The apostles' difficulty in understanding Jesus' teachings, particularly about the resurrection and life after death is rooted in the historical and spiritual context of their time, as well as the nature of Jesus' mission and message. Like all humans, the apostles were shaped by their cultural and religious upbringing. They expected the Messiah to be a political or military leader who would liberate Israel from Roman rule. Jesus' teachings about suffering, death, and resurrection did not align with these expectations, making it harder for them to comprehend His true mission .
In the ancient Jewish worldview, the idea of resurrection was not fully developed or universally accepted. While some Jewish groups, like the Pharisees, believed in a general resurrection at the end of time, the idea of an individual rising from the dead in the present was entirely foreign. This made it difficult for the apostles to grasp Jesus' repeated predictions of His death and resurrection .
Keep in mind that Jesus frequently spoke in parables and used prophetic language, which was not always immediately clear to His audience, including His disciples. He explained that He spoke of future events so that, when they occurred, His followers would believe and understand the truth of His identity and mission. For example, in John 13:19, Jesus says, "From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He".
The apostles' lack of understanding also served a divine purpose. If they or others had fully understood Jesus' mission, they might have tried to prevent His crucifixion, which was central to God's plan for salvation. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, "We speak God's wisdom in a mystery... which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" .
The understanding we have today of the spiritual world, resurrection, and life after death is largely due to the teachings of Jesus and the subsequent work of the apostles. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection provided the foundation for Christian theology, but this understanding unfolded gradually.
After Jesus' resurrection, the apostles began to recall and understand His teachings in light of the events they had witnessed. For example, in Luke 24:6-8, the angels at the empty tomb reminded the women of Jesus' words, and "they remembered His words" . The resurrection became the lens through which the apostles interpreted Jesus' life and mission.
After Jesus' ascension, the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit, began to preach the gospel with clarity and boldness. They explained the "mysteries" of God's plan, which had been hidden in previous generations but were now revealed through Christ. As Paul writes in Ephesians 3:4-5, "By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known" .
The apostles were not "stupid" for failing to understand Jesus' teachings; rather, they were limited by their human perspective and the cultural context of their time. Their eventual understanding, shaped by the resurrection and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, laid the foundation for the Christian faith. Today, the knowledge we often take for granted about the spiritual world and life after death is a result of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, which have been passed down and interpreted over the centuries.
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/why-did-jesus-talk-about-his-death-if-the-disciples-didnt-understand-until-later/
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