The man who was instantly healed of his leprosy became unable to, “tell no one!” He was given a second chance in his physical body and he told everyone about it.
Please share your thoughts, your own application or questions in the comments at the end.
COMMAND 49: “See that you tell no one;
COMMAND 50: “…but go show yourself … and present the offering …”.
Mt 8:4; see also Mk 1:44; Lk 5:14
It is unclear to me if the events of Mt 8:3, Mk 1:41 and Lk 5:13 are the same or happened at different times. All were in Galilee and happened early in Jesus’ ministry. I considered them as the same.
RECIPIENT: A man with leprosy
CONTEXT: My notes about the context of this command
Mt 8:1-4a When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. 3Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.“ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.4And Jesus said to him…
Mk 1:40-44 And a leper *came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and *said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.“ 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 43And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, 44and He *said to him…
Lk 5:12-14a While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.“ And immediately the leprosy left him. 14And He ordered him to tell no one…
COMMAND FULL TEXT:
Mt 8:4b “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Mk 1:44b “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.”
Lk 5:14b “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
RESULT:
Mk 1:45 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 unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.
Lk 5:15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
DEFINITIONS: Key Greek Words – Removes ambiguity of the Bible text
word: Strong’s # Greek pronunciation — definition
see: G3708 ὁράω hor-ah’-ō – to stare at; (by implication) to discern clearly (physically or mentally); (by extension) to attend to
tell: G2036 ἔπω ep’-ō – to speak or say (a primary verb used only in the definite past tense)
no one: G3367 μηδέν may -dem-ee’-ah – not even one (man, woman, thing)
but: G235 ἀλλά al-lah’ – properly other things; (adverbially) contrariwise (in many relations)
go: G5217 ὑπάγω hoop-ag’-ō – to lead (oneself) under, that is, withdraw or retire (as if sinking out of sight), literally or figuratively
show: G1166 δεικνύω dike-noo’-ō – to show (literally or figuratively)
gift: G1435 δῶρον dō’-ron – A present; specifically a sacrifice
present the offering; offer; make an offering: G4374 προσφεìρω pros-fer’-ō – to bear towards, that is, lead to, tender, treat
ordered: (Luke 5:14) G3853 παραγγεìλλω par-ang-gel’-lō – to transmit a message, that is, (by implication) to enjoin
MY COMMENTS AND NOTES:
In Matthew 8:4 and Mark 1:44 it seems out of character for Jesus to tell this man he may not ever talk about his healing. The past tense of the verb “tell” suggests is it possible that Jesus told the man that since no one knows about the what just happened to him, that he must go and see the priest and fulfill the law regarding his healing. Or, could it be that Jesus told him to first go show himself to the priest and thus fulfill his legal obligation? Luke 5:14, however suggests that Jesus indeed told the man to not speak of his healing except to tell the priest. If this is the meaning, then Jesus told him to tell no one for the practical reason that it would hinder His work.
The man with leprosy was given a second chance in his physical body. He had a physical “born again” experience. He told many people what Jesus had done for him. This man was so busy telling everyone what happened that the Bible does not record if he ever told the priest! He didn’t remember Jesus’ command about who not to tell. Therefore, I have to wonder if he remembered who he was supposed to tell!
MY PERSONAL APPLICATION: I encourage you to make your own application
Carefully consider the implications that it will be impossible for the recipients of your good deed to be silent about it; they will be unable. If silence is imperative, plan the deed to be anonymous. That way you avoid the notoriety and any complications of having someone identify you personally. It might be appropriate to help them through an organization. Either way they will have no choice but to thank God or the organization rather than you personally.
This application is similar to the one from Commands 23 and 23: Do not to make a tacky public show of giving gifts to individuals or contributions to charitable organizations that help the poor. In most cases I should take deliberate steps to keep my contributions hidden from even those who are close to me. I can have faith that the people will be helped and have peace that no one will come to me asking for more.
Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command
© 2018 Christopher Carlson
Good thoughts, Christopher. I hadn’t considered it like that before. This passage has often puzzled me and reading this gave me another way to think about it. Thanks!
Thanks for the comment, Pearl. I think I mentioned before that sometimes it can be a very good thing to give publicly. Alerting others to problems and the opportunity to help when they otherwise would not know is an example. Mostly, I think that there are more problems in the world than I can help and I probably use this logic to do nothing far too often!