Matthew 12:15-16……Working

Matthew 12:15-16……Working

12:15 Aware of this (Expresses Jesus’ divine omniscient in knowing their plan to kill Him.-{V.14}) Jesus withdrew (Not out of fear. But a tactical retreat, that His hour had not yet come.) from that place. (Synagogue) Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, (Jesus turns none away, all are healed.) 16 warning them not to tell who he was. (Suggests Jesus did not want the glory or notoriety as a miracle worker or a national liberator Was in line with the humble character of the Messiah.-12:17-18)

Continued From Book

“Calls for not allowing opposition or threats to slow us down or keep us from ministering to others.” ⇒ Jesus never worried about Himself, never worried about the plot hatched against Him. Think about it, people were planing Jesus’ demise and yet He’s still had time for people and healed them. Jesus had incredible power at His disposal. He had any number of alternatives. He could have stupefied them with intellectual arguments, He could have made His opponents look like fools, He could have made their secrets known. He could have called a legion of angels to slay His enemies. He could have simply willed that their hearts stop beating, or their lungs to stop breathing, and that they all fall over dead. And yet, He simply walked away from a fight with those who would ultimately kill him

“Even today, servants of God are to avoid unnecessary attention, fanfare, and popularity. Ministry should always be about serving God and helping others and not about fame, attention, or self-glory.” ⇒ What is our purpose for coming to church? What is our purpose for serving in ministry? Is the abundance of our ministry trying to get notices or trying to be in the spotlight? Is the abundance of our attitude trying to get our way in the church? Many a church split have been the result of brothers and sisters in Christ fighting because things in the church is not done their way.

Additional Notes & Applications

There might have been some practical reasons for Jesus’ call for silence. He might have wanted to avoid having even greater multitudes come to Him—multitudes so great that He could no longer move about. Or, He might have wished to avoid any additional and unnecessary conflicts with the Pharisees. It may be that He wanted to prevent any distraction from His message—not wanting people to focus on the healings instead of on His teachings concerning the kingdom. It could be that He wanted to discourage any misguided ‘Messianic’ expectations and enthusiasms that would distract from His intention to eventually go to the cross. All of these things may have been possible. But the clearest reason for why Jesus warned the people not to make Him known, is told to us in verse 17: “. . . that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet . . .” In other words, Jesus’ great concern was that the Scripture might be fulfilled; which tells us that He did not come to fight or quarrel; but that He would come as a meek and humble “Servant”.