Yet More Layers: Mark 8:30
There is always more to learn with God. I’ve seen dissertations written about a single verse. I know the feeling of gaining new understanding from a familiar verse after forty years of study! We are never done in our quest to understand God; neither is He ever done in His quest to draw us closer to Him.
After hearing Peter’s confession, Jesus tells the disciples to say nothing. Jesus knows His time is short. If the message about Jesus being the Messiah spreads too seriously, the conflict with the religious elite will escalate, the timetable will speed up, and the crucifixion will happen before the disciples are ready. That’s the obvious truth. Like Peter confessing Jesus as the Messiah, there is credit in getting this far and knowing that conclusion. But, like Peter confessing Jesus to be the Messiah, there are always more layers to learn.
Besides spending eternal life with God, the fact that there are always more layers to learn is my favorite aspect of relationship with God. There are always more questions to ask, more thoughts to have, and more depth to find. There is never a reason to stop.
By commanding the disciples to silence, Jesus is thinking of them. Jesus knows how the religious elite will react to His claim to be the Messiah. They will crucify Him. The disciples can’t possibly comprehend how the most anticipated moment of Jewish history – the coming of the Messiah – will result in Jesus’ death. Jesus doesn’t want His disciples caught up so they become victims. Jesus’ command is about their safety as much as it is about God’s timetable.
Jesus also needs them to live through the experience and put it all together. He needs them to understand God’s plan in hindsight when it all makes sense so they can take the message to anyone willing to listen. The disciples can’t spread the message to the world if they are dead! Jesus’ command has to do with the fledgling church that will need to learn how to survive before it can thrive.
Jesus is also teaching a lesson on obedience. Sometimes the most difficult thing in the world is to know something and say nothing. We want our moment of fame. We want to feel important and in the know. By enforcing silence, Jesus is forcing the disciples to exert their will over their human instincts. Jesus teaches His disciples how the soul is more powerful than the flesh. With God we can overcome the sinful nature of the flesh.
Jesus is always thinking in the moment. He is also thinking three steps ahead. He is also thinking fifteen generations down the road. He is also considering the eternal. What makes God so amazing is that He is aware of all of this and can hold it all together for our good. That is also what makes studying His Word a study of layers. There is always more to learn with God.
