On Mark 1:40-45

By Pat Pagulayan

It has made me wonder why when Jesus heals the sick and casts away demons, He tells them not to tell anyone. He even told His disciples not to tell others about who He is (Mt 16:20).  I initially thought it is because during that time when He was doing His healing, it was still too early for His true identity to be revealed. After reading this verse, it became obvious to me how critical is was for Jesus that they do not go out and tell anyone about Him -in fact too critical that when the leper told others about Jesus healing him of his leprosy, this prevented Jesus from going into that town.

Can it be because when the leper told others about Jesus and his healing, people were just going to gather in large crowds with their sick to be “physically” healed but not actually listen to His Word? Yes, healing the sick and casting out demons are some of the things He did out of His love, but these are just some of His ways to make people believe Him. His Word - the Good News that He brings with Him, is far more important than the “physical” healing. For man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God (Mt 4:4)

Jesus also told the leper to “say” nothing to anyone, but to just “show” himself to the priest. This reminded me of when John the Baptist was in prison and he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He is the Chosen One. In response, Jesus sent His disciples to John to tell him what they have “heard” and what they have “seen”. This has highlighted to me the importance of actions/deeds, compared to just words alone. As John Duiker said, we cannot profess God with our lips and deny Him with our lives. I could go on and on telling people about Jesus and may even quote the Bible to my advantage, but if I don’t live a life of love according to Him, I may end up like the leper who may hinder Jesus from coming to other people’s lives.

Some people may be called to proclaim Jesus by being “heard”, whilst others by being “seen”, or may be even both.  I still don’t know what God has called me for. All I know is that God wants me to focus on my relationship with Him - on being a “good soil”, so that when I receive His Word, it will bear fruit in my life for others to partake of.