Mar 8:26 Neither go into the town, nor tell [it] to any in the town.
Mar 8:26 Neither go into the town, nor tell [it] to any in the town.
Christ makes this statement to a man that he has cured from blindness, but we try to look at all words in the larger context of Christ's words, especially in light of the Christ's previous question about why we cannot put together things that happen into a complete picture.
So, we have to asked the question about why Christ didn't want people to spread stories of his healing, especially in towns? Interestingly, right before this miracle, Christ led the man out of the town before curing him.
The question is why?
To seek the answer, I look at all of Christ's references to the word used here for "villages," and I found that it was mentioned in three contexts: 1) as places Christ visited while teaching, 2) as places where people can get food, and 3) as places where on some villages and some people are worthy. This last idea is covered most clearly in Mat 10:11 that we discuss here.
Christ taught in villages all the time but performing a miraculous healing was different. Christ brought his message to everyone, but the filter of faith was very important. He did not want to provide non-believers a sign (see Mat 16:4) but the signs that he offered were specifically designed for those who were worthy (see Mat 11:4-5 discussed here.
When he fed crowds of thousands, it was an invisible miracle. The people there probably didn't know what was happening. All they saw was food being passed around.
However, having a person who everyone know was blind was different. It was a demonstration of power that a lot of people would seek, even if they had no interest in God or the teaching. If they saw or heard about his ability to heal , unworthy people would follow him and consume his very limited time. He wanted people to following him for the purpose of finding God alone. This is why he makes it work to understand his words, using parables. This is why he teaches in villages but tries to keep his miracles private, so that people will follow for the right reasons rather than the wrong ones.
"Go into" is from eiserchomai (eiserchomai)which means both "to go into," "to come in," "to enter," "to enter an office," "to enter a charge," (as in court) and "to come into one's mind."
"Town" is from kômê (kome), which means an "unwalled village," "country town," and the ward or quarter of a city.
"Tell" is from eipon (eipon), which means "to speak," "to say," "to recite," "to address," "to mention," "to name," "to proclaim," "to plead," "to promise," and "to offer."
