Strange verses. But important. This little incident is included at the end of some major miracles and teaching and so stands out as a bit weird. But the Bible isn't merely recording that the disciples are slow to catch on!
What Jesus tells them is that their lack of ability to understand Jesus' words is directly linked to them not putting all their trust in Him.
Faith is repentance from the rebellion that turns from God's way to absolute and total trust in God and His way. A young child who absolutely trusts every word of their parent doesn't put their preconceived ideas before the word of their parent, and so when their parent holds out their arms and says 'jump' takes him/her at their word and jumps into their arms. Lack of trust in their parent would cause them to think of the impossibility of the task, the potential pitfalls, the other things they might do instead, or their preferred action - they would lose the pleasure of ultimate trust that throws oneself on the care and love of the parent.
And so, when we read God's word, we too can be like the disciples and not actually hear what God is saying because we're not living in the joy of absolute abandoned trust in Jesus.
So, do I need to hear Jesus' reprimand too? Is my trust in him so absolute that I hear His words clearly? Immediately after this Jesus says 'Who do you say that I am?'. This is the vital question ... Is He really the Son of the Living God, the one in who I can and do put all my trust?
