And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
And Jesus ("straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away," Mark 1:43 , and) saith unto him; See thou tell no man. A hard condition this would seem to a grateful heart, whose natural language, in such a case, is "Come, hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul" (Psalms 66:16). We shall presently see the reason for it.
But go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded (Leviticus 14:1-57 ), for a testimony unto them - a palpable witness that the Great Healer had indeed come, and that "God had visited His people." What the sequel was, our Evangelist says not; but Mark thus gives it (Mark 1:45): "But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to Him from every quarter." Thus-by an over-zealous, though most natural and not very culpable, infringement of the injunction to keep the matter quiet-was our Lord, to some extent, thwarted in His movements. As His whole course was sublimely noiseless (Matthew 12:19), so we find Him repeatedly taking steps to prevent matters coming prematurely to a crisis with Him. (But see the notes at Mark 5:19-20) "And He withdrew Himself," adds Luke (Luke 7:16), "into the wilderness, and prayed;" retreating from the popular excitement into the secret place of the Most High, and thus coming forth as dew upon the mown grass, and as showers that water the earth (Psalms 72:6). And this is the secret beth of strength and of sweetness in the servants and followers of Christ in every age.
Remarks:
(1) It is, at least, a pleasing thought, that this first healed leper was none other than he who within a few days of his Lord's death, under the familiar name of "Simon the leper," made Him a supper at Bethany in his own house. (See the note at Mark 14:3.) And if so, is it not refreshing to think that he who so early experienced the healing power and grace of Jesus, and abode true and grateful to Him throughout, should have had the privilege of ministering to him at His loved retreat of Bethany when the hour of His last sufferings was so near at hand?
(2) How gloriously is the absolute authority of Christ to heal or not, just as He "will," both owned by this leper and claimed by Himself! And as the cure instantaneously followed the expression of that will, how bright is the attestation of Heaven thus given to the Personal Divinity of the Lord Jesus! (Compare Psalms 33:9; Genesis 1:3, etc.)
(3) Would those who groan under the leprosy of sin obtain a glorious cure? Let them but honour the power of Christ as did this poor leper, adding to this a confidence in His "will" which the leper could not be expected to reach; and they will not be disappointed.
(4) Our own sense of propriety is never to be carried out in opposition to commanded duty. The strange command of Christ would seem to this healed leper to be more honoured in the breach than in the observance. In blazing abroad his cure, he would seem to himself to be simply obeying a resistless and holy impulse; and but for the injunction, in this particular case, to do the very opposite, he would have acted most laudably. But after receiving a command to keep silence, the part of duty was not to judge of it, but to obey it. As he was no competent judge of the reasons which dictated the command, so he ought to have "brought into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" and thus should we act in every such case.
(5) Healed lepers, not now required to keep silence, let the love of Christ constrain you to sing forth the honour of His name, and make His praise glorious: so will the sense of it habitually retain its freshness and warmth.