Why in the Gospels did Jesus did not seem to mind when some of his miracles were known and others he did not want known?

Richard in Arcola

Dear Richard,

              This is an excellent question! What are we supposed to make of things when our Lord approaches the same sort of situation in two different ways? I think that in order to answer your question, we need to turn briefly to the Gospel of John.

              After multiplying the loaves and fishes (John 6:1-14), we read that “when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself” (John 6:15). Jesus did not want them to make Him a king because He knew what would follow: an arrest, trial, and crucifixion for leading a revolutionary sect.

              Now you might be thinking, “Well, that’s what happened anyway, isn’t it?” — and you’d be right. But Jesus knew how important it was for His crucifixion to occur at the right time. Again, turning to John’s Gospel, the evangelist frequently writes one version or another of Jesus saying, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20). So, what makes the timing “right” or better than any other time?

              In short, Jesus needed His message of Good News to spread, but at the right pace and proper time. We can’t perfectly know the mind of the Lord, but the Gospel of Matthew does provide certain pieces of evidence to help us out. For example, the miracle of Jesus healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and others at Peter’s house (Matthew 8:14-17) was a comparatively “quiet” act. I’m sure there was a long line out the door by the end of the day, but it wasn’t a matter that disrupted the entire town. On the other hand, we read in Matthew Chapter 9 that word of Jesus’ miracles began to “spread throughout all that land.” To temper His popularity, He therefore asked people not to share about His deeds on occasion. After all, had He attracted too much attention from Roman authorities too quickly, He would have been crucified before He ever had a chance to explain what the crucifixion was for.

              As a final note, I think the best answer to your question can be found in the Gospel of Luke. Near the conclusion of Luke’s Gospel narrative (Luke 24:13-35), Jesus, having now risen from the dead, meets two followers on the road to Emmaus. When He pretends not to know what has been happening, one of the disciples asks Him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” (Luke 24:18). By the time the crucifixion actually took place, Jesus had ensured that everyone would know about it, and about His ministry. In fact, these two disciples are shocked to find someone who doesn’t know about Jesus, His ministry, and crucifixion. Because Jesus took precautions throughout His ministry not to spread the word about Him too hastily, He was most ready to be known in the moment when His hour finally came.

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Father Jayke White is parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Effingham.