30Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day." 32But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.
Jesus had preached to many from Galilee. He had multitudes come to him from all over Galilee. He was well known in Galilee. Now he was going back through Galilee but he didn't want anyone to know it. This is the first time I feel that Jesus is avoiding the people. Usually he has compassion on the crowds that seek him out. As he explains, there is something very important in store for Him, even more important than meeting the crowds and taking care of their individual needs.
The thing that surprises me is that Jesus says He is being betrayed into the hands of men. He doesn't say He will be betrayed, but that he is being betrayed. I always only thought of Judas as the one who betrays Jesus. But as Jesus points out here, the betrayal is by more than just Judas, probably including many he had preached to in Galilee. And the betrayal has already started. We cannot cast all the blame on Judas.
When I read that the disciples didn't understand and were afraid to ask, I don't think they had any fear of asking Jesus. They had questioned him on the subject in Mark 9:10. I think this was more a matter of being afraid of what the answer would be. If you don't ask the question, you don't have to face the answer. I get the feeling that the disciples were in a state of denial at this point.