Why did Jesus tell those he healed not to tell anyone?

[Big_Ro]

People are generally not good at keeping secrets. And Jesus, knowing human nature all too well, knew this. Is it possible he told them not to tell others knowing full well that they would and thus spread the word about him? It would be almost impossible to keep a good healing under wraps, esp. since they were done mostly in public, and the public would soon notice a person was healed anyway.

Probably the fastest way to spread something is to tell someone not to tell about it.

Yes, this has always been my take on things. However, it had occured to me as some of the other excellent posters pointed out that he does seem to be on a time-table. My problem with this line of thought is that the implication is that God’s plan is subject to alteration by human actions. I don’t think this is completely unreasonable considering many stories from the OT where man’s intercession changed God’s mind. I guess I’m thinking about Abraham with regards to Sodom/Gamorra. I’m sure there are others but they don’t spring to mind. Anyway, please correct and kudos to the many excellent responses.

 

[Big_Ro]

We all know that Jesus did not want other people to know that He was the Messiah. The question here is “why?”

Slightly different from the previous answers: In the cases of healings and such, Jesus did not want to arouse crowds of followers who would be distracted with the miracles He performed, and thereby losing track of His message.

Maybe this is just rewording what somebody else has said, maybe He didn’t want people to think of Him as the ‘messiah’ they imagined Him to be, rather than the ‘messiah’ that He was.

You make such a good point here. It’s so critical to understand the political overtones of the term Messiah as it was applied commonly in the time of Jesus. I personally don’t think that Christ intended to be a political figure at all but he must have certainly been aware of the political implications of his actions. It reflects the tension between his human self and spiritual self. I think you could also make the case that he must have understood that his “healings”, while acts of Mercy, would be hailed by many as proof that he was the political/military messiah that the Jews of his time had been waiting for. When he did not manifest his mission in a political/military way, it probably caused many Jews to turn away from him. Their hearts remained “hardened”. He must have known that this would happen, but he had to try.

 

[Big_Ro]

As I’ve mentioned, the term ‘messiah’ was at times so associated with troublemaking (from the authorities’ POV, anyway!) folks who actively question and rise against the status quo; it was so drenched with political overtones. Just look at how people such as Theudas or the unnamed Egyptian ended up when they took their followers and openly promised them signs of redemption; the Romans take swift response and put a sudden end to their movement. In Theudas’ case, his followers were ambushed; many were slaughtered and the survivors taken hostage, while Theudas was captured and beheaded. The Egyptian was more lucky: he managed to escape (and was never heard from again), but four hundred of his followers were killed and two hundred were taken alive.

Jesus would surely have befallen a same fate had He openly and publicly proclaimed Himself as the Messiah from His own mouth. It was not His hour yet. Sure, He might be saying the truth, but for the authorities - who are already weary of putting down tens to hundreds of these one-shot ‘messiahs’ - it wouldn’t really matter if He is the real deal or not anymore.

This is a very important point. The Romans wanted to not just put down a rebellion or nip it int he bud. They wanted to crush it, any followers and their families in as cruel and ruthless way as possible in order to discourage further activity. This is why crucifixtion was reserved for poltiical dissidents. It was absolutely brutal. The victm was crucified outside the city walls on the main road entering the city. This was to serve as a warning. So, yes, I would very much agree that he was also attmepting to protect them to some degree.

This is a great thread but I’m bothered that Curious is banned but still allowed to post. I don’t want to be uncharitable because I don’t know the circumstance and as one who is need of forgiveness, I want to extend forgiveness, but banning seems pointless if the member can continue to post. Sorry curious.

 

[patrick457]

This is a great thread but I’m bothered that Curious is banned but still allowed to post. I don’t want to be uncharitable because I don’t know the circumstance and as one who is need of forgiveness, I want to extend forgiveness, but banning seems pointless if the member can continue to post. Sorry curious.

Actually, the posts were made BEFORE he (?) was banned AFAIK. In these forums, being banned means that you can’t post. Being able to post while being banned is, I think, impossible (maybe someone could correct me here).

 

[ladislaus69th]

It was a lesson to us so that we avoid being pompous when through the gifts of the holy spirit heal others. It is this kind of behaviour that was addressed during his temptations in the desert. Matthew Chapter 4, 1-11.

 

[fred_conty]

Although this is an old post, it says in one of the gospels the reason Jesus did not want notoriety. It said that the crowds following him were so large that he had difficulty moving about. And so to keep the crowd from growing larger, he asked the person not to publisize the miracle. It wasn’t in exactly those words but that was the intent.

Maybe someone more energetic than I would care to search for it. I believe there are about 33 miracles.