Hello, dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, let’s explore the rather perplexing instruction that Jesus gave to a man He had just healed—to not share his testimony with the people:
“And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away.”
— Mark 1:43
This is one of the most confusing instructions in Scripture. It follows immediately after Jesus heals a leper. Through this encounter, we see Jesus’ authority over all forms of illness and how His ability to heal aligns with His willingness to do so. When we present our needs to Him, He is indeed willing to make us well.
However, immediately after this healing, Jesus sternly warns the man not to tell others about what happened. Mark uses a word that indicates the intensity of Jesus’ warning, translating to “to speak or act with deep feeling.” This shows us how seriously Jesus took this command not to share the testimony.
“And He said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”
— Mark 1:44
The instruction specifies who the healed man should share his testimony with—not just anyone, but the priest. Jesus references Moses’ command on how lepers were to be declared clean after diagnosis. This instruction is detailed in Leviticus:
“When the infection of leprosy is on a man, then he shall be brought to the priest.”
— Leviticus 13:9“Then the priest shall look, and behold, if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; it has all turned white, and he is clean.”
— Leviticus 13:13
The purpose of Jesus’ instruction to the man was to allow him to be set free from the isolation imposed by his condition. Going to the priest was part of the healing and restoration process, enabling him to rejoin society. Jesus wasn’t prohibiting the man from sharing his testimony because He didn’t want the miracle to be known—He was prioritizing the man’s full restoration.
Additionally, Jesus instructed the man to offer what was required according to the law of Moses, which included a specific offering for lepers:
“This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. Now he shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall go out to the outside of the camp. Then the priest shall look, and if the infection of leprosy has been healed in the leper, the priest shall give a command to take two live clean birds, and cedar wood, and a scarlet string, and hyssop for the one who is to be cleansed.”
— Leviticus 14:2-4
Now, why was Jesus so adamant that the man not share his testimony with the people? Wouldn’t He want His miracles to be known far and wide, making Him famous as a miracle worker?
There’s a flaw in this line of thinking—a flaw we often fall into as sinners. People are naturally drawn to what is new and exciting. In Jesus’ time, miracles like healing the sick and casting out demons were very exciting for the crowds. The people were amazed by these acts:
“They were all amazed, so that they were arguing among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’”
— Mark 1:27
We see this today as well, with various healing ministries and miracle-working ministries being popularized on television, social media, and through crusades. Unfortunately, these ministries often focus more on elevating the minister to celebrity status rather than on exalting Christ.
But Jesus had a different focus. He wasn’t primarily concerned with being known as a miracle worker. Earlier in Mark, He clearly states the reason He came:
“And He said to them, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for.’”
— Mark 1:38
Above everything else—above miracles, healings, and exorcisms—Jesus wanted people to hear the Word of God. In the Gospel of John, He states that He was given a message by God the Father to deliver, and that His work was completed when He had delivered all that the Father had given Him:
“For the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.”
— John 17:8
Jesus wanted people to know the Word of God. The miracles were meant to supplement His ministry and validate Him as one sent from God.
The Apostle Paul also emphasized this priority in his exhortation to Timothy. He warned that there would come a time when people would lose interest in sound doctrine and instead seek teachers who would tell them what they wanted to hear:
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
— 2 Timothy 4:2-4
This helps us understand why Jesus did not allow the healed man to share his testimony. He knew that the people would be more interested in the miracles than in hearing and receiving the Word. This is exactly what happened when the man disobeyed Jesus’ command:
“But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in desolate areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.”
— Mark 1:45
The man’s disobedience had immediate consequences. His actions made it impossible for Jesus to publicly enter cities to preach, as the crowds were only interested in seeing more miracles. Jesus had to retreat to desolate areas, away from the people, hindering His ability to preach.
This story reminds us of the importance of obedience to Christ. Sometimes, what seems right to us on the surface may actually be disobedience if it goes against Jesus’ clear instructions. We must always compare our actions and desires against the teachings of Scripture. If Scripture does not support it, we ought not to do it.
I pray that this word reminds us to walk in obedience.
May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Leave a Reply