But they kept silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who is the greatest.
There is a deep contrast here. Christ was speaking on the road about His cross, death, and resurrection, while the disciples were arguing about their own greatness. This silence is a guilty silence, because they were ashamed of the nature of their dispute. The human heart is easily distracted even alongside the holiest teaching. They were living with expectations of messianic glory and wanted to measure their places in that kingdom according to worldly understanding. Yet for companions on the way of the cross, such ambition was a profound inconsistency. Their silence is valuable in that they still had shame. Shame sometimes becomes the door to repentance.