Scripture: Matthew 9:29-31 (NLT)
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” 30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31 But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.
Observation
Jesus did a unique and powerful task. He healed two blind men. However, after this miracle, He warned them not to tell a soul. So, we have to wonder why Jesus doesn’t want His miracles to be known?
For a few reasons, one of those reasons is that Jesus doesn’t want to be famous because of what he is doing; he wants people to change and believe in Him as God’s son. We know that because John 4:48 tells us that Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” Genuine faith in Christ comes by believing in His words.
Another reason is that he needs more time to do the work God has given Him, and the more they make Him famous, the faster the government seeks to kill Him.
Jesus has His reason. He wanted the blind men not to share what he did for them. The same goes for us today; it’s not everything that Christ does for us we need to go public with; sometimes Christ works in our life because he knows how strong we are, but when we share something that was not supposed to be shared, we can weaken the weakest link.
Application:
The problem is knowing when to speak up and when to stay silent.
Just remember, the believer’s job is to share the gospel with the world. Psalm 145 sums this up powerful; read Psalm 145:10-12 in your Bible.
Using your testimony to share the gospel has a more significant effect. Like Psalm 66:16 says, “Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me.”
Trust in God to tell you when to speak and not to speak. The command Christ gave His disciples, who may have lost their way of living because of sharing the gospel, is found in Matthew 10:19. He said, “When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time.”
Reflection
Have you ever felt Christ calling you not to tell someone something?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, direct me to the times that I must remain silent to make your work prevail in the world. In Christ Jesus’ name, I pray.