Sunday, August 23, 2026
Sunday Reflection: Tell no one
In Matthew 16:13-20, we find this:
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
It is that last line that has fascinated me since I first read this passage as a kid-- it's not the only time Jesus tells people not to tell others what has just happened.
For an evangelist, it's an odd directive. Isn't the point of it all that people know he is the Son of God? I have a few thoughts about what might be going on.
One is that if you tell a large-ish group of people not to tell anyone about something, it pretty much guarantees they are going to tell someone-- and when they do, there is a special kind of authenticity that comes with it being secret info.
Another is that perhaps it wasn't time yet for this to be revealed, because it would bring down the wrath of the authorities and cut his ministry short.
Finally, I wonder if it is simply self-protection. Sometimes Jesus removes himself physically from others by retreating to the wilderness; perhaps he is doing that in a different way here.
But in the end I don't know why he told them to tell no one. And, of course, they told everyone!
