Jesus’ closest followers did not fully grasp the gravity of his plight. Otherwise, the disciples would have been on high alert as Jesus underwent his agony. When Jesus was sentenced and died on the Cross, as if he were a criminal, their world came crashing down – their optimism, their this-worldly hopes vanished. Yes, they had heard Jesus’ predictions that he would be condemned and killed, and yes, they heard him say that he would rise from the dead–but all that eluded them.
