Mark 7:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

NIV: Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

NASB: And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.

CSB: He ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more they proclaimed it.

NLT: Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news.

KJV: And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;

NKJV: Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

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.

Mark 7:31–37 mentions only this one healed man and is the only Gospel to do so, while Matthew 15:29–31 describes Jesus healing a great crowd. It's possible that this one healing created the crowd mentioned in Matthew. Healing the deaf is associated with God's direct blessing (Isaiah 35:5) and the Old Testament does not record any account of a literally deaf person being healed; most mentions of ''deaf'' people are references to those who are spiritually hardened. The people praise Jesus not only for healing the deaf and mute man, but for doing it well.

Jesus counters another traditional error from the scribes and Pharisees, explaining that food in and of itself does not make a person unclean. Rather, it is the intent of the heart that matters to God. He specifically condemns traditions which effectively undo the original intent of God's commands. Jesus heals the daughter of a persistent Gentile woman, and a man suffering from deafness and a speech impediment.

After showing His authority over demons, death, and physics, Jesus asserts His superiority over manmade traditions. For generations, Jewish religious leaders have added to the Law in an attempt to keep the nation holy. Such traditions, however, serve to make the leaders look good but unnecessarily burden the people. Jesus argues in word and action that any law that dismisses love is either misinterpreted or manmade.

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.