Don’t Take Your Faith to Town.

Mark 8:22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said , I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Many are confused over Jesus’ command to this man and others to not tell anybody what He did for them. It seems to fly in the face of the whole testifying thing. But here is the reason. This is only Mark 8 and there are 16 chapters in Mark.

You have to understand the religious economy of the day. Rival factions dueled for allegiance of the people. Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, priests and Levites all wanted the lion’s share of the religious carrion.

Then came Jesus. By the admission of their own spies, He was unlike any of them. He spoke and acted with authority. When He did something, everyone noticed. His magnetism was a perilous threat to any whisp of sway they might be clinging to.

A blind man gifted with sight by Savior spit? This just would not do with the local clergy. Four Thousand fed with less than one grocery sack? The ministerial association would have an untoward ecumenical movement.

Jesus had much more ministry to accomplish. There needed to be more healings, much more instruction. The glorification of the Father by the Son on earth was not even half complete.

So Jesus had to squelch the enthusiasm of those He had blessed, lest the powers that be short-circuit the Father’s will.

Now, however, post crucifixion/resurrection, it is time for all those who have been beneficiaries of the greatest of all miracles, salvation to publish the glad tidings everywhere and to everyone.

Go take your love to town! For vs 38 concludes; “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.“