TLDR: In the Gospel of Mark Jesus frequently asks people not to tell anyone what he has done for them. In each case, they do the opposite. Read on for a possible reason for this.

I find it very ironic and comical that every time Jesus tells the disciples or the crowds to keep something in confidence, the first thing they do is to tell it to as many people as they can tell. He tells a leper, “‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest…” (Mark 1:44a). But in the very next verse we read, “But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly…” (Mark 1:45.) In Chapter 3:11-12 we read, “Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them not to make him known,” but in chapter 5:6 we hear an unclean spirit do exactly this, making Jesus known to the crowds, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” After raising the young daughter of a temple leader from death, “He strictly ordered them that no one should know this” (Mark 5:43a,) but his reputation continued to advance in that region as the story of the young girl became known.

In Chapter 7:36, after healing a deaf-mute, we hear, “He strictly ordered them that no one should know this.” But right after this command, we read, “but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” In Chapter 8:30, after Peter’s famous confession that Jesus is the Messiah, “He sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.” At this point in the narrative, it looks almost comical that he still insists that no one should know who he is, especially because everyone seems to know there is something different about this Galilean. After the famous episode of the Transfiguration, he also orders Peter, James, and John not to tell anyone about what they had seen. But in this case, he gives them the reason for the secrecy, “until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (Mark 9:9.)  I believe this rationale serves for an explanation for all instances where Jesus requires confidentiality. His time has not yet come. In fact, in the one healing that occurs right before Jesus is arrested, after the Transfiguration, there is no request of confidentiality. He performs the miracle in public and simply tells Blind Bartimaeus, “Go; your faith has made you well.” (Mark 10:52.) By then, his identity and mission had been well-established. His time had finally come! Right after this miracle, we see the events of Holy Week and Jesus does not heal anyone else in Mark.

The events that occur right after the first healing in Mark give us ample explanation about the reasons why Jesus asks for confidentiality. The leper’s disobedience (he began proclaiming all over the place what Jesus had done) led to serious consequences. Jesus could not enter any town freely before the masses pressed in on him. He became so popular with the people of the region that his preaching and disciple-making mission suffered. Everyone wanted a miracle, a healing, a supernatural display of his power. Even eating or resting became difficult. Throughout Mark, we see a Jesus trying very hard to shed his superstar reputation, but everywhere he goes, the crowds follow. Most of them are not interested in genuine conversion, to become his disciples, to build God’s kingdom with him. These were desperate people who were looking for easy answers to life’s very difficult questions. In fact, we know that towards the end of his ministry, these people went back to their lives and no longer followed him.

There is another reason for the request for confidentiality. Jesus’ actions deviate from the norm. Itinerant preachers don’t do what he is doing and eventually the authorities will be notified of his actions, especially when they occur on the Sabbath. “He had become unclean by touching the leper (in Chapter 1:40ff.) As the now-clean leper tells everyone what happened to him, it would have been clear to all the people that Jesus had become unclean. It was against the rules for anyone to associate with Jesus.”[1] In agrarian societies, where almost no one is able to read or write, gossip becomes the only way in which information is transferred. It does not benefit Jesus or his mission if the powers at be cut his ministry short. His time has not come, until then, he must exercise some caution.

Of course, his requests go unobeyed. I don’t blame any of the people Jesus heals. When you come face to face with the awesome power of Jesus, something changes in your inmost being. After decades of suffering and isolation, bearing on your shoulders the weight of judgement of a society that believes your illnesses are God’s punishment, and completely ostracized from your family and your community, how can you keep silent? Those who have been unseen become overwhelmed when a Rabbi sees them, hears them, speaks to them, and heals them. How can they not shout for joy and tell everyone? Jesus’ love is like no other love they have experienced, how can they not shout from the rooftops to anyone who would hear?

We in America have become too measured and shy when talking about God’s actions in our lives. It is as though we fear the judgement of those who have already dismissed Jesus as completely irrelevant to their lives. Today, I want to take a moment to shout from the metaphorical rooftop of my office. I want you all to hear that Jesus has been the center of my life since childhood and that he deserves all the glory and honor for anything of value that may be found in my life. I too was blind and overwhelmed, now I can see. May our Lord continue to bless you,

Fr. Roman+

[1] https://www.crossmarks.com/brian/mark1x40.htm