“But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.”
My Notes
What Does Luke 9:45 Mean?
"They understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying." Three layers of not-knowing: they didn't understand, it was hidden from them, and they feared to ask. The incomprehension is complete — cognitive failure, divine concealment, and emotional barrier combine to create total darkness about what Jesus just said (His coming death and resurrection).
The phrase "it was hid from them" introduces a divine element: God actively concealed the meaning. The disciples' failure to understand isn't purely intellectual — it's providential. God hid the truth from them at this point. The understanding would come later. The timing of revelation is God's, not theirs.
The fear of asking is the most human detail. They sensed the subject was dangerous — something they didn't want to understand. The fear isn't of Jesus' anger but of the truth itself. They didn't want to know because the knowing would be too painful.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What truth are you afraid to ask about because the answer might hurt?
- 2.How is divine concealment sometimes mercy rather than cruelty?
- 3.Have you ever understood something only in retrospect that was hidden from you at the time?
- 4.What might God be pacing for you — hiding now to reveal later?
Devotional
They didn't understand. It was hidden from them. And they were afraid to ask. Three reasons for one darkness: cognitive, divine, and emotional. They couldn't get it, God wasn't showing it, and they didn't want to know.
The fear of asking is the most relatable detail. The disciples sense that Jesus is saying something terrible — something about suffering, death, the end of everything they've hoped for. And they don't ask for clarification because the clarification might confirm their worst fear. Better not to know. Better to stay confused than to hear the truth they're not ready for.
This is how most people handle truths they're not ready for: they stop asking. The questions are available. The Teacher is willing to explain. But the student would rather stay in the fog than step into clarity, because clarity might mean facing something unbearable.
The divine concealment — "it was hid from them" — adds a merciful dimension. God sometimes hides what you can't yet handle. The full truth about the cross would have been too much for the disciples at this stage. They needed to see the Transfiguration before they could survive Gethsemane. The concealment isn't cruelty — it's pacing.
What truth are you afraid to ask about? What clarification are you avoiding because the answer might be too painful? And is it possible that God is hiding something from you not to keep you in the dark permanently, but to reveal it at the right time?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And said unto them, whosoever shalt receive this child,.... Or "one such little child", as in Mat 18:5 and so the Syriac…
It was hid from them - They had imbibed the common notions of the Jews that he was to be a prince and a conqueror, to…
But they understood not - See the note on Mar 9:32.
We may observe here, I. The impression which Christ's miracles made upon all that beheld them (Luk 9:43): They were all…
shake off the very dust from your feet See Act 13:51; Act 18:6.
they understood not This ignorance and incapacity, so…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture