Question on Jesus And The Messianic Secret - A Secret That Can Not Be Kept

QUESTION RECEIVED:

In Mark 5:19, we see Jesus telling the man He cast the demon(s) Legion out of to go to his town and share about what happened and by whom he was  made new.

This goes against so many instances in the New Testament where Jesus tells those healed not to tell anyone about Him.

Why does Jesus make an exception here?

MY ANSWER:

Jesus did often heal and then told the healed person to tell no one.

When Jesus healed people and told them to tell no one that is sometimes called His messianic secret.

Here is an example-

Matthew 8:1-4 (NKJV)

“8 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

You will notice that Jesus also told this man to go to a priest and follow Jewish law.

So obviously this healed man was a Jew.

Why would Jesus ask the man not to tell anyone how he was healed?

My speculation is that the message of the life death burial and resurrection was

overwhelming and not understood before the resurrection even by his mother  Mary, His brothers and His disciples.  The whole life of Jesus Christ and how he would deliver our salvation had to be seen in total view of His whole life to really show in full He was the Messiah.

When Jesus fed the multitudes in John 6 he had to flee.  The adoring crowds wanted to make Him king.  This would have been counter to His plans to bring us salvation by His death and resurrection.

John 6:15 (NKJV) “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

This seems like the reason to me why he would tell Jews who He healed miraculously not to tell who healed them.

But near Galilee we find a man who lived with pigs. 

This is a good indication the man was not Jewish or was outside of Jewish society as Jews abhorred pork for religious reasons.

As you know Jesus cast a demon out of the man.

Then he told the man to go and tell his people.

Mark 5:19 (NKJV) “ However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

Jesus came first for the Jews as He said in Matthew 15:24 “…I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But Jesus was working through Israel for the benefit of the whole world.

My belief is that the Savior had to mute His message to the Jewish people  until His life death, burial and resurrection were seen as a whole.

Jesus told the man, who the demons previously in the passage said were named Legion, to go and tell and not to go with Him.

The man was told to go and tell.

Jesus, in my belief, was sending the gentiles a message of hope that they would soon hear after His resurrection.

Jesus was getting the news about salvation and the kingdom by using this former demon possessed pig dweller to evangelize and tell his gentile people about Jesus the Christ.  

The messianic secret can not and should not be kept.

Jesus is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King.