Mark 9:31-32 - But they did not understand...

because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Commentary

One of the methods that Jesus used to talk about God were stories. And some of the stories that Jesus told weren't meant to be understood at its initial telling. It's almost as if Jesus used stories to separate the casual inquirer from the disciple. The former would just nod their head in agreement and pretend to understand. The latter would scratch their head in confusion. But when they approached Jesus for insight, He saw that these were the ones that the Father had set apart for Him. Sometimes we don't understand and are afraid to ask. The Scripture clearly tells us to ASK, SEEK, KNOCK! It is in the asking that we show reverence for the words of God. It is in pursuit of clearing the confusion that we become His disciples.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC