Have you ever been tasked with promoting a product or service? Spreading the word as best you can so more and more people are aware of what you’re offering?
I face this constantly in my fiction author business. When I have a new book coming out, I employ many strategies for a successful launch. I recruit a team of volunteers to receive a free book file, read it, and have an honest review ready to post on all online bookstores on release day. I ask early readers to share graphics with the book cover and a short description (and of course a purchase link) on their own social media. I pay for advertising in multiple places where readers of my genre hang out.
Why do I do all this? So that people find out about the book! And if it sounds like something they’d be interested in, it will result in a sale!
No matter what the product or service is, it’s very important to get the word out! So, I’ve often wondered why, when Jesus was engaged in his earthly ministry, he often told people, “Don’t tell anyone what I’ve done for you.” Wouldn’t he want everyone to know? As soon as possible?
Let’s take a look at a couple incidents of this admonishment in the gospels and see if we can figure it out:
John 2: 1-4 (New International Version): On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” Jesus replied, “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.” (I added the italics to that last line to emphasize it.)
A Divine Timeline
Jesus knew his hour had not yet come. That means that he was fully aware of a divine timeline, set by him and God, for how Jesus’ ministry would unravel. Nothing was left to chance. He could do the miracle – and he did eventually turn the water to wine, just as his mother wanted him to – but he knew it wasn’t time yet for the big reveal.
The timing of the announcement was constantly on Jesus’ mind. Later in John, chapter 7, Jesus is hanging out in Galilee. It was time for the annual Festival of Tabernacles, and his brothers wanted him to go to Jerusalem. In verse 3: “Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’
I can relate to this perceived frustration from Jesus’ family. It’s why I jump through so many hoops when I have a book release! Why would I go to all the trouble of writing, editing, and publishing a book if I’m not going to follow through and let people know about it? If I keep it a secret, no one will ever get to read it!
But what does Jesus respond? (verse 6): “Therefore Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you anytime will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.’”
The Danger Is Real
Jesus’ response here gives us another clue. Yes, there’s a predetermined timeline and he wants to stick to it. But there’s also a sense of danger being revealed here.
Jesus knows that his message to the world will make some angry, and he will be in danger if he continues to preach it. And for those of us who have read the rest of the gospels, we know he is right, don’t we? He needs to keep from being publicized because it’s just plain too dangerous for him to be revealed yet.
Jews of the day are expecting the Messiah to be something else – a warrior who will help overthrow the Roman oversight of the Jews. And the Jewish officials, the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin, are growing more and more alarmed about the spreading news of Jesus’ miracles, causing them to begin planning his death.
Mark 14:1 says: “Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ‘But not during the festival,’ they said, ‘or the people may riot.’”
There are other reasons too
Let’s consider Mark 1:32 – 34 (NIV): “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” (the italics are mine for emphasis).
This was very interesting to me, so I did a little research to find out what was thought about it. I ran into Greg Lanier’s article Why Did Jesus Command Others to Be Silent About Him? What did Mark mean by the demons knew who he was?
Here’s Greg Lanier’s thoughts: “Apparently as supernatural beings they have insight into who Jesus really is: the divine one from God. At this stage Jesus either didn’t yet want that message to be made known, or he didn’t want demons to be the ones revealing it—or perhaps both.”
Again, I can draw an analogy between this analysis and my own situation: although I want to get the word out as best I can when I have a book out, I also have to be careful to only promote it to my chosen audience. I write Christian romance, so my demographic is mostly women in their forties or above who are Christians or interested in Christianity, love to read, and are comfortable with electronic reading devices. I’m obviously not going to promote my books in Playboy Magazine, for example.
So, Jesus not wanting the demons to announce that he is the Son of God? Sure, I can see why Jesus tells them to stay quiet.
His Celebrity Status
Another reason is the sheer impact on his life when his “celebrity” is fully revealed. Look at Mark 1:43-45: “Jesus sent him (a man with leprosy) away at once with a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone.’ … Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”
Jesus was a rock star! A celebrity! He couldn’t walk down the street without being mobbed. Have you ever seen an interview with a movie star and they’re enjoying a highly paid career with all the luxuries, but the price is almost too high because they can’t even leave the house anymore without a security detail. Because people won’t leave him alone and his life has changed drastically.
And a final reason … his true purpose
I believe that Jesus started performing demon exorcisms and healing the sick and lame so that people would take note and believe that he was the Messiah. He felt that without the miracles, people wouldn’t necessarily believe he was anyone special and listen to his true message. But his true purpose was NOT to perform miracles. His true purpose on earth was to demonstrate God’s love for mankind by dying on the cross for their sins.
It's like he was saying, “Let’s not lose the message in the magic.”
If a man who had blindness or deafness or leprosy or was crippled for life suddenly was healed, and they ran off to tell everyone they knew, what would they be proclaiming? “A man healed me! Look! I can walk/see/hear, etc!” His message would not necessarily be, “The Messiah, Son of God has come to earth and he has a message of redemption for all of us!”
The Time Is Right
But when all the conditions are right and Jesus opens up the gates of witnesses, encouraging them to spread the word, it’s a glorious thing! Mark 5: 18 says, “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”
Let’s pray: Dear God: thank you for helping us dig a little deeper into this question of why Jesus often told people not to say anything about him being the Son of God. We thank you that you and he made a plan at the very beginning and you both followed it. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to earth to save us and to share your love for us. And thank you for illuminating your Word the more we read it. Amen.
Very insightful!