Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” is titled “A Day in the Ministry of Jesus”. A good study on Mark 1: 16-45. In this lesson, the Principal Contributor (Thomas R. Shepherd) or the Editor (Clifford R. Goldstein) draws our attention to the “Messianic Secret” (Monday’s lesson). Meaning, “Jesus’s call for silence regarding who He is” (ibid). We could speculate why Jesus does this. It is somewhat surprising and even enigmatic. But let’s listen to Mark’s own explanation why Jesus did this after healing a leper:
“And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction” (Mark 1: 44-45).
So, we could see this as the consummate explanation for Christ’s desire to keep his identity secret. And it is a likely explanation. But there is one loophole in this explanation. It assumes Jesus may have been caught by surprise by this leper’s outspokenness. That Jesus really, really wanted him to be quiet. Was Jesus blind-sided by this leper’s “disobedience to Jesus’ command” (Thursday’s lesson)?
In the Scripture quoted, we see the hint that Jesus’ purpose of reaching people was actually fulfilled by this leper’s disobedience. Because Jesus “could no longer enter the city, but was outside in deserted places… (the people) came to Him from every direction” (op. cit.).
This may be the more accurate interpretation of the “Messianic Secret”. At various times, Jesus commanded the healed person(s) to keep quiet about the healing precisely because He knew it would be the impetus for them to tell. After all, Jesus “had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” (John 2:25). “Jesus knew their thoughts” (Matthew 12:25/ Luke 6:8).
God is our consummate Father. Jesus our consummate Brother. As such, they will always do what is best for me, you, all of us. Are they ever caught by surprise? Does God have a “Plan B” for when “Plan A” fails? No. It is all “Plan A”. God is never caught by surprise. And neither is His Son. Therefore, I posit that Jesus plan was perfectly fulfilled when He commanded the leper to keep silent.
This interpretation gives me great comfort, knowing our Father and Brother are not fumbling and bumbling; trying this and trying that in the hopes something positive works out. No. They know. They know me, you, each of us. They know us all so well that they craft a unique blend of circumstances (all within the dynamics of our free will) to precisely lead us to… well… to repent (change our minds). To see things as they really are. This is their purpose for each of us. Because they love us.
With brotherly love,
Jim