of these things1; and this saying was hid from
them, and they perceived not the things that were said.
And they understood none of these things, etc. So fixed and ineradicable was
their false conceptionof the Messianicreignthat they could not believe that
what Jesus saidcould be literally true (Matthew 16:22). Only later did the full
significance ofhis saying dawn upon them (John 12:16; John 14:26).
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
Luke 18:34.And they understood none of these things. What stupidity was
this, not to understand what Christ said to them in a plain and familiar
manner, on a subject not too lofty or intricate, but of which they had, at their
own suggestion, entertained some suspicion!But it is proper also to bearin
mind — what I have formerly observed — the reasonwhy they were held in
such gross ignorance, whichwas, that they had formed the expectationof a
joyful and prosperous advancement, and therefore reckonedit to be in the
highest degree absurd, that Christ should be ignominiously crucified. Hence
we infer with what madness the minds of men are seized through a false
imagination; and therefore we ought to be the more careful not to yield to any
foolish thoughts, and shut our eyes againstthe light.
John Trapp Complete Commentary

34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from
them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Ver. 34. And they understood none, &c.]Prejudicate opinions of Christ’s
earthly kingdom hung as so many bullets at their eyelids, that they could not
perceive so plain a truth.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
Understood none of these things; the things concerning his death, of which he
had spoken. Theysupposed that the Messiahwould be a greattemporal
prince, and reign for ever. Their wishes for this, and their expectations ofit,
were so strong that they did not believe or apprehend the meaning of what he
had said. Matthew 16:21-23;Matthew 20:17-19.
Desire has greatinfluence on belief. It is exceedinglydifficult to make men
correctlyapprehend and cordially believe what they are opposedto; while
they readily understand and easily believe what they wish to have true.
34. οὐδὲν τούτωνσυνῆκαν, as had been the case before, Luke 9:43-45;and St
Mark tells us (Luke 9:32) that “they were afraid to ask Him.” It was only at a
later period that the full significance ofall these words dawned on them (John
12:16). We must learn, as Pascalsays,to love divine truths before we can
understand them. The Apostles refused to admit the plain meaning of these
clearstatements (Matthew 16:22).

‘And they understood none of these things, and this saying was hid from them,
and they perceivednot the things that were said.’
We are againreminded that the horrific truth did not come home to the
disciples until after it had happened. They could not conceive of such
possibilities. They probably thought in parabolic terms, and that He was
depicting vividly His own faithful walk as God’s Servant, a walk of service,
sacrifice and hardship, as though it were the same as the call to them to take
up the cross. He too would ‘take up His cross’. Butthey closedtheir minds to
the impossible idea of it actually happening. They probably did not even think
of it as a possibility. They were used to only half understanding what Jesus
was talking about, and probably wrote this off as another example.
‘This saying was hid from them.’ Compare Luke 24:16. This was probably
describing God’s merciful action lestthey be unable to go forward to
Jerusalem. But they would not be able to say that they had not been warned.
And once it had happened they would recognisethat Jesus had know about it
all along. This would help to explain the triumphant way in which they so
quickly went out to proclaim His death, resurrectionand victory. They
immediately recognisedthat it was all within the foreknowledgeofGod, and
that God had brought it about, indeed had predestined Him to it from the
beginning (Acts 2:23-24). What He had said would happen had come about!
So God was in it after all.
What kept them firm throughout was their faith. They would be baffled,
devastated, unsure. But their confidence in Him never wavered. Even in the
darkestmoments they stuck togetherand still did not doubt that it had been
worth following Him. They did not understand what was happening but felt

that somehow, in some way, they would rescue something from the future. For
when the resurrectionappearances beganthey were still there together. It was
faith in the midst of thick darkness.
Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
Luke alone repeated three times that the disciples failed to comprehend
Jesus" words. He strongly suggestedthattheir failure was due to God
withholding this understanding from them (cf. Luke 24:16; Luke 24:25-26).
That Isaiah , it was not within God"s purpose for them to understand at this
time. The illumination of believers is a necessarywork of God"s Spirit that is
supernatural. The Twelve probably would not believe that such a fate would
befall Jesus.
"The failure of the disciples to understand the necessityof Jesus" suffering
and rejectioninvolves the following interrelated defects:(1) a failure to
understand God"s plan as announced in Scripture, including God"s way of
working by using human opposition to fulfill the divine purpose; (2) a failure
to acceptrejectionand suffering as a necessarypart of discipleship; (3) a
failure to reckonwith the rejectionof Jesus, resulting in premature, overly
optimistic expectations forthe immediate enjoyment of the messianic
salvation;(4) rivalry overrank because ofa failure to recognize that only
those who devote their lives as servants can be greatas Jesus is great." [Note:
Tannehill, The Narrative . . ., 1:254.]
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Luke 18:34. And they understood none of these things. Peculiarto Luke;
Matthew and Mark, however, give a proof of the same factin their accountof
the requestof the sons of Zebedee immediately after (Matthew 20:20-28;
Mark 10:35-45). Theyunderstood the words, but what was predicted they did
not understand.

