“Shh – I’ve found the cure for cancer. But I don’t want anyone to know.”
Are you kidding me? Shout it from the most popular social media site {21st-century rooftops}. Since when do you not tell anyone the most life-changing discovery of all time? You just don’t keep these kinds of things to yourself.
Then explain Jesus. Because he’s confusing.
He travels widely, proclaiming the gospel, calling people to follow him, teaching in the synagogues, healing people of their diseases, and casting out unclean spirits.
Word gets around.
Because, seriously. Who does that?
But when Jesus heals one particular leper, he says,
“See that you say nothing to anyone.”
Right. Except that nobody gets healed of leprosy and keeps their mouth shut.
But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news.
Jesus continues to proclaim and call and teach and heal and cast out demons. There’s something about these demons. They always declare who Jesus is. And Jesus always forbids them to speak up about it.
And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
The demons get something right for once. Seems to me they ought to be encouraged about it.
The next encounter with an unclean spirit? Jesus first removes said spirit {rather, spirits quite plural}, then urges the formerly demon-possessed man:
“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Permission granted this time. But the man doesn’t exactly follow Jesus’ instructions. He’s like, “Forget going home to my friends. I’ll tell everyone within a fifteen-mile radius.”
And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Finally, Jesus raises a child from the dead. This should make the headlines.
And he strictly charged them that no one should know this.
I’m telling you, this guy’s confusing. One minute, he allows people to spread the word, even encourages them to do so. The next, he gets all particular about keeping it hush-hush.
And what reason could he possibly have for silencing those who would proclaim him?
It’s like, the One who created the Universe is in town today. He speaks with authority {novel idea}. People immediately drop everything to follow him. Demons shut up when he speaks. He not only heals, he raises people from the dead. But, you have to keep it a secret, because he doesn’t want anyone to know.
One thing I know. Jesus may be confusing. But he’s not confused.
He knows exactly what he’s doing. Who must hear and who must not. Who must share in the telling and who must not. How much must be accomplished before his time comes. Even how to keep the telling going after he’s gone . . .
Okay, so there may have been some “don’t tell anyone” moments. But now, we get to tell.
And we must. Because the last thing he said was, “Go tell everyone.”
Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Besides, how could we possibly keep it to ourselves?
{These observations taken from the narrative of the first five chapters of Mark’s gospel. Final reference from Mark 16:15.}
[image credits: genius.com]
Journey of the Word 
Amazing! I love the twist that your story took, and that you linked the lepers with the Great Commission. Very thought-provoking!
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Yes! It’s just so interesting to me how “don’t tell anyone” while he’s on earth changes to “tell everyone” when he leaves!
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I noticed your title when I linked up this morning on Monday’s Musings. I had to smile! You have talked about the exact same thing that I talked about in my post!! I also found it quite interesting that Jesus told people not to tell, and then said exactly the opposite. Your words added insights to my own thoughts. And yes, indeed, we must go out and tell everyone! It’s the best news ever!!
GOD BLESS!
(My post this morning was “Spill the Beans”)
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Oh, how fun! I’ll have to check out your post!
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Interesting points. I feel like the Holy Spirit does that within us also. There is never a set of rules as all scenarios are different, especially when telling others about Christ. Thanks for sharing this great perspective with #SocialButterflySunday! Hope to see you link up again this week 🙂
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Recently I felt convicted to “shhh” on details of personal testimony, not quiet on Jesus himself but rather to stop the “God did this for me and blessed me and opened this door and gave me favor and humbled my enemies and provided this and that” Not because He doesn’t do those things at times but simply because I was esteeming and equating my “obedience” to blessings but Jesus doesn’t always look at things like that. Further more I felt I was leading people to follow me not Jesus; the do as I do and a,b,c… will happen. I was in a ministry for a long time that drilled into me that you praise God publically and dont forget all the details and He’ll give you more things to praise Him for, (but praising God should have not been an “investment” for future blessings)
I’ve stepped away from that thinking recently because I see it as tied into the prosperity gospel which I disagree with. God had to silence me in details, details which brought praise to me and only shared the limelight with Jesus, now I’m doing my best to keep Jesus as the only light. Sometimes details involve others and it’s their story to share – not mine alone, I think a lot of times I was over exposing people in my family and circle of friends beyond what they wanted shared while “revealing my life” so publicly. I think I came from a spiritually abusive background and only over the past year really realised I really don’t have it all figured out (see ya pride!) and much of what my testimony “taught”others to do has proven to be scriptually inaccurate. It’s only by dillegently reading His word that I’ve seen these things and been humbled and freed , that’s what I want my testimony to do is lead others to read God’s word and study it with Jesus as their Teacher, to know Him, trust Him and see Him as their Savior, who died to set them free, their Shepard and their King because the rest of what I can say is fluff and can be a distraction if not yielded to only what is to be shared. And yet in saying I’m quiet, I clearly am a long winded person so imagine the volume of details (read- gossip, idle chatter, meddlesome words.. ) could overflow without second thought before my conviction! #workinprogress
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Some good points here! Thanks for taking the time to share!
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