In Matthew 17:22 and for a second time Jesus repeated his teaching or revelation that he would suffer and die at the hands of men but would rise again on the third day. Just as in Matthew 16:16-17, Jesus second revelation of his suffering, death and resurrection follows an incident that offers evidence of the Apostles’ spiritual understanding. In Matthew 17:10-13 the Apostles (three of them) displayed some spiritual growth, showing they were listening to the voice of God in their hearts.
However, upon hearing Jesus speak of his sufferings and death in Matthew 17:22, they didn’t argue with him, as Peter had done earlier in Matthew 16:21-22, but they did express sorrow (Matthew 17:23). Nevertheless, their sorrow does not indicate they understood that Jesus would actually suffer and die (cf. Mark 9:30-32). The fact that they argued among themselves, concerning who might be placed in the most important offices in the Kingdom of God (Mark 9:33-34), indicates they had no inclination that Jesus would suffer and die, even though Jesus plainly told them that would, indeed, occur. So why were the Apostles sad (Matthew 17:23)?
It seems to me that the sadness on the part of the Apostles, when they heard Jesus repeat his prediction that he would suffer and die at Jerusalem (but rise again the third day), meant that they still held to the false teaching about an undying messiah that was popular among the Jews at that time (cf. John 12:32-34). They simply couldn’t fit Jesus’ words into their false worldview, so they rejected God’s word in favor of what they presumed was true. No doubt they assumed Jesus’ words had a hidden meaning, but they were afraid to ask him what that meaning was (Mark 9:32). I cannot believe their fear arose out of an expected harsh response from Jesus. Rather, they believed Jesus might contradict their preferred understanding of the coming of the Messiah, bursting their bubble of a safe and glorious future.
Paul tells us in his epistle to the Romans that men simply don’t want to acknowledge God in their knowledge (Romans 1:28). Although there was a time when men knew God (Romans 1:19; cf. Genesis 2-3 and 9), they refused to honor him by trusting him. Rather, they changed the word of God into a lie (Romans 1:25) by describing God through their own imaginations (Romans 1:21, cf. 22-23). Similarly, God revealed himself again to Israel (Exodus), but they corrupted themselves, preferring the lie over the truth (Exodus 32:7; Deuteronomy 9:12; cf. Romans 1:21-23), so that by the time Jesus came, showing himself to be the Messiah, the people no longer looked for the truth, but, instead, looked for a false messiah.
At times, we simply don’t wish to face the truth. We deny the doctor’s prognosis of eminent death, thinking we can out-fight the disease. We keep denying the natural results of evil behavior, believing we are able to continually satisfy the desires of the flesh without damaging our character or integrity. We often destroy our environment in order to meet present commercial demands for products, thinking our behavior won’t damage our future livelihood. We continually make excuses for not accepting truth. We won’t die, despite what the doctor says about the damage done to our body. A desirable life of ease won’t damage our character. What we do today, really has no effect upon our environment tomorrow, and Jesus really doesn’t know what he is saying.
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