(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
What is “the Messianic secret?”
Intro:
Have you ever wondered why Jesus sometimes tells someone to not talk about the fact that He just healed them?
Hey, welcome, just a quick and rare bit of housekeeping — here’s a rare plug for the newsletter — it only goes out on Sundays, always adds something to the week, and you can subscribe at the bottom of any page at ForTheHope.org.
New Testament segment:
Now, on to the NT. The best part of being a bible-reading podcast host is that I get to learn something every single day. Or get reminded of something I don’t remember the answer to like today’s Focus question — What is the Messianic secret? — which is something Mark’s writing includes more than most.
A bilingual Hellenist—John being his Hebrew name and Mark his Greek one—and relative of the wealthy Cyprian landowner Barnabas (Col 4:10; cf. Acts 4:36), John Mark’s well-to-do family occupied a significant place in early Christian communities, first in Jerusalem and later in Antioch. His mother’s substantial house provided a focal gathering point for believers in Jerusalem and was the first port of call for (when Peter got out of jail inActs 12:12–16)…
John Mark was therefore well placed to write his Gospel…regular contact with Peter… perhaps his mother’s female friends providing the information for which they are explicitly named: the events surrounding the empty tomb…(and his contact with Paul) to whom Jesus later appeared…(1)
Passage: Mark 1
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 45
Words: ~952
And on that cliffhanger…let me give you another.
Old Testament segment:
In our OT segment, today makes a big turn in Ezekiel into a section that challenges us when we’re committed to reading the whole Bible.
On another day we’ll look a little more at the significance of why this text is here and what it means for us, but for today, I’m going to read you just part of chapter 40…and make you stick around for the Bottom Line segment where we’ll answer the focus question.
Passage: Ezekiel 40:1-43
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 43
Words: ~1256
Broadly speaking, Ezekiel 40-48 speaks to the restoration of pure worship…and we’ll talk a little more about that tomorrow as it’s important to figure out what that means for us.
Wisdom segment:
Passage: Proverbs 10:1-5
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 5
Words: ~79
The bottom line:
What was the Messianic secret? Ironically in what we read today, it’s a demon that knows who Jesus is. We’ll see it be people another time. And like anything else, scholars disagree, but here’s what makes sense to me from the NIV Study Bible’s notes.
…the historical Jesus (told) the apostles that He was Messiah but took pains to conceal this claim from His Jewish contemporaries at large; He knew that they would misunderstand it. First-century Jews conceived of the anticipated Messiah as a political and military deliverer who would liberate the Jews from the Roman Empire, restore the Davidic boundaries and national sovereignty of Israel, and cleanse Israel from all Gentile influence. Because Jesus’ concept of messiahship not merely excluded these features but staunchly opposed them, Jesus carefully crafted His Messianic identity in parables and cryptic sayings, comprehensible only to those “with ears to hear” (Mark 4:9, 23 NRSV). Only after laying the appropriate groundwork did Jesus publicly make explicit profession of messiahship at the end of His ministry (Mark 14:61–62).(2)
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) D. A. Carson, “The Gospels and Acts,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 1763.
(2) Kirk R. MacGregor, “Mark, Gospel of,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).