Hid from them. The cause of their not understanding was this hiding, which
was due to their own dullness of spiritual perception, though in another view
God’s agencyis implied. Their spiritual blindness is emphasized by the
connectionwith the healing of blind Bartimeus.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 18:34. This is peculiar to Lk. A similar statement in Luke 9:45 with the
same curious repetition. “An emphatic prolixity” is Meyer’s comment. J.
Weiss (Meyer)from the facts that this verse repeats Luke 9:45 and that Lk.
avoids repetition infers that the words must have been in his source. I rather
think that we have here an effort on Lk.’s part to compensate by a general
statementabout the ignorance of the Twelve for the instructive narrative
about the two sons of Zebedee which comes in at this point in Mt. and Mk.,
and which Lk. omits, doubtless by way of sparing the disciples an exposure.
The iteration (same thing said three times) is in Lk.’s manner (Acts 14:8), but
it is significant here. The aim is by repetition of a generalstatementto convey
the impressionmade by the concrete story—anutter impossibility. No wonder
Lk. labours in expression, in view of that humiliating proof of ignorance and
moral weakness!But the attempt to express the inexpressible is interesting as
showing that Lk. must have had the sons of Zebedee incident in his mind
though he does not choose to recordit. The omissionof this incident carries
along with it the omissionof the secondand most important saying of our
Lord concerning the significance ofHis death. Lk.’s gospelcontains hardly
any basis for a doctrine on that subject(cf. Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45).
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
understood well enough the sense of the words he spoke to them. But they
could not understand how they could be reconciledwith the idea they had
previously conceivedofthe Messias. Theywere scandalizedin the first place,
to think that God should suffer any thing inflicted by man; they were

scandalizedin the secondplace, to hearthat sufferings and death could lead to
victory and empire; and lastly, they were scandalized, (their own feelings
taking the alarm) lestthey should be forced to imitate their Masterin this
part which he had chosenfor himself. (Haydock)
(34) They understood none of these things.—The whole verse is peculiar to St.
Luke, and reproduces what had been said before in Luke 9:45, where see
Note. It is as though his professionalhabit of analysis led him to dwell on these
psychologicalphenomena as explaining the subsequent bewilderment of the
disciples, and their slownessto believe that their Lord had risen from the dead
(Luke 24:11; Luke 24:21; Luke 24:25;Luke 24:38). They heard the words,
but, as we say, did not “take in” their meaning. For a like analysis, see Note on
Luke 22:45.
This saying was hid from them.—The verb so rendered occurs here only in
the New Testament. Its precise meaning is “covered” or“veiled,” rather than
hidden. Some such thought of dimmed perception was in St. Paul’s mind
when he saidof the unbelieving Jews that, as they heard the Law and the
Prophets, “the veil was upon their hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:15).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD

Luke 18:31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are
going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets
about the Son of Man will be accomplished.
Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem:Lu 9:22 24:6,7 Mt 16:21 17:22,23 Mt
20:17-19 Mk 8:31,9,30,31 Mk 10:32-34
and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man
will be accomplished:Lu 24:44-46 Ps 22:1-31 Ps 69:1-36 Isa 53:1-12 Da 9:26
Zec 13:7
Luke 18 Resources- Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 18:28-34 What do You Get When You Follow Christ? - Steven Cole
Luke 18:31-34 Approaching the Cross with Determined Anticipation, Part 1 -
John MacArthur
John MacArthur
JESUS'JOURNEYS TO JERUSALEM
TO FULFILL THE SCRIPTURES
Then He took the twelve aside and saidto them (ParallelPassages - Mt 20:17-
19, Mk 10:32-34)- There was always a crowdaround Jesus, but this
conversationis for their ears only. And what He proceeds to do is tell them for
the third time (directly, not counting allusions) that He is going to be killed
and be resurrected(see the Table below). Jesus'first two passionpredictions
(Lk 9:22 and Lk 9:43-45)were given just before He setHis face like flint for
Jerusalem(Lk 9:51KJV) to accomplishHis mission(cf Jn 4:34, Jn 17:4).
Recallthat Luke 9:51KJV begins a sectionin Luke that continues through Lk
19:27. Now as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, He gives the third and most
detailed description of His Passion. In a sense Jesus'passionpredictions
function as "bookends" ofthe beginning and end of His journey toward

Jerusalem. His entire journey in Lk 9:51 through Lk 19:27 is oriented toward
His passion.
MacArthur has an interesting comment - One reasonthat Jesus neededto
explain things in advance to them is that the conceptof a dying Messiahwas
completely foreignto their understanding (cf. Luke 9:44-45). The nineteenth-
century historian Emil Schürer summarized the Jewishpeople’s expectations
regarding the coming of Messiahand the establishing of His kingdom as
follows:First, the coming of Messiahwould be precededby a time of
tribulation. Second, in the midst of the turmoil an Elijah-like prophet would
appear heralding Messiah’s coming. Third, Messiahwould establishHis
glorious kingdom, and vindicate His people. Fourth, the nations would ally
themselves togetherto fight Messiah. Fifth, Messiahwould destroy all those
opposing nations. Sixth, Jerusalemwould be restored, and made new and
glorious. Seventh, the dispersedJews scatteredallover the world would
return to Israel. Eighth, Israelwould become the center of the world and all
the nations would be subjugated to the Messiah. Finally, the Messiahwould
establishHis kingdom, which would be a time of eternal peace, righteousness,
and glory (A History of the JewishPeople in the Time of Jesus Christ [New
York: Scribners, 1896], 2:154-78 -First page of article on "Messianic Hope" ).
There was no place in Jewishmessianic theologyfor a sacrificed, a dead, or
even a risen Messiah. (MacArthur New TestamentCommentary – Luke 18-
24)
Constable - Luke presentedthis announcement as part of his travel motif that
records Jesus moving from Galilee to Jerusalem(Lk 9:51–19:27). He played
down the amazement and fearof the disciples that Mark stressed(see below).
Instead he focusedthe reader’s attention on the disciples’failure to
understand what was going to happen in Jerusalem. There is a continuation of
the theme of responding to Jesus’words that precedes. The rich young ruler
failed to respond to the goodnews that Jesus proclaimed. Similarly the
disciples, though believing the gospel, failed to respond to the bad news He
told them. There is also a continuation of the theme of entering the kingdom.
The disciples would enter because theybelieved in Jesus, but they would have

