What things were “cancelled” from the disciples?

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : Twenty Fifth Week:  Saturday*

*Gospel :  Luke 9:43-45*

*First Reading : Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8*

*Responsorial Psalm : 90: 3-6, 12-13, 17*

*What things were “cancelled” from the disciples?*

*1) What was “concealed” from the disciples?*

The disciples could not understand the mystery of the Cross. Just before this passage, they had witnessed Jesus' power in the healing of the boy possessed by an evil spirit. The crowd was amazed at the greatness of God (Lk 9:43). 

At precisely that moment of glory, Jesus tells them: “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”

They could not reconcile two things:

Jesus is powerful, yet He will allow Himself to be handed over.

Jesus is the Messiah, yet He will suffer.

Jesus brings victory, yet His victory will come through the Cross.

Jesus is Lord, yet He will become vulnerable in the hands of human beings.

The disciples were looking for glory; Jesus was preparing them for the Cross.

*2) Why was it concealed from them?*

The Gospel does not suggest that God wanted to keep the disciples ignorant forever. Rather, they were not yet ready to grasp the full meaning of Jesus' Passion.

Luke 9:45 says: “They did not understand this saying.”

Their problem was not merely lack of intelligence. Their expectations about the Messiah were different. They were still thinking in terms of power, success, honour and victory. In the following verses, they even argue about which of them was the greatest (Lk 9:46).

This is significant. Jesus is speaking about His suffering, while the disciples are thinking about their greatness.

*3) What is the purpose of this concealment?*

There is a spiritual lesson here: some truths can be understood only gradually.

God does not always reveal everything at once.

The disciples would understand the Cross more deeply after the Resurrection. What appeared to be defeat would later be understood as the way to salvation.

Therefore, faith sometimes means saying: “Lord, I do not understand now, but I trust You.” Understanding may come later.

*4) What does “the Son of Man will be delivered” mean?*

The word “delivered” is important.

Jesus will be: betrayed by one of His own, handed over to the authorities, rejected, mocked, condemned, crucified.

But there is a deeper mystery: Jesus freely accepts this path for our salvation.

The Cross is not simply something that happens to Jesus. It becomes something He accepts and offers in love.

This gives us an important distinction:

The Cross is not the celebration of suffering for its own sake.

The Cross is the revelation of love in the midst of suffering.

*5) Application to Life*

*A) We do not understand everything immediately*

There are moments when we ask: “Why is this happening to me?”

A sickness, failure, rejection, transfer, misunderstanding, loss, disappointment or unexpected change may make no sense at the moment.

Like the disciples, we may say: “Lord, I don't understand.”

Faith does not always give us an immediate explanation. Sometimes it gives us the strength to continue without one.

Can I trust God even when I cannot understand what He is doing?

*B) Behind apparent defeat, God may be working*

The disciples saw the Cross as something incompatible with Jesus' greatness.

But the Cross became the path to Resurrection.

We often measure life by immediate results: success, money, recognition, position, popularity, achievement.

God may see something deeper. What looks like defeat today may become an instrument of grace tomorrow.

*C) We want glory without the Cross*

This is perhaps one of the strongest messages of Luke 9.

The disciples wanted greatness, but Jesus was speaking about suffering.

We too may want: Resurrection without Good Friday, success without sacrifice,  victory without struggle, recognition without service, harvest without sowing.

But Christian discipleship follows the pattern of Christ: Cross → surrender → faithfulness → Resurrection.

*D) God's silence does not mean God's absence*

Sometimes God seems silent.

We pray, but there is no immediate answer.

We ask for direction, but the way remains unclear.

The disciples themselves did not understand what Jesus was telling them.

Yet Jesus continued walking with them.

When we do not understand God, we must not conclude that God has abandoned us.

The disciples did not understand the plan, but they were still walking with Jesus.

*E) Some truths are understood only through experience*

There are things we can explain intellectually, but there are other things we understand only by living them.

For example:

We understand forgiveness more deeply after being hurt.

We understand compassion after experiencing suffering.

We understand sacrifice after giving something up for another.

We understand God's faithfulness after passing through a difficult period.

We understand the Cross more deeply after carrying our own cross.

Experience can open the meaning that words alone cannot reveal.

*F) Do not judge the story before it is finished*

The disciples might have thought: “Jesus is going to suffer. Therefore, everything is going wrong.”

But they did not yet know the end of the story.

This is also true in our lives.

We often judge a chapter while God is still writing the book.

A difficult chapter is not necessarily the conclusion.

Do not make a permanent judgment about your life based on a temporary struggle.

*G) We need humility before God's mystery*

The disciples were unable to understand Jesus' words.

That teaches us something important: Faith is not having an answer to every question.

Sometimes faith means accepting: “I don't understand, but I believe that God is with me.”

There is humility in saying, “I don't know.”

*G) The Cross changes the meaning of suffering*

Christianity does not teach us to seek suffering.

Rather, when suffering comes, Christ teaches us how to transform it through love, faith and surrender.

A person may suffer because of illness, old age, loneliness, persecution, family problems or life's unexpected circumstances.

The question becomes: “Can I unite my suffering with Christ and allow it to become an offering of love?”

This gives suffering a different meaning.

The disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying, but Jesus did not abandon them. He continued to walk with them until they were ready to understand.

“I may not understand what God is doing in my life today, but I can still trust that God is walking with me. The Cross may be a mystery now, but with God, the story does not end at the Cross.”

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*