Scripture: Mark 3:11-12 – “Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them no to make him known.”
There is the strange pattern in the Gospel according to Mark, which is generally recognized to be the earliest of the Gospels. At several points over the course of the story, someone, usually an evil spirit, will recognize Jesus as the Messiah or the Son of God or some other title indicating his divinity. But Jesus will always tell them to be quiet or to keep his secret. From a narrative standpoint, this secrecy allows Jesus’ self-revelation at his trial in Jerusalem that he is the Messiah especially powerful.
But other than creating a climactic moment, I think this “messianic secret” points to important parts of our reaction to faith. The first is that we all want to be in on a secret. There is that rush that we know something that others do not or that someone confided something important with us that others do not know. For the early Christians, this special knowledge about Jesus made them feel special, and more importantly, inspired them to bring love and faith into the world, even if others did not completely understand them.
The reason why the messianic secret is important to us is the power of deeds over words. Entire libraries have been filled with books describing the power and majesty of Jesus and how he can be both human and God without confusion. But all this verbiage inspires very few. What does make a difference is going out and doing good things, committing those random acts of kindness, and doing things not because it makes you powerful or popular, but simply because it was the right thing to do. Jesus did not need people to shout his name from the hills. He needed people to come to him seeking healing and mercy. When we as individuals and as the Church can accomplish call to healing and mercy, we are telling the truth about Jesus more than any book ever could.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to honor you with my deeds more than my words. Amen.
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