Did Jesus use reverse psychology?

[Spirithound]

Several verses of the Gospels show Jesus telling those who just witnessed one of his miracles to not tell anyone. It usually even says he ordered them not to tell anyone. But they told everyone anyways. Why did Jesus give these orders?
As i recall, there is a verse where Jesus tells someone to tell other people. I think it’s in John, but i can’t even be certain of the existence of this verse. If it does exist, it further adds to my wonderings.

 

[NotWorthy]

Jesus knew two things would happen:

People would be following Him because of the signs. This is not the kind of discipleship He wanted.

People would start making him into the Messiah, before he was ready to proclaim it. Notice that the first time Jesus acknowledges His Kingship in the Gospel of Mark, he’s dead within the week.

 

[Reepicheep]

Spirithound:
Mark 5:18-20.
The Gerasene demoniac, once cured, asks to follow Jesus, who sends him instead back to his own people to tell them of his healing.

 

[lak611]

Spirithound:
Mark 5:18-20.
The Gerasene demoniac, once cured, asks to follow Jesus, who sends him instead back to his own people to tell them of his healing.

That seems like it would be a better way for the man to be Jesus’ disciple because the man had been possessed for so long, so the man’s neighbours would come to have faith in Jesus by seeing how the man was cured by Him.

 

[NotWorthy]

Spirithound:
Mark 5:18-20.
The Gerasene demoniac, once cured, asks to follow Jesus, who sends him instead back to his own people to tell them of his healing.

I don’t have a map handy, but wasn’t Gerasene just outside of Israel in Gentile territory? And if so, I wonder what that means.

 

[lak611]

I don’t have a map handy, but wasn’t Gerasene just outside of Israel in Gentile territory? And if so, I wonder what that means.

Actually you are correct. After the man was healed, he went home to Decapolis where he originally was from. Decapolis was a region of cities with Greek people.

 

[Spirithound]

Actually you are correct. After the man was healed, he went home to Decapolis where he originally was from. Decapolis was a region of cities with Greek people.

Reepicheep, thanks for the reference.
So what does it mean that Jesus told some people to tell others about him, but told some people to stay silent?

 

[NotWorthy]

Reepicheep, thanks for the reference.
So what does it mean that Jesus told some people to tell others about him, but told some people to stay silent?

That fact that they were Greeks may be the key. The Greeks were not waiting ever so patiently for a Messiah, like the Jews were. Jesus was not risking a premature death by telling the Greeks.

 

[lak611]

Reepicheep, thanks for the reference.
So what does it mean that Jesus told some people to tell others about him, but told some people to stay silent?

I’ve noticed that most of the people he told to stay silent were Jewish, and He actually preached to them Himself. Most of the people He told to tell others about Him were Gentiles or Samaritans. The whole ministry of Jesus and the apostles (in the Book of Acts) started with the Jewish people first, and then only went to the Gentiles after the Jewish people rejected Jesus or the apostles.

 

[lak611]

That fact that they were Greeks may be the key. The Greeks were not waiting ever so patiently for a Messiah, like the Jews were. Jesus was not risking a premature death by telling the Greeks.

The apostles also preached to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles after being rejected by the Jews. But this also fulfills the prophecies in the Old Testament that the Jews, God’s chosen people, would reject the Messiah, but the Gentiles would not. Of course, not all Jews rejected Him (after all, the apostles were all Jewish), and not all Gentiles accepted Him either.

 

[NotWorthy]

The apostles also preached to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles after being rejected by the Jews. But this also fulfills the prophecies in the Old Testament that the Jews, God’s chosen people, would reject the Messiah, but the Gentiles would not. Of course, not all Jews rejected Him (after all, the apostles were all Jewish), and not all Gentiles accepted Him either.

Yes, Matthew doesn’t paint a very pretty picture of the Jews receiving the message of the Messiah, now does he? And Mark’s only a little easier on the Jews.