Mark 1:40-45
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Matthew 16:13-20
Jesus Tells His Disciples Not to Tell Anyone He is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Acts 4:12
Salvation is Found in no One Else
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Jesus is a most interesting Figure...He became famous and One with a reputation...He became famous by helping people and teaching them about God...He did not and does not seek notoriety... When He did some of His great healings He tells the ones He healed not to tell anyone...When He was with His disciples one day and Peter tells Him and the other disciples that He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God -Jesus orders them not to tell anyone that He is the Messiah...
Here He is, the Man the world has been waiting for since the ancient days has arrived on earth, and He is telling one He has just healed, "See that you don’t tell this to anyone."...And when He indirectly admits that He is the Messiah to His disciples, He ordered the Twelve not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah...This is the most interesting way of being famous and notable, and One with greatest healing reputation ever on earth...I am not sure when He became famous, but He did...And He was not the Messiah or Messiah-type everyone was expecting...Man's thoughts, images, and our imagination are not God's thoughts...God gave Jesus no reputation, until much later in His life or maybe His reputation started after His death...And although He today is still famous, He still (to this very day) is surrounded by controversy around the world...
Sometimes He is not the Messiah we would think of either in the world of today...There is not a lot of pomp and circumstance that surrounded Him...Today, He probably would be a celebrity -but this is only a guess...Jesus did not seek to be famous or a celebrity...I can only imagine, if God had planned His first visit on earth to be today, how the world and the world media would react to Him...Jesus did not want His miracles or notoriety to get in His way of teaching us and others about God, His Father...Jesus did not focus His life on miracles or being famous...The focus of His life was teaching us the importance of faith in His Father and the One He sent...
We must never forget, God sent His Son at the right and exact time, the perfect time...That is because God is perfect...He sent His Son to us filled with the Holy Spirit...He sent Him to teach us about the eternities, and the importance of faith on earth and faith in God...All His time, energy, and focus the last three years of His life on earth were talking about His Father, and having His Father as the center of not only His life, but to explain to us why we should have His Father with us each and everyday...And why His Father should be the center of our lives...He proclaimed He was going to die for us, and He did just that...He died on a cross, saving us from our own sins...
Jesus is the most Holy Man ever to walk the earth...He is the most Sacred Man to come down to earth...And today He still does not want us to be focused on His miracles, His reputation or notoriety...He wants us focused on love, forgiveness, faith in Him, and salvation through Him...Salvation is found in no one else...
And although He did not come to earth to be a most famous One or seek out a reputation -what He did become was the most important Man ever to walk our earth...