to go through trials and tribulations, as Jesus would, before they did. The
death of Jesus provided the basis for God’s gracious dealings with believers
through His Son(Lk 18:26–27).
Mark's version has additional details (see bold)
"They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on
aheadof them; and they were amazed (thambeo - a mixture of astonishment
and admiration), and those who followed were fearful. And againHe took the
twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him." (Mk
10:32)
Comment: This is the third prophecy of His passion(specificallyHis
crucifixion) in Mark = (1) Mk 8:31-33, (2) Mk 9:31-32, cfMk 9:12, (3) Mk
10:33-34, the last giving the greatestdetail. The following details being found
only in Mk 10:33-34 - (1) Delivered to the chief priests and scribes (fulfilled in
Mk 14:53); (2) Condemned to death (fulfilled in Mk 14:64); (3) Delivered to
the Romans (fulfilled in Mk 15:1,10);(4) Mocked, spitupon, scourged
(fulfilled in Mk 14:65); (5) Only mention of the place of the Passionas
Jerusalem.
See Summary of All 9 Prophecies ofHis Passionin the Synoptic Gospels.
Jesus'other allusions to His Passion -Lk 5:35; 12:50;13:32; 17:25.
Note that all three passionprophecies are given only to the 12 disciples, all
three predict He will be killed and all three predict He will rise after 3 days.
Jesus'focus on the goalof Jerusalemand His passionwas fulfilling the

prophecy in Isaiah"the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be
ashamed." (Isaiah50:7) Jesus walking on aheadof His disciples was a
characteristic rabbinic custom. It is a foreshadowing of laterpassagesin
which Jesus says "afterI have been raised, I will go aheadof you to Galilee."
(Mk 14:28, 16:7) As an aside the great accuracywith which Jesus foretoldof
His passionis another clearevidence of His deity.
Swete writes that “The Lord walkedin advance of the Twelve with a
solemnity and a determination which foreboded danger.”
Lane comments on this passagein Mark - What awakens amazementand
terror in the disciples who follow is not the recognitionthat the road leads to
Jerusalemnor an awareness ofwhat will be accomplishedthere, but Jesus
himself. The power of the Lord, who holds in his hands his own destiny as well
as that of the people of God, is manifested for Mark and his readers in the awe
and dread which characterize those around him (cf. Mark 9:32). (Ibid)
Hendriksen reminds us of the context which helps understand Jesus'words in
this section- Though the time and place are indefinite, it is becoming clear
that the long journey from Galilee through Perea is nearing its end. Jericho is
almost in sight (see Lk 18:35; 19:1). Jerusalem(and its environs) is next (Lk
19:11, 28, 41). Matters are becoming more and more serious now. So, in order
to impress upon the disciples the gravity of the events that are about to take
place, Jesus takes The Twelve aside. He tells them, "We are going up to
Jerusalem." (Ibid)
Took...aside (3880)(paralambano frompara = beside + lambano = receive,
take)means to receive alongside orto take to oneselfinto close association, the
latter sense of course being the intended meaning in this context. This idea of

a private time with Jesus is found in other uses by Luke as when "He took
along Peterand John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray" so
that these 3 might bear witness of His Transfiguration. (Lk 9:28-note)
Paralambano uses by Luke -
Lk. 9:10; Lk. 9:28; Lk. 11:26;Lk. 17:34; Lk. 17:35; Lk. 17:36;Lk. 18:31; Jn.
1:11; Jn. 14:3; Jn. 19:17; Acts 15:39;Acts 16:33; Acts 21:24;Acts 21:26;Acts
21:32;Acts 23:18
The twelve - This phrase occurs 28 times in the NT referring to the inner
circle of the twelve disciples/apostles.
Matt. 10:2; Matt. 20:17;Matt. 26:14;Matt. 26:20;Matt. 26:47; Mk. 3:16; Mk.
4:10; Mk. 6:7; Mk. 9:35; Mk. 10:32; Mk. 11:11;Mk. 14:10;Mk. 14:17;Mk.
14:20;Mk. 14:43;Lk. 8:1; Lk. 9:1; Lk. 9:12; Lk. 18:31;Lk. 22:3; Lk. 22:30;
Lk. 22:47; Jn. 6:67; Jn. 6:70; Jn. 6:71; Jn. 20:24; Acts 6:2; 1 Co. 15:5;
Behold (2400)(idou)a demonstrative particle is used to arrestthe hearer(and
reader's)attention. Jesus is saying "Listen up! Do not miss this truth!" He is
alerting them to the fact that this is the beginning of the end.
Someone has written that this is the seventh time in the Gospelof Luke that
Jesus has predicted His rejectionand suffering.
We are going up to Jerusalem(Mt 20:18) - In the two previous passion
predictions (Lk 9:22 and Lk 9:43-45)there is no mention of Jerusalemas the

