The Right Hour
Matthew 16:20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he
was the Christ.
WE are constantly told to tell
others about Jesus. Paul writes in Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how
can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear
without someone preaching to them?” And Jesus later promises these same
disciples: “You will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts
1:8 (b))
Why does Jesus silence his disciples regarding His true identity?
The best answer comes in John
6:15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force,
withdrew again to a mountain by himself. Despite many confrontational
conversations with men in authority over the Jews’ religion, Jesus was
developing a very popular profile. And why not? He healed people! He was sovereign over demons, nature and food. His
remarkable teachings stirred men’s hearts. There was a great hope and growing
evidence among the Jewish population in Galilee that Jesus was the Messiah!
Imagine that! Imagine you are under the weight of religious,
economic and political oppression. Then it seems a glimmer of light is getting
brighter and brighter. The Messiah has come! Let’s make him King!
Jesus, of course, knew that wasn’t his purpose. He had come for
His true kingship that required not his exaltation but his humiliation. The
King of Glory was not yet ready to fully display the light of His glory. He was
on the Father’s timetable, and he waited.
Thus the warning, “Tell no one.” Jesus submitted to His Father’s
hour.
LIFE Link: “The hour has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23)
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