Why Does Jesus Silence People Who Say Who He Is? (Mark 1)

This article is part of the Tough Passages series.

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The Injunction to Silence

Generally speaking, Jesus had to defer the full disclosure of his identity (cf. Mark 7:24, Mark 8:30, Mark 9:9, 30) because God’s Messiah was to die and be raised from death in order to be enthroned as the eternal Messiah-ruler (Acts 2:36; contrast with John 6:15). During the time of Jesus’s public life, there was, therefore, an anticipation of the ultimate disclosure of his unusual messianic identity (Mark 9:9).¹

Historically speaking, popular Judaism at the time of Jesus expected a Davidic, political messianic king who would arise to liberate the Jewish people from Roman oppression and impurity. Various other forms of messianic expectation of Jews at the time of Jesus have also been noted,² but these were not general or prevalent views. The heightened hope for a political messiah among Jewish people (esp. among the Pharisees; e.g., Acts 5:36–37) in the first half of the first century AD went hand in hand with a narrowing of OT messianic expectations (cf. the narrow focus on 2 Sam. 7:12–14, 16 in Second Temple Judaism; cf. 4QFlor [Dead Sea Scrolls] I, 11–13).

Such narrowing was flavored by the memory of the Maccabean uprising.³ The Maccabean revolt had led to the reestablishment of Israel’s theocracy around 164 BC. This was viewed as the victory of God via his emboldening guerrilla fighters to resist a great military power. At the time of Jesus, this now-past revolt might have become one of the primary lenses through which the OT was read by an oppressed people. The likelihood that someone would call for a revolt against Rome was thus high.

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Generally speaking, then, the people of Israel held a predetermined expectation for their coming Messiah (cf. John 6:15). Such a politically narrowed expectation would certainly be at variance with the challenging messianic claims and mission of Jesus (see below). When one inserts the unique claims of God’s Messiah, Jesus, into the historical matrix of the narrow, messianic expectation of Second Temple Judaism, one is faced with a seemingly insurmountable conflict. Should Jesus act even faintly like the hitherto expected political-messianic figure (e.g., Mark 11:1–10), it could trigger a political revolt (cf. John 6:15).

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was commissioned to accomplish a very comprehensive purpose that included a broad spectrum of the OT anticipation of liberation effected by God, while the general, messianic expectation centered on one particular hope surrounding political liberation.

Silencing Demons

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. . . . That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. —Mark 1:23–26, 32–34

The act of naming means that the evil spirits desperately seek to exercise some form of power over Jesus. Although it is true (cf. Mark 1:34) that Jesus is the “Holy One of God”⁴ (Mark 1:24), he does not engage with them in discussion and quickly silences the unclean spirit (cf. Zech. 3:2; Mark 3:11–12; Mark 5:7), because he will not tolerate their attempts to exercise controlling and detracting power over him by naming him.

The exorcism (cf. Mark 5:7) reinforces Jesus’s authority to teach and is awe inspiring (cf. Mark 10:24, 32). Jesus challenges and rebukes everything that opposes the legitimate claims and purposes of God with his creation. Exorcising on a Sabbath, however, draws opposition, since it is viewed in Pharisaic Judaism as breaking the Mosaic laws governing the Sabbath (Mark 3:1–2). On the other hand, the “fame” of Jesus spreads, fueling further opposition.

In merciful response, Jesus “healed many” (cf. Mark 2:12; Mark 3:2, 10; Mark 6:5). He also “cast out many demons,” again with injunctions to silence (cf. Mark 1:25; Mark 3:12), both as an expression of mercy and in order to substantiate his divine authorization to teach and to lead (cf. Mark 1:38).

It is important to distinguish three recipients of, and thus reasons for, Jesus’s varied injunctions to silence: (1) to demons (e.g., Mark 1:25, 34; Mark 3:12), because they must not gain or retain power by speaking; (2) to healed people (e.g., Mark 1:45; Mark 5:43; Mark 7:36; cf. John 11:54), for this impedes demonstrably the mobility of Jesus; and (3) to his disciples (e.g., Mark 8:30; Mark 9:9), for they do not yet understand that the Messiah of God must both die and be raised before taking up his exalted and eternal reign (Mark 8:31; Mark 10:45; Mark 14:25).

