Mark 7:31-37

“Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” vs. 36

In Mark’s gospel Jesus is reported to have regularly told the people that he healed to keep the news to themselves. To put it bluntly, he ordered them to tell no one–and in every instance Mark says, “the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” From the beginning readers have speculated about Jesus’ motivation in this matter. Was he really expecting to be able to conduct his healings in secret? Or maybe he wanted to avoid Herod’s attention in the aftermath of John the Baptist’s execution? We don’t really know of course. There’s a mysterious element to Jesus’ ministry that will continue to baffle us. But we do know that he had a concern about timing, and he wanted things to happen at the propitious moment, at what some call “the fullness of time.” What’s interesting is that his orders mean nothing to the people–they weren’t about to keep such incredible news a secret. In a sense things were already out of Jesus’ hands–a spark had been struck and the fire of excitement was going to burn bright. Nothing was going to hold this campaign back–it would continue to its inevitable ending, and as long as Jesus kept loving, nothing would stop it but his death. And even then, the momentum would continue in even more spectacular ways.

Thought for the Day: What’s the momentum of my life right now?