25thWeek in Ord. Time, Saturday – 25th September 2021 — Gospel: Lk 9,43b-45
Lack of understanding
Jesus introduces, second time, his prediction of betrayal with an appeal for his disciples to listen carefully. However, despite this plea the disciples do not understand. The focus of attention in the preceding scenes has been on Jesus’ identity as God’s chosen Son and to listen to him. The disciples are unable to move from this divine affirmation of Jesus’ identity to Jesus’ own words regarding his fatal end. Their ignorance is expressed in three different words, “not grasping”, “hidden from them”, “did not comprehend”. Their inability worsened the situation for they were afraid to clarify him of what he said. The same thing Jesus had spoken little earlier (Lk 9,22), even then they failed to understand Him. On the one side of the cross, it must have been terribly difficult to grasp the truth that Jesus’ Messiahship meant his death. On the other side, they had to experience Jesus’ resurrection in order to grasp the significance of his cross.
