Q: Why does Jesus tell people not to talk about His identity and healing power?
Many of the stories in St. Mark’s Gospel that involve healings or other events that identify Jesus as the Son of God end with Jesus instructing those around Him to keep it secret. Just last week at Wednesday’s Mass we heard Jesus instruct the blind man He healed to go straight home (Mk 8:26), do not pass Go, do not collect $200! Then on the next day we heard of St. Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, to which Jesus replies by telling him keep it quiet (Mk 8:30). We also see Jesus silencing demons as well when they recognize His divine nature (Mk 1:25,35).
Why would this be? Aren’t we as Christians called to be witnesses to Christ every day? So why would Jesus be telling people (and spirits) who know Him to keep Him a secret? Biblical scholars call this the “Messianic Secret.” St. Mark is writing his Gospel to Christians under persecution in Rome but at the same time he is writing to each of us. He is reminding us through Jesus’ words, that the Cross is the focus of our faith. We find this fleshed out by St. Paul who wrote to the Corinthians “we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness” (1 Cor 1:23). The Passion narrative is the keystone to St. Mark’s Gospel. The first 13 chapters seem to fly by at a good and steady pace. Then when we get to chapter 14, the Last Supper, things slow down significantly. It is kind of like when you’re cruising down 95 going 85 mph and you see a state trooper up ahead. You slam on the breaks, slow down and pay extra attention.
In the world for which St. Mark wrote, it was common to hear about travelling “wonder-workers” who performed acts of magic. Some were simply snake-oil salesmen, tricking people. Others were perhaps performing these acts with the help of demons with the intent of drawing people away from God. St. Mark does not wish Jesus to be relegated to just another magician. These miracles by Jesus are meant to be supporting evidence to the reality of what the Cross tells us, that we are not to be witnesses to Jesus the miracle worker, or Jesus the wise teacher, or even Jesus the nice guy. No, we are to be witnesses to Jesus the crucified Son of God. The God-made-man who gave His human life that we might share in His divine life. Jesus’ greatest action of power isn’t the healing miracles or the casting out of demons but His final victory over Satan and over sin on the Cross. St. Mark does not wish us to miss that crucial point. Hence he cites the centurion as the first public witness to Christ when he says “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mk 15:39).
