Not That Kind of Messiah

Hello everyone.

In my last post, we looked at how Jesus took a little bread and a little fish and fed multitudes. But in the beginning of that story, Jesus had actually been trying to get away from the crowds. In the verses after this great miracle, he does finally get some time alone with the disciples. (Luke 9:18) He uses the time to pray.  But then he asks them about what the crowds are saying about him: “Who do people say I am?”

We see the same big names being thrown around: John, Elijah or another of the prophets of old, raised from the dead. Theories and ideas must have abounded regarding who Jesus was. “Who is Jesus?” That is the question that everyone is seeking an answer to.  (We know from Mark 6:14-16) that even Herod and his circle was trying to figure it out.) 

Jesus asks about the crowds and who they think Jesus is, but the crowds lack the insight to really understand it. The apostles have gained some insight, enough, at least, for Peter to correctly answer the question.  But, even the disciples do not get the full picture. When Jesus asks, "Who do you say I am? (Luke 9:20) Peter responds to this question that Jesus is “the Messiah of God.” While Peter certainly didn't fully understand what his answer even meant, he was correct.  Jesus is the Messiah, who came from God. (Matthew’s account has Peter saying, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.” Mark says, “You are the Messiah.”) Matthew also records that this is the place where Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of God.  Luke does not mention this, simply saying that Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone that Jesus was the Messiah.  

Why would Jesus give them this command? What follows may be the key to why Jesus would not want them to talk about this yet.  He begins to tell them about what must happen to him in the near future. He uses the Greek word Δεῖ (Dei), which means "it is necessary." It was necessary that he suffer greatly, be handed over to his enemies, be killed and then raised from the dead. Matthew 16:21-22 tells us that Peter rebuked Jesus for this message.

His apostles did not fully grasp what the Messiah was.  They probably thought, like everyone else, that the Messiah would come to liberate them from the Romans.  Jesus was just was not that kind of Messiah. 

So back to the question of Jesus command that they not reveal that he is Messiah. Undoubtedly there were people who thought Jesus might be the Messiah, but since they didn’t really understand what the Messiah was there to do, they were going to get the wrong idea. In fact, we know from John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand, the people tried to force Jesus to be king. (John 6:15) Again, he was not that kind of Messiah. Knowing that, in general, people did not understand his mission as Messiah, it was undoubtedly better not to get the crowds all stoked up. 

Of course, to the Jewish way of thinking, driving out the Romans and restoring Israel would have been great, but Jesus' Messiahship is greater then that.  He came to be a Messiah for all nations, not just the Jews and to rescue us for a far greater enemy than the Romans.  The Romans would eventually destroy themselves, but the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,' are still fighting. (Eph. 6:12) They forces are more powerful and longer-lasting than the Romans, and our Messiah came to rescue us from them. 

Tom