What does Mark 7:36 mean?
Very rarely does Jesus tell those He healed to spread the word. He did give the order to the man who was released from a legion of demons (Mark 5:19), which may be the reason why Jesus is crowded with those who need healing now (Matthew 15:29–31). Most of the time, Jesus tells the newly healed to either remain quiet or show themselves to the priests for verification (Mark 1:44; Luke 17:14), particularly if they had leprosy. When word does spread around, the sheer number of people who want Him delays the more important work of training the disciples and sometimes threatens Jesus' safety (Mark 3:9).Today, we need to be careful how we proclaim Jesus. He gives us specific promises in His Word that tell us what to expect in a life devoted to Him. They include gifts for the service of others (1 Corinthians 12), conviction of our sins (John 16:7–11), forgiveness (Acts 13:38), and persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). They do not guarantee complete or instantaneous physical healing (2 Corinthians 12:7), immediately- or fully-healed relationships (Matthew 10:35), an easy lifestyle (Matthew 8:20), or a long life (Acts 7:54–60). Healing and restoration are possible, but not certain during earthly life. Many of God's promises to us must be accepted, or even fought for, such as the fruit of the Spirit which we can't receive until we lay down our own desires (Galatians 5:22–24).
Jesus doesn't want those He heals to proclaim what He has done, yet, because physical healing isn't His primary mission. Like any miracle, the healings and exorcisms affirm His position as a prophet of God (John 10:37–38), but they are secondary to His more important purpose: to reveal the way of salvation and train others to spread the gospel after He leaves. Many seek signs, but the gospel is Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:21–23). It is this message that we need to spread.
