September 15, 2020

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. Mark 7:36

In the Gospels, you will find Jesus healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, performing miracles, and….. commanding them not to tell anyone about it!? What? Yes, its hard for me to believe it, but one example is found right here in our verse for today. Why would Jesus tell people not to talk about what He had done for them? The verse doesn’t say, but I did come up with a couple reasons why He might have told them that. Soon large crowds of people made it difficult for him to spend time alone or with his disciples (Mark 6:31), people came not for salvation or to hear His preaching, but to be healed or fed (John 6:26), or my favorite, it was His humility (Matthew 6:1-4). Jesus taught that when we do good deeds, don’t do them in public to be honored by men, but in secret to be rewarded by God. Could it be that Jesus healed not for the publicity, but because he cared for those people individually? I think so, I think it was not for fame, but because He had compassion on each one of them.

It is the second part of the verse that really caught my attention. Even though Jesus told them not to tell anyone, they couldn’t help themselves. The just had to tell somebody! They just had to tell people what Jesus had done for them! So many times I find reasons to keep silent, to not share my faith. Why? If Jesus has saved me, it should be impossible for anyone or anything to stop me from sharing what He has done for me. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel! Let’s be bold in sharing our faith!

Got to Tell Somebody by Don Francisco is one of my favorite songs. Its based on Mark 5:35-43. I would really encourage you to listen to it and then tell somebody about Jesus.

Matthew Greven