place of His death. Going up depicts ascending the road on the hill up to the
city, standing on the highestpoint of the backbone ridge of hills that run north
and south betweenthe Jordanand the GreatSea. The irony is here we see
Jesus, King of kings in Rev19:16-note approaching the city which is known in
both the Old and New Testamentas "the city of the Great King." (Ps 48:2;
Mt 5:35-note)But in His first coming, Jesus was going up to Jerusalemnot to
be crownedKing but to be crucified like a criminal! The coronationmust
awaitHis SecondComing, when His feet will "standon the Mount of Olives,
which is in front of Jerusalemon the east" (Zech14:4-note) and He would be
crowned"king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one,
and His name the only one." (Zech 14:9-note) And so Jerusalemis the city of
His destiny for Jesus as He Himself had earlierprophesied declaring "I must
journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannotbe that a
prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem." (Lk 13:33-note)Jesus was on His
final lap to "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those
who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the
way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. (Mt
23:37)
Phillips comments "As the Niagara Riverseems to quicken its pace and move
forward with renewedforce as it approaches the falls, so it was with the Lord.
Those who followedHim sensedit and were awedby it."
Hendriksen - "Going up to Jerusalem" (John 2:13; 5:1; 11:55;Acts 11:2;
25:1,9;Gal. 2:1) must be understood as having reference not only to physical
ascent, Jerusalembeing situated on higher ground, so that from whateverside
one approaches it, that approach is always an ascent;it is far more than that.
It must be interpreted as a matter not just pertaining to the feet (Ps. 122:2),
but also—infactespecially—to the heart (Ps. 84:5). In Jerusalemwas God's
temple! When in connectionwith the greatfeasts pilgrims wended their way
to Jerusalem, they were going there to worship, and this included the bringing

of an offering. Jesus, too, is now "going up to Jerusalem," to bring himself as
an offering for "the sin of the world." See Isa. 53:10; John 1:29. (Ibid)
Son of Man - This is a Messianic title taken from Daniel7:13-note.
All things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will
be accomplished- This fact that Jesus'passionwould fulfill prophecy is
recordedonly by Luke. Recallthe first prophecy of the crucifixion is found in
Genesis 3:15-note
And I will put enmity betweenyou (Satan)and the woman, and betweenyour
seedand her seed(Messiah);He (Messiah)shall bruise you on the head, And
you shall bruise him on the heel (Crucifixion would cause the victim's heel to
bruise as they pushed up with their legs to try to breathe-see explanation).”
This was the greatsubject betweenJesus, MosesandElijah at His
transfiguration for they "were speaking ofHis departure which He was about
to accomplishat Jerusalem." (Lk 9:31-note).
(DANIEL RECORDS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE
"THINGS...WRITTENTHROUGHTHE PROPHETS")“So you are to know
and discern (NOTE TWO WORDS THAT SPEAKOF SOMETHING THEY
COULD KNOW!) that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild
Jerusalem(Neh 2:1-8 = 447 BC) until Messiahthe Prince there will be seven
weeks (SEVENS)and sixty-two weeks (SEVENS);it will be built again, with
plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks
(THAT IS AFTER 62 "7's" + 7 "7's" = 483 YEARS - PREDICTINGTHE
TIME OF MESSIAH'S ARRIVAL VIRTUALLY TO THE DAY - JESUS
SAID "If you had known in this day" = THE JEWS COULD
HAVE/SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!) the Messiahwillbe cut off (SUFFER A
VIOLENT DEATH ~ CRUCIFIXION) and have nothing, and the people

(ROME)of the prince who is to come will destroythe city and the sanctuary
(JERUSALEM DESTROYED70 AD). And its end will come with a flood;
even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:25-
note, Daniel9:26-note, )
“Awake, O sword, againstMy Shepherd, And againstthe man, My
Associate,” Declaresthe LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep
may be scattered;And I will turn My hand againstthe little ones. (Zechariah
13:7-note)
RelatedResource:
Messianic Prophecies -things which are written through the prophets about
the Sonof Man
John MacArthur summarizes a number of the prophecies in his sermon
Approaching the Cross with Determined Anticipation, Part 1 and Part 2
Messianic Prophecyarticles atGotquestions
Written (1125)(grapho fromroot graph- = primarily means to scratchon or
engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc;English = graph, graphic, etc)
means to engrave or inscribe with a pen or stylus characters orletters on a
surface which can be wood, wax, metal, leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John
), paper, etc. Grapho (as it often is) is in the perfecttense signifying that
everything written down in the pastregarding the Sonof Man stands written!
It is a permanent and lasting record which will be fully fulfilled to the last
detail. Study of the Messianic prophecies was a major elementin my coming
to faith in the Messiahas I came to see their incredible accuracyeventhough
they were written centuries before the events.
Luke has two other similar uses of grapho...

because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will
be fulfilled. (Lk 21:22-note)
Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was
still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses
and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Lk 24:44-note)
Luke's uses of grapho
Lk. 1:3; Lk. 1:63; Lk. 2:23; Lk. 3:4; Lk. 4:4; Lk. 4:8; Lk. 4:10; Lk. 4:17; Lk.
7:27; Lk. 10:26; Lk. 16:6; Lk. 16:7; Lk. 18:31;Lk. 19:46; Lk. 20:17;Lk.
20:28;Lk. 21:22;Lk. 22:37; Lk. 24:44;Lk. 24:46; Acts 1:20; Acts 7:42; Acts
13:29;Acts 13:33; Acts 15:15;Acts 15:23; Acts 18:27;Acts 23:5; Acts 23:25;
Acts 24:14;Acts 25:26;
John Phillips - Jesus had been studying these Scriptures since His childhood.
He knew them by heart. There was to be the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
(Zech. 9:9); the betrayal by Judas (Ps. 41:9); the cross with all of its terrors
(Ps. 22; 69;Isa. 53);His death and burial (Ps. 16:10); His resurrection(Jonah
2; Matt. 12:40); His ascensionback home to heaven (Ps. 24); and His
enthronement in glory (Ps. 45:6-7), to be followedby the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit (Joel2:28-29)and His Melchizedekenpriesthood(Gen. 14; Ps.
110:4). He knew every detail. He knew "allthings that are written by the
prophets."To Jerusalem-
Lk 9:53 And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His
face toward Jerusalem.

Mt 20:18-19 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem;and the Son of Man will
be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to
death, and will hand Him overto the Gentiles to mock and scourge and
crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”
Will be accomplished(5055)(teleofrom telos = goal, end, purpose) means to
bring to an end as one brings a process, a course, a task or an undertaking to
the end. The purpose for which Jesus came was that He might die. He was
nearing His goal, a goalthat had been setin motion by the sovereigncouncil
of the Trinity evenbefore the beginning of the world! It is fitting that when
Jesus had once and for all time offeredHimself as the sacrificialLamb, with
His dying words He used this same verb teleo in the perfecttense, crying out
"Tetelestai!" which means "It is finished!", it is "Paid in full!" John records
this incredible event
Therefore when Jesus had receivedthe sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”
And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30-note)
Joshua with some of his lastwords (last words of a godly man are always
worth listening to)
"Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all
your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words
which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been
fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. (Joshua 23:14)
Acts 13:29 speaks ofthe accomplishmentof the prophecies regarding His
passion

“When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took
Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.
In Luke's first record(see table below) of Jesus'prophetic prediction of His
passion(Luke 9:22-note) Luke says "the Son of Man MUST (dei) suffer many
things." The use of "must" speaks ofdivine necessityand reflects God's
sovereigncontrolover all these events, even the murder of His Own Son! The
apostles failedto understand the "divine necessity" ofthe Passion(see Lk
9:44-45 and of course Lk 18:32)We see Luke's use of "must" emphasizing the
divine necessityof His death in Lk 13:33 ("I must journey on today..." and Lk
17:25 ("first He [Son of Man] must suffer many things").
MacArthur - His death would be the culmination of the divine redemptive
purpose of God. The cross is the primary event in redemptive history and
therefore the primary event in all of history. (MacArthur New Testament
Commentary – Luke 18-24)
What the Bible teaches - The Gospels do not record such things as the
plucking of the hair from His face (Isa 50:6), nor the smiting with a rod upon
the cheek (Micah5:1), but we are assuredthat they did these things as well as
the many other predictions that were so perfectly fulfilled in His rejection,
suffering and crucifixion. (What the Bible teaches – Luke)
Constable has an interesting note - The Hellenistic mind resistedthe idea that
a God-man could be truly human. The ancient Greek conceptof the gods
visiting humankind lay behind this difficulty. ConsequentlyLuke presented
much evidence for his Greek readers throughout his Gospelthat Jesus was a
real man. The Jews on the other hand had difficulty accepting the factthat
Jesus was truly God. This accounts forMatthew’s stress on Jesus’deity.
Throughout church history there have been those who like the Greeks had

trouble accepting Jesus’full humanity and others like the Jews who have
resistedHis full deity.
Summary of Jesus'
Nine Prophecies ofHis Passion
Matthew MarkLuke
First passionannouncement Mt 16:21–23 Mk 8:31–33Lk 9:22+
Secondpassionannouncement Mt 17:22–23 Mk 9:30–32Lk 9:43–
45+
Third passionannouncement Mt 20:17–19 Mk 10:32–34 Lk 18:31–
34+
Hendriksen adds an interesting analysis of the three final passion
announcements...
Limiting ourselves to the three main ones, we note that Mark lists seven items
for the third prediction. These sevenare:
The Son of man will be betrayed into the hands of chief priests and scribes,
They will condemn him to death,
And will hand him over to the Gentiles,
Who will mock him, spit upon him,
Scourge him,
And kill him.

