Then Jesus said to them, “This night you will all stumble because of me, for it is written: ‘I will strike, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’ (Zech. 13:7b).”
In this saying Jesus warns the disciples that, in the moment of the coming trial, they will stumble in their faith. “You will be made to stumble because of me” means that they will be confused by everything that is about to happen, when they see the Lord’s arrest and the cross. He quotes the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered,” showing that this is part of God’s plan. The shepherd is Christ, and the sheep are the disciples. This word is at once both a warning and a comfort: the scattering is temporary, because after the cross the same shepherd will gather his flock again, in this case the Church of Christ.