But
they didn’t understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Mark 9:32
Mark 9 [30.] They went out from there, and passed through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know it. For he was teaching his disciples, and said to them, “The Son of Man is being handed over to the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, on the third day he will rise again.”
Mark 9 [32.] But they didn’t understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Mark 9 [33.] He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?”
Meaning:
Jesus had just told his disciples plainly that he would be handed over, killed and raised on the third day (Mark 9:30-31). Mark’s comment is brief and honest: they did not understand, and they were afraid to ask. This short verse reveals a great deal about the disciples and about human hearts.
- “They didn’t understand the saying”
The words themselves were not complicated. The problem was that they did not fit what the disciples believed about the Messiah. They expected the Christ to defeat Israel’s enemies and reign, not to be killed. When Jesus had first spoken of his death, Peter took him aside and “began to rebuke him” (Mark 8:32). It is hard to understand what we do not want to accept. Earlier Jesus had asked them, “Don’t you understand, yet?” (Mark 8:21), and the same slowness appears again.
Even the promise of resurrection on the third day meant little to them yet. They had already puzzled over what “rising from the dead” could mean (Mark 9:9-10). Only after Easter did the risen Jesus open “their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45).
- “And were afraid to ask him”
Why were they afraid? Perhaps they remembered how sharply Jesus had rebuked Peter for resisting the idea of the cross (Mark 8:33). Perhaps they sensed that the answer would be painful, and they preferred not to hear it. Perhaps they were embarrassed to admit they did not understand. Whatever the reason, fear kept them from the one person who could explain. The next verse shows what filled the silence: an argument about which of them was the greatest (Mark 9:33).
- A contrast with the father
Only a little earlier a desperate father had openly confessed his weakness, crying, “I believe. Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). His honesty led to his son’s healing. The disciples, by staying silent, remained in their confusion.
The Significance of Mark 9:32
- Bring your questions to Jesus
Believers sometimes avoid asking God hard questions, afraid of the answer or ashamed of their ignorance. But Jesus welcomes honest questions. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
- God gives understanding in time
The disciples’ confusion was not the end of the story. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, who “will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you” (John 14:26). Truths that seem dark today may become clear later, as God opens our understanding.
Cross-References:
Luke 24:45: "Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures." After the resurrection Jesus gave the understanding the disciples lacked.
Mark 8:21: "He asked them, “Don’t you understand, yet?”" The disciples had been slow to understand before.
James 1:5: "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him." God invites us to ask rather than remain in confusion.
John 14:26: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you." The Spirit later helped the disciples remember and understand.
Conclusion: When Jesus told his disciples that he would be killed and rise again, they did not understand, and they were afraid to ask him. Their expectations of a conquering Messiah blinded them, and fear kept them silent. Only after the resurrection did their understanding come. The verse encourages believers to bring their questions honestly to Jesus and to trust God to give understanding in his time.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible