Luke's narrative joins this event with the preceding one thematically. However the other Synoptics indicate that this conversation took place sometime later (Matt. 17:22; Mark 9:30). Luke's construction has the effect of contrasting the wonder of the people with their rejection that resulted in Jesus' sufferings and death. Luke also stressed the fulfillment of divine purpose in Jesus' passion.
9:43b-44 The reaction of the crowd to Jesus' exorcism (v. 43a) was typical of the reaction of the multitudes as He continued to minister (v. 43b). In the context of this popular approval, Jesus revealed again to His disciples that it would not continue. He prefaced His announcement with a demand for attention that sets their incomprehension off more strikingly. This announcement contained new information about His passion, namely that someone--a human being but ultimately God--would hand Jesus over to His enemies (cf. Rom. 4:25; 8:31-32). Jesus' use of the title "Son of Man"(v. 44) intensified the horror of such a prospect.
9:45 However this announcement did not make sense to the disciples. This was probably because of the popular view of the Messiah that still influenced them, the glorious prophecies about the Son of Man in the Old Testament, and Jesus' great popularity. Most important they did not understand because God hid this understanding from them (cf. 24:16). That is, they understood the words but could not understand how this would happen partly because of their limited faith. They remembered Jesus' words, but they only understood the prediction after Jesus' resurrection. Perhaps they were afraid to ask Jesus to clarify what He said because they feared to hear what they suspected, that Jesus would indeed die soon.
"Some interpreters understand the statement, It was hid from them that they might not understand it,' as indication that God prevented the disciples from understanding.260While the passive formulation may hint at divine involvement, I would caution against the assumption that human resistance is not an important factor at this point in the narrative. If a divine purpose is involved, it is a purpose which works in and through human resistance, for which humans remain responsible."261
Thus there was a "suffering secret"as well as a "messianic secret"in Jesus ministry.262The "messianic secret"was the fact that Jesus was the divine Messiah that He revealed only gradually before the Triumphal Entry. He withheld this information to preclude superficial and premature acceptance of Himself by the multitudes. The "suffering secret"was the information about Jesus' passion that God revealed to the disciples only gradually before the Resurrection.
