To Tell...Or Not To Tell

Have you ever read a portion of Scripture and then scratched your head and wondered why a person said or did something that appeared to not make sense? I read this morning in Mark 5, a passage that contains some powerful miracles performed by Jesus. Yet, as I read, I wondered at a seeming contradiction between what Jesus told the now-healed demoniac of Gadara and what He told the parents of the young girl raised from the dead. Somehow, at first reading, it just did not make sense.

First, concerning the demoniac who lived among the tombs in the country of Gadara, located on the southeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. You remember the story. Jesus casts out the demons that had tormented this man for years. The demons asked permission to enter into a herd of pigs, then hurled the pigs into the Sea where they were drowned. This act caused quite a stir - first for the man who was healed, then for the pig-herders, and finally for the people in the area. The response of the crowd was of more concern over a bunch of drowned pigs than of rejoicing over a man who had been restored to sanity. The man himself asked permission to follow Jesus. Jesus told him, "no," but then commanded him to go and tell everyone what had happened. He was freed to proclaim as often as he desired his story. Jesus set no boundaries upon his testimony.

Second, the miracle of the raising of Jairus' daughter from the dead was one of the mightiest acts Jesus ever did. Perhaps this happened in the vicinity of Capernaum. The reality was this: the girl had died. Everyone in the community knew this. It was not a secret. When Jesus arrived at the home, the public mourning had already begun. Yet Jesus enters the room where she laid in preparation for burial. Gently He calls her back to life. Then Jesus told them something that seems absolutely absurd - they were to tell no one about what had happened. Doesn't that seem strange? Were they to keep the girl in the house all the time? How would they answer questions? And, the Bible tells us the girl was twelve - almost a teenager - and I remember how teenaged girls love to talk. Jesus did set boundaries upon their testimony.

The more I pondered this statement in Mark 5:43 today, the more I came to understand that Jesus did not give this commandment for silence to create hardships. I believe He did it to protect this impressionable young girl and her very public family. It was to shield the girl from what I call, "the Britney Syndrome" today. Would people know? Absolutely! But Jesus was telling them not to elevate the young girl to the status of an icon. The focus was to be upon Jesus.

So, here is what God shared with me today. In the telling of my story, I must be careful not to elevate myself to the position of prominence. I must keep the focus upon Jesus, for my life is really an expression of His story.