Have you ever read the gospels and wondered how the disciples could be so confused about the Master they follow? For me, as I read the gospels looking at the disciple's reactions to Jesus, it's a bit like I'm a spectator watching my favorite football team. One moment I'm on my feet watching them advance and excited for the progress. The next moment they're outmaneuvered and I'm wondering how they could not see the next play coming. Even more than this, watching the disciples is like watching your team play when you already know the end score. We have the wonderful benefit of resurrection hindsight.
It's impossible to take our hindsight away, but one might still try to make the argument that the disciples had good reason to have true clarity about Jesus. They had the Old Testament Scriptures that are continually progressing toward and pointing to Christ. They tell specific things about the Messiah that were completely true in Jesus. Isaiah 35:4-6 Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you." 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. Even Jesus referred to these words as words about himself (Matthew 11:4-5). Take your hindsight away and ask yourself, what it means that God will come with vengeance and save. How will he save? What will it look like? It's something great and I'm sure the disciples believed that, but what exactly would it be?
The disciples had Old Testament Scriptures that were explicit about the shame of one who being sentenced to death was hung on a tree. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 "And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance." If you were a disciple, this alone would make the crucifixion of your Messiah unthinkable. If we didn't have the hindsight of Galatians 3:13, would we ever think that Jesus being crucified and becoming a curse for us would be so glorious? In his famous discussion with Nicodemus Jesus said in John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Without hindsight would you have so easily equated this with a Roman crucifixion?
There were times we see the disciples making clear and true statements about Jesus. One of these was Peter's confession that Jesus was The Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). That confession was not attributed to Peter's great insight. Jesus tells Peter that the only way he can know this is that it has been revealed to him by his Father in heaven. Just a few verses later Jesus explicitly tells them that he is to die and rise on the third day and Peter will have nothing of it (Matthew 16:21-22).
We have the gospels and New Testament letters written in hindsight of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Apostles who wrote them, wrote with new eyes. Even if previous to the cross they believed Jesus when he told them he would rise on the third day, how could they possibly understand exactly how that resurrection would look? In fact, they themselves were instructed by Jesus after his resurrection to see how all the Old Testament Scriptures point to his work of the cross. Now they had the reference point to understand the pinnacle event of God's great plan.
When we see the disciples bewildered by the crucifixion of their Master or taken by surprise at the sight of his resurrected body, we must understand that it is this wonderful, completed work of the cross that gives us the clarity to comprehend the entire canon of Scripture. It is only through this and the illuminating, enlightening work of the Spirit of God that we, even today, have any ability to see the truth found in Jesus Christ alone.
Let's give the disciples a break. Sure, the Old Testament Scriptures made clear reference to what they should all expect in the coming Messiah. Most Jews did in fact reject Jesus, but these disciples did not. By the grace of God, he used these men to give us an eyewitness testimony of the one event that explains the very purpose and meaning of life and our hope for all eternity. Because of their witness, we know the end score.