Did Jesus Contradict His Own Great Commission?
In all three Synoptic Gospel accounts, we find cases where Jesus instructed various individuals and groups (including apostles and those He had healed) not to tell others about His miracles and divinity, and did not wish for His location to be known (Matthew 8:4; 12:16; 16:20; Mark 1:40-45; 5:43; 7:24,36; 8:26-30; 9:30; Luke 9:21).1 Bible students have wondered why, in light of Jesus’ commissioning for His disciples to tell everyone about Him, such as in the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19), He commanded some to conceal information about Him. Responses to this alleged problem have included the following: (1) Mark created the secrecy motif to explain why the historical Jesus never actually declared Himself to be the Messiah.2 (2) Mark stands in contrast to the other Gospel accounts in that he exclusively emphasized secrecy for unknown reasons, which do not apply in the other Gospel accounts and which we must try to elucidate.3 (3) Jesus simply contradicted Himself, because He sometimes instructed His disciples to spread the word about Him.4 (4) Particularly in the early stages of Jesus’ ministry, He instructed people not to tell about Him, because of timing considerations within His ministry.5
Which of these solutions is correct? The first option has been widely rejected on the basis that Mark himself records cases where Jesus made His deity public and allowed others to proclaim it (Mark 5:19-20; 10:47-52; 11:9-10).6 The second option is implausible because all three other Gospel accounts also record occasions where Jesus utilizes secrecy (although John characteristically does so in unique ways).7 If the fourth option is correct, it dissolves the charge of contradiction and makes the third option moot. Therefore, let us consider the merits of the fourth option.
The Divine Schedule of Jesus’ Life
When we review the biblical data about Jesus’ ministry, we find that the timing of Jesus’ self-revelation was perfect to accomplish His mission, which involved both the teaching of God’s word over a period of time (John 7:10-14; 18:37), and an atoning, sacrificial death at the hands of His enemies after the teaching was complete (Matthew 20:28; 26:28). Jesus’ arrival on Earth itself was at “the right time” according to God’s schedule (Romans 5:6; Galatians 4:4), and He often referred to the divine plan for His life as including an “hour,” or an occasion when it would be the appropriate time for Him to die. This occasion became imminent only after the raising of Lazarus (John 2:4; 7:6,8,30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 17:1). Jesus did not leave the hour of His death up to the whims of His enemies. In fact, prior to His hour coming, Jesus slipped away from those who wanted to kill Him (Luke 4:29-30; John 8:59). Later, however, He freely gave Himself into the hands of those who sought His death (John 10:11-18).
Jesus’ Gradual Self-Revelation To the Public
Jesus’ command that people restrain themselves from telling others about Him is neither random nor anomalous, but part of a larger program of concealment and gradual revelation. Consider the following examples:
- Jesus withdrew from crowds on occasion, even those who wanted to make Him a king (John 6:14-15).8 In fact, when the cleansed leper disobeyed Jesus’ command to remain quiet, the consequent publicity made it “so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in desert places, and they came to Him from every direction” (Mark 1:45).
- Jesus did not fully reveal His plan of self-sacrifice even to the apostles from the start (Mark 8:31-32).
- Jesus’ most frequently used title for Himself was “Son of Man,” which would indicate His divinity only to those familiar with the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14, but would indicate His humanity to others.
- Immediately after the Transfiguration, Jesus told the three apostles who witnessed the event not to tell anyone about it until Jesus had been raised from the dead (Matthew 17:9).
- Jesus taught in parables to conceal literal truth from some in His audience who were unprepared to receive it (Mark 4:11-12,33-34).
- Jesus knew that some would refuse to believe in Him even if they saw a miracle, let alone heard about His miracles (John 12:39-40; cf. Luke 16:27-31).
Clearly, the passages where Jesus instructed others to keep a secret must be read in light of His overall approach to ministry. Craig S. Keener points out a variety of possible strategic motivations for secrecy, including the public confirmation after the resurrection, the refusal of many to believe, and danger from authorities.9 Undue attention would have short-circuited Jesus’ plans in various ways.
Jesus’ Statement To Annas
Given the occasions when Jesus ordered secrecy, it may seem at first incongruous that at His Jewish trial, He told Annas the high priest, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed, they know what I said” (John 18:20-21).10 This statement about the open and public nature of Jesus’ teaching is consistent with His requests that various people not publish news about His miracles. Indeed, when people did tell about His miracles, the situation became such that people thronged Him (Mark 1:45). Jesus’ point to the high priest was, as R.C.H. Lenski observed, that “Jesus had no esoteric doctrine. He did not present one kind of doctrine in public for the crowd and another doctrine behind locked doors for the initiate.”11 Furthermore, Jesus’ statement to the high priest came at the end of His ministry, after He and His teaching became so widely influential and well known that the Jewish leadership brought charges against Him (e.g., John 11:47-48).
Conclusion
Eventually, Jesus did instruct all disciples to speak openly about Him and take His message to the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Today, with the earthly ministry of Jesus completed, the church established, and the Scriptures revealed and confirmed (Hebrews 2:3), there is no more secret about Jesus (cf. Jeremiah 31:33-34; Hebrews 8:11). Christians today, like those in the first century, go “everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).
Endnotes
1 Jesus also told demons not to tell about Him, which may be explained on the basis that demons would make unfit messengers (Mark 1:34).
2 See William Wrede (1971), The Messianic Secret, trans. J.C.G. Greig (Cambridge: James Clarke & Co.); cf. Adam Winn (2008), The Purpose of Mark’s Gospel (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck), p. 10.
3 See Marko Marina (2024), “Messianic Secret: The Mystery Behind Jesus’ Concealed Identity,” Bart Ehrman, https://www.bartehrman.com/messianic-secret/.
4 See Steve Wells (no date), “Did Jesus Have Secret Teachings?” The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/secret.html.
5 See Craig S. Keener (2012), The Historical Jesus of the Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), chapter 18.
6 Winn, The Purpose of Mark’s Gospel, p. 10.
7 Craig S. Keener (2003), The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic), 1:75-78.
8 “While it is no longer popular to suggest that Messianic expectation included a conquering hero who would free the Israelites from the bondage of the Romans, there is much historically and biblically to support this position. As such, declaring oneself Messiah had significant political overtones” (Tim Miller [2016], “The Messianic Secret and the Son of Man,” Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, https://dbts.edu/2016/01/11/the-messianic-secret-and-the-son-of-man/).
9 Keener, The Gospel of John, 1:76.
10 Cf. Wells, “Did Jesus Have Secret Teachings?”
11 R.C.H. Lenski (1943), The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel: John 11-21 (Minneapolis: Augsburg), OliveTree Bible Study Software.
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