#19 – Misunderstanding Jesus, And The Messianic Secret

One of the things you might observe in the Gospels is that in early parts of Jesus' ministry, he would admonish the people he healed and those who followed him to not tell others about who he is. This seems counterintuitive for someone who's starting a movement, right? But all this is intentional. It was a strategic move to both get the foreign Roman rulers off his scent (who could have meddled in their affairs in fear of a perceived insurrection), and to lead the people of Israel, the Jews, to reexamine their expectations for what the coming Messiah should be and do.

They were expecting a political militaristic ruler who would lead the revolution to fight off their enemies and to restore their nation. They expected someone like Moses, or Joshua, or David, or Judas Maccabeus (also known as Judah the Maccabee). Little did they know that Jesus wanted to do more than just save the Jews from the Romans; he wanted to save the world from sin.

In the same way, our society today has some false perceptions and expectations of who Jesus is and what he ought to do. Influenced by worldly culture and bad teaching, we can be led to a view of Jesus that no longer aligns with who he reveals himself to be. If we want to follow him and share his gospel to the people around us, then we need to reevaluate and reflect whether we are following the real Jesus or a lesser imitation of him.

 

 

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Music by Kayel Marcelo

 

 

PASSAGES / REFERENCES / RESOURCES

• Mark 1:44, Mark 7:36, Mark 8:30, Mark 9:9
• Deuteronomy 18:15
• Exodus 5:2
• Counterfeit Christs - Finding The Real Jesus Among The Impostors (book), by Trent Horn
• Matthew 7:1-5
• Psalm 23:4
• Mark 8:27-30