“they did not understand the saying”

Did Jesus know everything that would happen to Him? Yes. “Christ enjoyed in his human knowledge the fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he had come to reveal.” [1] Jesus is one person with two natures, human and divine; therefore His human knowledge is united with His eternal wisdom. The human knowledge of the disciples lacks this eternal wisdom and thus “they did not understand.” In the midst of understanding that fails, Our Lord speaks the truth, thus revealing the mystery of our faith; His passion, death, resurrection.

“Our Lord never separates the announcement of his passion from that of his resurrection, which is the conclusion and illuminates its value. The disciples, on the other hand, thought only of the passion and, frightened, tried to escape it. The Evangelist notes that ‘they were afraid to ask him’ (verse 32) about the matter; they preferred to avoid the issue by ignoring it. It is really rather startling to see how they began to discuss instead, ‘who (among them) was the greatest’ (verse 34). This is characteristic of man on the natural level; to shun the cross and to seek instead a little glory for himself, and to assure himself of a place that is maybe a little higher than the next person’s.” [2]

How do we separate the passion from the resurrection? First, we do this when we only look at the negative without seeing the positive. Second, we may get overwhelmed at future events and thus only see a few things (usually the negative) but not the full picture. Jesus said to the disciples, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise." The disciples only heard the first part about being “handed over” and “they will kill him.” In their fear the disciples stop and hear only half of what Our Lord is saying. They pay no attention to the second part which says, “after his death the Son of Man will rise.” “Three times he had announced his Passion and Resurrection” [3] and three times the disciples hear only “passion” but not “resurrection”.
 
We must be people of hope. We must take the Lord on His word, all of His word not just half. “Christ is the way that leads to the Father, the truth which gives meaning to human existence, and the source of that life which is eternal joy with all the saints in his heavenly Kingdom. Let us take the Lord at his word! Let us renew our faith in him and put all our hope in his promises!” [4] Christ was promising the He would suffer and die, but also that after His death he would rise again. The virtue of Hope is therefore connected to the promises of Christ. We must work hard to know and accept all of the promises of Christ, whether they are appealing or not.

ACTIVITY – Appealing or Not?
Using the four Gospels find as many scripture passages that contain the promises of Jesus. Are these promises appealing or not? Below are just a few examples.

What are some of Jesus’s promises that are appealing?
“I will make you fishers of men” – Matthew 4:19
“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of age.” – Matthew 28:20
“I shall raise him on the last day.” – John 6:40

What are some of Jesus’s promises that are not so appealing?
“If they persecuted my, they will also persecute you.” – John 15:20
“This very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” – Matthew 26:34
“And you yourself a sword will pierce…” – Luke 2:35
 
How do the apostles avoid the issue of Jesus passion and death? They begin to talk about themselves and who of them is the greatest. Our own pride, which is one of the seven deadly sins always will cause us to avoid Christ and focus on self.
 
How do we avoid the issue of suffering in our life? For many of us, when we look at our suffering we look only at our life. Satan does not want us to think of something that is bigger. He does not want us to think about the suffering of others, or especially the suffering of Christ. He would like for us to believe that we are the only one that suffers. Many times we believe that if we avoid the issue of suffering then it won’t happen. This is similar to avoiding a physical ailment, believing that it will simply go away. This is completely and utterly false. We are all going to suffer. How we are before, during, and after our suffering is what can make or break us. Christ shows us the way. If we unite ourselves to Christ, we unite our suffering to something larger than just what we think we are going through in our own little world. We must remember God can bring redemption out of suffering.

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church - 474
[2] Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., Divine Intimacy
[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church - 557
[4] Pope Benedict XVI; Papal Visit to the US; April 20, 2008