They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Mark 9:30-32
The disciples were bothered by the first exposure to the gospel in the teaching of their Master. While He was with them, He foretold in detail the events of His death and resurrection. He did this on more than one occassion in the gospels as we read them. Jesus was clear on His mission. He knew that He came to die for sin and to be raised again the third day.
It was the disciples who were fuzzy on all this. And though they got the dire aspects of the prophecy (Jesus would die), they were too afraid, and really too self-consumed (see the immediate context of Mark 9:33-37 where they immediately argue about which one of them is the greatest) to get what was going to happen. It wasn’t until the events actually took place that they clearly understood the gospel that Jesus spoke to them.
We can be dull to the gospel. The gospel should invite questions, discovery, and wonder. And Jesus wants us to delve into the glories of the salvation He has brought about for us. How we need to allow that wonder to draw us into the gospel rather than to live in our petty, selfish thoughts of self-importance! The gospel changes all of that! Jesus brings new life so we can be raised to new life by His death and resurrection. That is the greatest thing ever! How can we ever get over that?!
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