Jesus challenges and rebukes everything that opposes the legitimate claims and purposes of God with his creation.

Silencing Healed People

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and 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, for a proof to them.” But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter. —Mark 1:40–45

These verses describe the first Markan injunction to silence to a healed person. “Show yourself to the priest” is necessary according to Jewish law so that the healed person may be declared ceremonially clean by a priest and thus become socially restored (Lev. 14:2–31; see the repeated references to cleansing in Mark 1:40–45). Secondarily, Jesus appears to give this command as a witness of his power specifically to the priests: “for a proof to them.” Amid the tension between Jesus’s practical injunctions to silence (cf. comment on Mark 1:32–34) and his specific command to testify to the priests, the larger motif of serving as a witness of Jesus might already arise here. Those affected by Jesus will, in due time, be called to testify with their transformed lives to who Jesus is and what he has done (cf. Mark 13:9; see also Mark 6:11). In contrast to this, opponents of Jesus will bear false witness (Mark 14:56–57), which breaks the law of Moses (Mark 10:19).

In contrast to demons, who must remain silent, the joy of the healed man outweighs Jesus’s earnest and practical injunction to silence (cf. comment on Mark 1:32–34). The man sets out to proclaim it all and to spread the word about his cleansing. As a consequence, Jesus’s ability to move freely becomes more limited. More and more people from various regions seek to find him — he cannot remain hidden.⁵

And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. —Mark 7:36

This injunction to silence in Mark 7 after Jesus has healed a deaf man (e.g., Mark 1:44; 5:20, 34; 8:26) applies to all who have seen the healing. Despite Jesus’ stern prohibition (Gk. diastellō, “I give orders”; cf. 5:43; 7:36; Acts 15:24), the healed man and those who have witnessed the healing go and tell others about it (cf. 1:45). Jesus apparently repeats the command: “The more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” Jesus’ injunction to silence to various healed persons speaks perhaps also of the fact that he does not wish for healings and exorcisms to be viewed mistakenly as the core of his mission, when in fact he calls everyone to repent from sin and autonomy and to trust in him, and thus in the triune God.

Silencing Those Who Have Seen Who He Is

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. —Mark 9:2–10

Jesus’ command to the three disciples to speak about the transfiguration only after he is raised from the dead (Mark 9:9) is necessary, since his disciples still expect a political, Davidic messiah (8:32–33). Even though Peter has declared by divine revelation (Matt. 16:17) that Jesus is the Messiah (Mark 8:29), he does not yet know the true and full nature of Jesus as the eternal Son of God (12:6; cf. Pss. 2:1–12; 110:1, 5) and the Son of Man (Mark 8:38; Dan. 7:13–14), who must suffer to atone for the sins of many (Mark 8:31; 10:45; 14:24; Isa. 52:13–53:12).

As they descend from the mountain (cf. Ex. 34:29), Jesus issues to his three disciples a strong injunction to silence. He commands them to keep silent so as to avoid a popular movement that would push him into the role of a political freedom fighter (John 6:15) and thus obstruct his path of suffering and atoning death. In this particular context, the disciples do not yet understand what Jesus’ rising from the dead means (cf. Mark 8:31), since they expect the resurrection of all mankind at the end of this age and after the coming of Elijah (Dan. 12:2).⁶ Only later will they realize that the coming of John the Baptist was indeed the fulfillment of the expected coming of Elijah. Likewise, only later will they realize that the resurrection of Jesus is not the same as the general resurrection at the end of this age.

And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. —Mark 8:29–30

Peter often speaks as a representative of the Twelve.⁷ In Mark 8 he confesses Jesus as the Messiah, that is, the divinely anointed leader.⁸ According to Peter’s expectation, this Messiah will free the Jewish people from Roman oppression (cf. John 6:15).⁹ While Peter’s confession is indeed God-given (Matt. 16:17; contrast Mark 13:21), it is insufficient (8:31–33; cf. 15:32).