Three days later he will rise again.
Matthew has a similar arrangement. There are minor differences;e.g.,
Matthew has "crucify" for "kill." Luke, who often abbreviates, here mentions
only the last five; hence items 3-7. (BakerNew TestamentCommentary –
Exposition of the GospelAccording to Luke)
Summary of Predictions, Reminders, and Proofs ofthe Deathand
Resurrectionof Jesus in the Gospelof Luke (from ESV Study Bible)
Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected... andbe
killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Luke 9:44 “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
Luke 12:50 “I have a baptism to be baptized with.”
Luke 13:32 “I castout demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and
the third day I finish my course.”
Luke 13:33 “for it cannot be that a prophet should perish awayfrom
Jerusalem.”
Luke 17:25 “But first he must suffer many things and be rejectedby this
generation.”
Luke 18:32 “he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mockedand
shamefully treated and spit upon.”
Luke 18:33 “after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will
rise.”
Luke 24:6-7 “Rememberhow he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that
the Sonof Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be
crucified and on the third day rise.”
Luke 24:25-26 “slow ofheart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
Was it not necessarythat the Christ should suffer these things and enter into
his glory?”

Luke 24:46 “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third
day rise from the dead.”
Luke 18:32 "ForHe will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked
and mistreatedand spit upon,
He will be handed over to the Gentiles:Lu 23:1,11 Mt 27:2 Mk 15:1 Joh
18:28,30,35Ac 3:13
and will be mockedand mistreatedand spit upon: Lu 22:63-65 23:11,35 Isa
50:6 52:14 53:3 Mic 5:1 Mt 26:67 Mt 27:28-30 Mk 14:65 15:17-20 Joh18:22
19:1-5
Luke 18 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
John MacArthur
John MacArthur
PROPHECYOF
HIS PASSION
He will be handed over to the Gentiles (Mt 20:18,19,Mk 10:33-34)- The
Gentiles refers to the Romans (including Pontius Pilate). Recallthat most
commentators feelLuke's Gospelis aimed at Gentile readers and here we see
he emphasizes that they are guilty in Jesus'murder just as much as the Jews.
Mark explains that first "the Son of Man would be delivered to the chief
priests and the scribes and they will condemn Him to death and will hand
Him over to the Gentiles." (Mk 10:33).

Hendriksen - Since the Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out the death
sentence (Jn 18:31), the Jewishauthorities were going to hand Jesus over to
the Gentiles, that is, in the presentcase to Pilate and those who carriedout his
commands. (Ibid)
Handed over (delivered to, cf similar uses in Lk. 23:25;Lk. 24:7; Lk.
24:20)(3860)(paradidomifrom para = alongside, beside, to the side of, over to
+ didomi = to give) conveys the basic meaning of to give over from one's hand
to someone or something, especiallyto give over to the power of another.
Luke's uses of paradidomi - it is notable that the verb paradidomi is
frequently translated"betray" (Lk 22:4, 22:6, 22:21, 22, 48)
Lk. 1:2; Lk. 4:6; Lk. 9:44; Lk. 10:22; Lk. 12:58; Lk. 18:32;Lk. 20:20; Lk.
21:12;Lk. 21:16;Lk. 22:4; Lk. 22:6; Lk. 22:21;Lk. 22:22;Lk. 22:48; Lk.
23:25;Lk. 24:7; Lk. 24:20; Acts 3:13; Acts 6:14; Acts 7:42; Acts 8:3; Acts
12:4; Acts 14:26; Acts 15:26; Acts 15:40;Acts 16:4; Acts 21:11; Acts 22:4;
Acts 27:1; Acts 28:17;
And will be mockedand mistreatedand spit upon (Mt 20:19) - Mark says that
it is the Gentiles (especiallythe Roman soldiers)"will mock Him and spit on
Him." (Mk 10:33-34). This was fulfilled in Luke 22:63, 65-note;Lk 23:11-
note. To spit upon a person's face indicated gross contempt, hatred,
disrespect, and insult.
Mocked(1702)(empaizo from en = in, at + paizo = play as a child - pais -
child) means to ridicule, to make fun of, to mock, to deceive, to trick, to taunt,
to treat outrageously, to treat someone contemptuouslyin an insolent and
arrogantway, to treat abusively. To to play a game with.

Vine - empaizo — emp-aheed'-zo - a compound of paizo, "to play like a child"
(pais), "to sport, jest," prefixed by en, "in" or "at," is used only in the
Synoptists, and, in every instance, of the "mockery" ofChrist, except in
Matthew 2:16 (there in the sense of deluding, or deceiving, of Herod by the
wise men) and in Luke 14:29 , of ridicule castupon the one who after laying a
foundation of a toweris unable to finish it. The word is used (a) prophetically
by the Lord, of His impending sufferings, Matthew 20:19 ; Mark 10:34 ; Luke
18:32 ; (b) of the actual insults inflicted upon Him by the men who had taken
Him from Gethsemane, Luke 22:63; by Herod and his soldiers, Luke 23:11 ;
by the soldiers of the governor, Matthew 27:29,31 ;Mark 15:20 ; Luke 23:36 ;
by the chief priests, Matthew 27:41 ; Mark 15:31 .
Mistreated(insulted) (5195)(hubrizo from húbris = injury, insult, reproach,
arrogance, insolence, ill-treatment. Our English word hubris refers to
exaggeratedpride or self-confidence)means actwith insolence, wantonness,
wickedviolence, to treat injuriously. To actspitefully toward someone, treat
shamefully, and therefore to injure or to abuse. It conveys the idea of treating
someone contemptuouslyin an insolent and arrogantway. Luke uses this
same verb in Acts 14:5 "when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and
the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone" Pauland Barnabas in
Iconium.
Spurgeon- It would be hard to imagine our Lord speaking more plainly. He
tells them of his sufferings in detail—describes exactlywhat is to happen. But
their thoughts did not run that way, and when you are not expecting a thing, it
matters little how plainly you may be told of it. And these disciples of our
Lord were looking to see him made a king; they could not comprehend that
the only crown he was to have would be one of thorns and that the homage
paid to him would be to be scourgedand spat on.

