What Y’shua does after all that Q & A with the disciples doesn’t seem to add up. But maybe it’s only to me, and for a moment. Perhaps you might share your initial reaction to His words. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Matthew 16:20 NIV
[20] Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Ssh … Don’t Tell
It doesn’t add up. Y’shua questions the disciples about public opinion, then invites their opinion of Him, celebrates their response, and tells them to say nothing to anyone. At a first reading, it seems counterintuitive. But even when He walked this earth in human form like the rest of us, Y’shua Jesus didn’t think like us. This is the person Who, at age 12, sat with the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law as if in seminary. His IQ must have been of the charts. Yet, He spent more of His time with common people. Definitely not typical God-like behaviour.
Self-Check
What is typical God-like behaviour? How do we respond when God acts atypical to our expectations?
Application
On reflection, I suspect that Y’shua wanted the disciples then, and us now, to discover Him personally. We note that the word on the street from the average person was not as clear as Peter’s response. That’s to be expected. They didn’t know Y’shua personally. We, on the other hand, do know Y’shua, so our experience would be different.
Additionally, we know that Y’shua was big on timing. Rightly so, as proper timing influences the outcome of almost everything in life. For those who believe in the Big Bang (assuming that’s still an argument regarding earth’s origins), those gases had to collide at exactly the right time for life to come forth. If any critical particle wasn’t there, the collusion would have had the same impact and outcome.
We could see that Y’shua’s work wasn’t yet complete, and if word about His identity spread too soon, it wouldn’t align to God’s plans. This invitation to silence might even have been more about the disciples than about Y’shua being crucified. What we do know is that they seemed to have obeyed Him while He was alive. After Pentecost … it was as though it were the fullness of time, Peter was sharing all he knew.
So, where does Y’shua’s command leave us today? It may not be in relation to God’s identity, but Y’shua sometimes invites our silence about things we know. It may be in regard to prophetic words. It may be that we’re to be like Mary – keeping silent and pondering in our hearts what we’ve experienced. It may even be that we’re invited to practice self-control. In those moments, I believe we ought to obey, seeking divine direction on what next.
Lastly, I offer … what if Y’shua wanted the disciples to act on their knowledge of Him? That would be a much more powerful testimony than mere words.
Point to Ponder
How about us, who do we say Y’shua is? Do our actions corroborate what we confess?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
