Mark 7:36
09/11/2025
- And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. (ESV)
This week we have been looking at a miracle, Jesus healing a deaf and mute man. After curing the man, Jesus gave the witnesses of the miracle a seemingly strange request. ‘‘And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.’’
Why would Jesus make such a request? We remember that Jesus healed the deaf and mute man early in His ministry. What is the purpose of Jesus, true God, being incarnate, becoming true man? Was it to walk around Jerusalem, Judea, and Galilee to heal the sick? These healings proved who Jesus is, namely the Son of God who has power over creation. The miracles, however, are not the reason He was born, died, and rose from the grave.
Jesus came to redeem the lost, to save sinners from eternal condemnation. He was born to keep the Law perfectly on our behalf, yet to pay the price of our sin, the death and separation from God which we rightly deserve. By asking the witnesses to remain silent, Jesus was trying to shift the focus from miracles to our salvation, the message of God’s grace and favor.
When we are blessed by God, it is very hard to remain silent. Certainly, the man who was cured desired to speak of the miracle, to explain to all who were concerned what Jesus had done. The eyewitnesses could not keep the news to themselves, but were compelled to speak of the power that Jesus had over all infirmities.
May our Lord grant us the desire to follow His commands, and to properly speak of His grace and mercy. Amen.