The messianic Son of Man will be much more exalted (Dan. 7:13–14; cf. Ps. 110:1, 5; Mark 8:38; 12:35–37) and much more humbled (Isa. 52:13–53:12; Mark 8:31; 10:45) than what is generally expected. This becomes fully apparent in 14:62, where Jesus fully identifies himself before the high priest. This is why Jesus at this point enjoins his disciples to silence: “He strictly charged them to tell no one about him” (Mark 8:30).

Jesus asks questions not to learn something but rather to help his disciples and us discover truth and reality. What his disciples expect, namely, a Davidic liberator from Roman oppression, is not what Jesus has come to bring. He willingly goes to his death on the cross to liberate his followers, above all else, from the oppression of sin, with its enmity against God. He also breaks the power of Satan and all evil.

Do contemporary followers of Christ approach him with their own agenda, or do they welcome what Jesus came to bring into their lives? Do they inquire into the mission and purpose of God? Modern followers of Jesus are confronted with the same challenges as were the initial disciples: Do modern disciples have a plan for Jesus’ life, as, for example, Peter did (Mark 8:32), even though they know who Jesus is (cf. 8:29)? Or do they seek to be involved in God’s purposes? The follower of Christ needs to keep in mind that the one he surrenders to is trustworthy, merciful, and powerful. Christ loves his followers and guides them.

Notes:

An extrabiblical example for the need to be confirmed as a messianic contender is Simon ben Kosiba (Bar Kokhba). Rabbi Akiva was convinced that Bar Kokhba was the Messiah, referring to Numbers 24:17 and Haggai 2:21–23 (cf. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97b). However, Bar Kokhba failed miserably.
A number of different expectations can be documented as less prevalent hopes during Second Temple Judaism. They include the expectation of a priestly Messiah in Qumran (1QS IX, 11; 4QTest; CD 7). Some expected an anointed prophet (Psalms of Solomon 17 and 18). Others, again, expected a heavenly Son of Man (Ethiopic Enoch, 37–71). Cf. John J. Collins, The Scepter and the Star: Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature (New Haven, CT: Doubleday, 1995), 209.
Second Maccabees describes how Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who governed the Seleucid Empire, tried in vain to hellenize the law-abiding Jews under his jurisdiction. He sought to force the Jews to act against the Mosaic law (e.g., to eat pork) and also defiled the temple in Jerusalem (2 Macc. 6:1–2). The ensuing uprising led by the Maccabees against the Seleucids would later be remembered at the feast of Hanukkah (= “dedication”; cf. John 10:22), commemorating especially the rededication of the temple to Yahweh (164 BC). Second Maccabees 8:1–4 describes the /beginning of the revolt: “Judas, however, who was also called Maccabeus, and his companions secretly entered the villages and summoned their kinsmen and enlisted those who had continued in the Jewish faith, and so they gathered about 6,000 men. They earnestly prayed to the Lord to look upon the people who were oppressed by all and to have pity on the temple that had been profaned by ungodly men and to have mercy on the city . . . and to remember also the lawless destruction of the innocent babies and the blasphemies committed against his name.” The account describes the events that occurred mostly between 167 BC (when the Maccabean revolt began) and 164 BC.
Cf. John 6:69; Acts 3:14. See also 1 John 2:20.
E.g., Mark 1:45; 2:1–2; 3:7–12, 20; 6:31–33, 53–56; 7:24–25.
See also Mark 9:12. Cf. Mark 6:14, 16; 12:18–27.
E.g., Mark 1:36–37; 8:32; 9:5; 10:28; 11:21; 14:29. Cf. Matthew 15:15; Luke 8:45; John 6:68; Acts 1–9.
Cf. 2 Samuel 7:14–16; Psalm 2; Jeremiah 23:5–6. Compare this with Mark 14:61; 15:32. Cf. John 10:24.
The event narrated in John 6:66–69 may have occurred at a point in Jesus’ ministry (cf. John 6:59; 7:1, 40–43; 8:1) later than that narrated in Mark 8:27–30.

This article is by Hans F. Bayer and is adapted from the ESV Expository Commentary: Matthew–Luke (Volume 8).

Hans F. Bayer is professor emeritus of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Susan, have three children and a growing number of grandchildren.

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