Luke 18:33 and after they have scourgedHim, they will kill Him; and the
third day He will rise again."
the third day He will rise again: Lu 24:7,21 Mt 27:63 1 Co 15:3,4
John MacArthur
John MacArthur
YOU CAN'T KEEP A
GOOD MAN DOWN!
In Luke 9:21-22 (first Passionprediction - see table) Jesus had foretold of His
murder...
But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying,
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejectedby the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”
After they have scourgedHim (Mt 20:19, Mk 10:34) - In Roman law
scourging always accompaniedcapitalpunishment.
Scourge (3146)(mastigoo frommástix = plague, whip, scourge)means literally
to flog or scourge. The scourge was firsta whip used as an instrument of

punishment and then figuratively came to mean to punish severelyor to drive
as if by blows of a whip. (See a Roman scourge)
Mattoon- Scourging was a brutal form of punishment which sometimes led to
death. The victim was stripped of his clothes and tied to a post in a bent
position. He was beatenwith a whip with numerous leather strands which
were about 18-24 inches in length. These strands were embedded with metal,
bones, or glass and were tipped with hooks. The names "scorpion" or"cat-of-
nine-tails" were given to these whips. Many times the scourging was not done
by one man, but by a team of men that would take turns so they could rest.
The skin on the sides of the personwho was whipped was shredded, exposing
muscle and bone. Severe blood loss and dehydration afflicted the one being
whipped and many times they ended up dying. Under Jewishlaw, a person
could be lashednot more than 39 times. Under Romanlaw, there was no limit
on the lashings. Scourging was usedto weakenthe personfor crucifixion.
Without scourging, a strong, condemned man might survive on the cross for
severaldays until exposure, wild animals, insects, or birds contributed to his
death. The only allowable exemptions to scourging were women, Roman
senators, orRoman soldiers (exceptin casesofdesertion). Peterreferred to
the scourging ofJesus. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;for by His wounds
(STRIPES)you were healed." (1 Peter2:24) The scourging of the Lord Jesus
Christ was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. (Isa 50:6, 53:5, 52:13-14)
They will kill Him and the third day He will rise again - His death was
substitutionary, in other words He died in our place, so that we might live
with Him (cf Gal 1:4-note, Titus 2:14-note, 1 Pe 3:18-note, 1 Jn 3:16-note, Rev
1:5-note). His death and resurrectionare the key truths repeatedin all three
of Luke's mentions of the Passion(see table).

Luke 24:7, 21 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of
sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”....21 “Butwe were
hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this,
it is the third day since these things happened.
Bob Utley on the third day - In Jewishreckoning oftime any part of a day was
counted as a full day. Jesus died before 6 p.m. on Friday; therefore, that was
one day. He was in the grave all of the Sabbath; that was day two. He arose
sometime before sunrise on Sunday (remember Jews starttheir day at 6
p.m.); that was day three.
MacArthur - (Jesus')detailed knowledge ofwhat would happen to Him in the
future is anotherdisplay of Christ’s omniscience (cf. His knowledge of
people’s hearts [John 2:24-25;cf. Luke 6:8; 11:17];the precise locationof
where a fish with a coin in its mouth would be [Matt. 17:27;cf. John 21:5-6];
that a woman whom He had met for the first time had had five husbands
[John 4:18]; where the coltHe would ride in the triumphal entry would be
locatedand what its owners would say when the disciples took it [Luke 19:30-
34]; that the disciples would meet a man carrying a pitcher who would show
them the place where they would eatthe Last Supper [Luke 22:10]; and that
Jerusalemwould be destroyed four decades later[Luke 21:20]).(Ibid)
Paul includes the detail about Jesus'resurrectionas a crucial truth in the
messageofthe Gospelbecause no other world religion even claims to have a
leaderwho rose from the dead...
1 Corinthians 15:3; 4 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that
He was buried, and that He was raisedon the third day according to the
Scriptures,

Comment: Scriptures in the NT refers to the Old TestamentScriptures
because that is all they had written at that time. So the question is which OT
Scriptures does Paul refer to? Psalm 16:10 says "ForYou will not abandon
my soulto Sheol;Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay." In
this passageChrist's resurrectionis clearlyalluded to and it was quoted with
that intended meaning by Peterin Acts 2:27 and by Paul in Acts 13:35. Some
(ESV Study Bible) see Hosea 6:2 as suggesting Christ's resurrectionon the
third day but others (MacArthur) do not interpret this as a reference to His
resurrection. A clearreference to the time of the resurrectionis seenin Jonah
1:17 for Jesus Himself referred to it as the "signof Jonah" declaring "just as
JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF
THE SEA MONSTER,so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth." (Mt 12:40, cf Mt 16:4, Lk 11:29-note).
Luke 18:34 But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning
of this statementwas hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the
things that were said.
Lu 2:50 Lk 9:45 Lk 24:25,45 Mk 9:32 Joh10:6 12:16 16:1-19
John MacArthur
John MacArthur
Hendriksen's translation- But they understood none of this; in fact, the
(meaning of this) statementhad been concealedfrom them, and they did not
(even) begin to graspwhat was said.
THE DISCIPLES THREE-FOLD

FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND
A T Robertsonsays "It was a puzzling experience. No wonder that Luke tries
three times to explain the continued failure of the apostles to understand
Jesus. The words of Christ about his death ran counter to all their hopes and
beliefs."
MacArthur - Critics see in this statementproof that Jesus never made this
prediction. If He had, they argue, the disciples would surely have understood
and not been surprised when what the Lord predicted came to pass. It is true
that they did grasp some of the spiritual truth Jesus taught, such as the
parables (Matt. 13:16-17). But there was a perfectly goodreasonthat the
disciples failed to graspthe Lord’s teaching about His suffering and death: it
failed to fit their messianic theology. TheyexpectedMessiahto be a king, who
would defeat Israel’s enemies and establish His kingdom. They were looking
for a coronation, not a crucifixion; for a messiahwho killed His enemies, not
one who was killed by His own people. The idea of a crucified Messiahwas an
absurdity to them. It was so ridiculous that they could not even comprehend
it. “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,” wrote
Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18. Thus “Christ crucified” was “to Jews a stumbling
block” (1 Cor 1:23); a massive barrier that they could not get past.
(MacArthur New TestamentCommentary – Luke 18-24)
But the disciples understood none of these things - Even Jesus'parents,
Josephand Mary, "did not understand (suniemi) the statement("I had to be
in My Father’s house?”" -Lk 2:49) which He had made to them." (Lk 2:50-
note). It is not until the Emmaus episode afterHis resurrection(Lk 24:13ff-
note), that the disciples understood for "ThenHe (Jesus)openedtheir minds
to understand (suniemi) the Scriptures." (Lk 24:45-note, cfLk 24:25-26, 27-
note)

Understood (4920)(suniemifrom sun/syn = with + hiemi = send; cf sunesis)
literally means to send togetheror bring together. The idea is to put together
"pieces ofthe puzzle" (so to speak)and to exhibit quick comprehension.
Suniemi is the manifestationof the ability to understand concepts and see
relationships betweenthem and thus describes the exercise ofthe faculty of
comprehension, intelligence, acuteness, shrewdness.The noun sunesis was
originally used by Homer in the Odysseyto describe the running togetheror a
flowing togetherof two rivers.
Mattoonwrites that "The light bulb did not come on in the minds of the
disciples about His resurrection. It did, however, come on in the minds of the
chief priests and Pharisees. Theywantedthe tomb guarded. (See Matthew
27:62-64)."
And the meaning of this statementwas hidden from them - In the first direct
mention of His passionLuke has a similar description of a three-fold failure to
comprehend Jesus'words.
Luke 9:44-45-note “Letthese words sink into your ears;for the Son of Man is
going to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this
statement, and it was concealedfrom them so that they would not perceive it;
and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.
Was hidden (2928)(krupto; English= crypt, cryptic) is a verb meaning to
cover, to hide, to conceal, to keepsecret(eitherprotectively or for selfish
reasons)so as to keepit from being seen. In some contexts krupto means to
hide so as to keepsecret(eg, Lk 19:42). Krupto is used by Luke to describe
leaven"hid in three pecks offlour." (Lk 13:21) Krupto is in the perfect tense
which indicates that it was hidden at some point in time and remains hidden
or concealed. In view of the factthat this verb is in the passive voice, one

considerationis that this is a so-called"divine passive," that in some sense the
significance ofJesus'passionprediction was kept veiled from the disciples.
Lawrence Richards agrees commenting that "Luke clearlyimplied that God
Himself withheld understanding awaiting the right time. What a helpful
reminder! Often those we teach or minister to, including our own children,
seemunwilling to graspand apply truths we know are vital. Despite all we
say, they make unwise or foolish choices. While the reasonmay lie in their
own willfulness, we must remember that it may simply be that it isn’t yet
God’s time for them to understand. God often hides the meaning of what we
teachuntil the time is right to reveal it. Let’s deal graciouslyand patiently
with others, as Jesus did with His disciples. If they seemslow or reluctant,
let’s considerthe possibility that God has His own reasons forwithholding
understanding for a time." (365 Day DevotionalCommentary)
As Jesus approachedJerusalem, He wept and said "If you had known in this
day, even you, the things which make for peace!But now they have been
hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:42-note)
And they did not comprehend the things that were said - Comprehend is
ginosko to know by experience. Johnuses the same verb in explaining that
"These things (referring specificallyto the Zech 9:9 prophecy alluded to in Jn
12:14)His disciples did not understand (ginosko)at the first; but when Jesus
was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him,
and that they had done these things to Him." (John 12:16)
Utley comments that "Manyof Jesus’teachings did not make sense to the
Apostles until after the resurrectionand the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost
(cf. John 14:26; 15:26;16:13–15). Theycould not yet see the fullness of the

Jesus was speaking clearly to deaf ears

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