I have sympathy for Jesus’ followers in today’s gospel. How could they understand what Jesus was saying if “its meaning was concealed to them, so that they could not perceive it?”

To us, the idea that Jesus would suffer and die is a given. It is one of the defining aspects of his identity as our Savior. We know his resurrection only because we first know his cross. But, for his disciples, this was not the case. They could not comprehend that the Messiah would pass through scorn, contempt, humiliation, defeat, and death on his path to triumph.

After the resurrection, things became more clear to them. Jesus knew that they could only understand the full meaning of his sacrifice on the cross once he had risen from the dead. There are things in life that are this way for us, too. I didn’t understand the nuance and complexity of the commitments of marriage until I married. I could not fully understand the love that my parents had for me until I became a parent myself. And I did not know the depth of sorrow that comes from losing a parent until my own father died. Like the mystery of the cross, life unfolds its mysteries in their own time, after the fact of having lived through them.

Luckily, Jesus is patient with his followers. He knows that all will be revealed to them in good time. I pray that, as God leads me to grow in wisdom, I can be patient with myself, as well.