Matthew 15
27 Jesus and His followers went from there to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. As they went, He asked His followers, “Who do people say that I am?”28 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist and some say Elijah and others say one of the early preachers.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ.” 30 He told them with strong words that they should tell no one about Him.
I’ve often wondered why, in multiple places in the gospels, Jesus admonishes his disciples to “tell no one about Him”. By now, Jesus already had quite a following, so why the need for secrecy? After all, word-of-mouth news of miraculous healings spread quickly in a time of scant medical knowledge. Added to his popular healings was his ability to hit hard at the religious elite. His teachings resonated with the underdogs of society.
One possible answer to this secrecy question is that Peter was onto something new by calling Jesus “the Christ” or the anointed one. That’s different from being a great healer or a prophet, as some thought of him. Jesus was revealing himself to his disciples in a different way than he was revealing himself to the masses.
Jesus’ time on earth in ministry was only three short years. That’s not a lot of time to impart an understanding of His true earthly purpose to the disciples. The crowds knew Jesus as a great healer and teacher. The disciples were learning that Jesus was so very much more. Jesus was prepping his disciples for the time when they would go it alone. It would become their job to relay the fuller meaning and purpose of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
How has your understanding of Jesus grown or changed? How has he revealed himself to you? May our eyes, ears, and hearts be open to God’s revealing love!
Blessings,
Diana Kongkeattikul
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