Why were the disciples afraid to ask Jesus about His statement in Mark 9:32? Setting the scene “He was teaching His disciples and telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after He is killed, He will rise on the third day.’ But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.” (Mark 9:31-32) Layers of fear behind their silence • They did not understand. • The idea of a suffering, dying, and rising Messiah clashed with their expectation of an immediate, triumphant kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 24:21). • “Did not understand” carries the sense of being completely baffled; they lacked the spiritual insight that would come after the resurrection (John 12:16). • They remembered a recent rebuke. • Just days earlier Peter had tried to correct Jesus and was sharply told, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Mark 8:32-33). • The sting of that public reprimand still lingered; none wanted to risk a similar correction. • They were awed by His glory. • Some had just witnessed the transfiguration and “were terrified” (Mark 9:6). • A fresh sense of His majesty made them reluctant to confront or question Him. • They felt the weight of personal failure. • Moments before this teaching, they could not cast out a demon (Mark 9:18, 28-29). • Their inadequacy exposed, they hesitated to admit further ignorance. • They feared the implications. • If their Master must suffer and die, what would that mean for His followers? (John 15:20). • The possibility of shared persecution produced unease strong enough to silence them. Other passages that echo the same reaction • Matthew 17:22-23 and Luke 9:44-45 record the same prophecy and the same incomprehension. • Luke adds, “It was concealed from them so that they would not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it” (Luke 9:45), highlighting a divinely permitted veil over their understanding until the proper time (cf. Luke 24:45). Putting it together The disciples’ fear sprang from a tangle of confusion, recent correction, awe, shame, and anxiety about the cost of discipleship. All of it combined to keep them silent—until the resurrection opened their minds and turned fearful followers into bold witnesses (Acts 2:32). |
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