Jesus' Passion prediction for the second time still baffles the disciples with dubiousness over the meaning of His words. Being told that 'He would be delivered into the hands of men, killed, and then would rise again' clashed too violently with their expectations of Jesus as the Messiah, the future liberator and king of Israel.

The obstacle to their understanding, as we come to learn, is their entanglement with hopes of fame and fortune, power and prestige. The pursuit of power, riches, and honor blind us, making us deaf to hearing and understanding the words of our Lord. As Saint Ignatius will tell us, we are called to desire to be with Christ who was poor, the Christ rejected and scorned by His people, the Christ powerless as He hung on the cross. Our attachments to worldly desires for power, prestige and riches can be a primary barrier to understanding the way of our Lord and knowing His desires for us.

Jesus teaches the disciples by placing a little child before them, representing what was, for that time, a symbol of all who were of no account, of little value, and unable to contribute to decision making. He tells that to the degree we place ourselves among such people and serve them, we will find ourselves in His company and that of His Father.