Mark 3:12

3:12 But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

Mark 5:43

5:43 He strictly ordered that no one should know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Mark 7:36

7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anything. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more.

Matthew 9:30

9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.”

Luke 8:56

8:56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.


tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

sn Jesus did not permit the demons to make him known because the time for such disclosure was not yet at hand, and such a revelation would have certainly been misunderstood by the people. In all likelihood, if the people had understood him early on to be the Son of God, or Messiah, they would have reduced his mission to one of political deliverance from Roman oppression (cf. John 6:15). Jesus wanted to avoid, as much as possible, any premature misunderstanding about who he was and what he was doing. However, at the end of his ministry, he did not deny such a title when the high priest asked him (14:61-62).

sn That no one should know about this. See the note on the phrase who he was in 3:12.

tn Grk “but as much as he ordered them, these rather so much more proclaimed.” Greek tends to omit direct objects when they are clear from the context, but these usually need to be supplied for the modern English reader. Here what Jesus ordered has been clarified (“ordered them not to do this”), and the pronoun “it” has been supplied after “proclaimed.”

tn Grk “And her.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

sn Jesus ordered them to tell no one because he desired that miracles not become the center of his ministry.