Mark 3:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

NIV: But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

NASB: And He strongly warned them not to reveal who He was.

CSB: And he would strongly warn them not to make him known.

NLT: But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.

KJV: And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

NKJV: But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

Jesus is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, swarmed by people from all over the region and beyond who want to touch Him to be healed (Mark 3:7–10). In that mob are those who are possessed by demons. The demons know who He is and have no choice but to fall to the ground and worship Him. But He will not allow them to testify to the people about His true identity. There are a couple of reasons for this.

The God of the Bible is the God who works in history. At this point, He has influenced history for thousands of years, preparing the people and the culture for the arrival of His Son. During Jesus' ministry, He works strategically to reveal who Jesus is and what He's come to do. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the demon's apparent compulsion to declare Jesus the Son of God works against God's plans, so Jesus silences them.

Another reason ties into Satan's title as the "father of lies" (John 8:44). One of Satan's greatest talents is taking a truth and adding just enough deception to make it dangerous. If Jesus validates the demons as witnesses to His identity, they'll assume the authority to tell people more about Jesus—and lie about Him. This would make their message even more dangerous than that of the Pharisees who should know Jesus as the Messiah, but blind themselves to the truth.

Then, as now, Jesus wants His followers to bear witness to Him—Who He is, and what He does in our lives. That is why He commissions His followers to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…" (Matthew 28:19–20).

Mark 3:7–12 is the second of five stories recording people's reactions to Jesus' growing ministry. Jesus' fame has spread across Israel. People from Sidon, fifty miles to the northwest, to Idumea, one hundred miles to the southwest, and almost everywhere in between have come for healing. The ever-present crowd keeps growing, to the point where Jesus has to plan an escape route to avoid being injured. Most people are intent on using Jesus' power for their own gain. Ironically, only the demons show Him proper fear and respect. This passage is mirrored in Luke 6:17–19 and possibly in Matthew 12:15–21.

The bulk of chapter 3 deals with how different people react to Jesus' teaching and His assumption of authority. The Pharisees' confusion transitions into plotting. The crowds that continually follow Jesus for healing become more frenetic and dangerous. Jesus' own family, afraid for His sanity, try to pull Him away. But true followers also show themselves. Twelve join together to become a core group, while a slightly bigger crowd, more interested in Jesus' teaching than miracles, earn the honor of being called His true family.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.