Charlie Brown heads up to the plate to bat. It is not pretty. “Strike one. Strike Two. STRIKE THREE,” calls the umpire. Chuck has struck out again and slumps over to the bench.
Plopping down on the bench, he says, “Rats! I’ll never be a big-league player. I just don’t have it! All my life I’ve dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but I know I’ll never make it.”
Lucy turns to console him. “Charlie Brown, you’re thinking too far ahead. What you need to do is set yourself more immediate goals.”
He looks up. “Immediate goals?”
Lucy says, “Yes. Start with this next inning when you go out to pitch. See if you can walk out on the mound without falling down!”
That little episode can teach us a couple of things. It is good to keep your friends around to offer support, but be sure to pick the right friends. It is also good to have goals in your life; just don’t tell anyone. The first one makes sense, but the second one seems a little questionable. Why wouldn’t you want to share your goals?
Many years back, I was a smoker. Picked it up casually in college and got stuck. Years later, I wanted to quit, so when I was ready, I announced—“I’m going to quit smoking.” Everyone was thrilled. They told me how great it was—talked about the money I would save, the health benefits, and all that jazz. I received a wealth of congratulations, support, and advice. All that was left to do was for me to quit smoking.
Problems: the simple announcement got me all the “atta boys” my mind needed. I hadn’t done anything, but I was the hero. Yay, me and I hadn’t done a thing. That night, I had the ritualistic last smoke and flushed the rest. The following morning, I woke up and asked, “What in the blue blazes were you thinking?” I had to go to work, and the pressure was on. Now, not only was I trying to do this for myself, but I had all these folks watching, which added pressure. Pressure of failure. Pressure of esteem. Pressure of doing the work. Pressure of pressure. When attempting to achieve a goal, added pressure is not what you need. And then, when I was having a good day, not even thinking about a smoke, someone would inevitably come up to me and ask, “How’s the no smoking thing going?” “Well,” I would say, at least in my mind, “it was going great UNTIL YOU BROUGHT IT UP!”
The bottom line is don’t tell people your goals. Just go to work. Then, one day, someone will ask you, “Didn’t you used to smoke?” “Have you lost weight?” “You wrote a book?” “When did you start your own business?” You’ve done the work, and now you can celebrate that work. Be selective in who you tell your business; remember, not everyone needs to know everything. Just do the work.
Last week, in our Gospel lesson, we read about Jesus healing the man possessed by the demon. Upon seeing Jesus, the demon cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” A similar incident occurred in our Gospel reading today. Jesus “cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.” Jesus did not allow the demons to say who He was, but the demons were not the only ones—those whom He heals will also be told to keep silent.
A leper came to Jesus and asked to be healed. Jesus does, but then “sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.’” (Mark 1:43-45)
Demons, and those who were healed, are told to keep silent, but then Jesus also tells the Apostles not to speak of His true identity. Remember when He asked the Apostles, “Who do people say that I am?” They had several answers, but finally, Peter got the gold star, “You are the Christ.” Yet, instead of allowing Peter and the gang to spread the word, Jesus “strictly charged them to tell no one about him.” (Mark 8:27, 29b-30)
Throughout his Gospel, Mark silences those who truly know who Jesus is. This is called the Markan or Messianic Secret, but why? If His purpose was to share the Good News of God, then why did Jesus want to keep it a secret?
Regarding our goals, we should be selective in who we tell our business, and remember, only some people need to know everything. We just need to do the work.
We have discussed that the Israelites were looking for a Messiah, but the Messiah they were looking for was a King like David—a warrior king—one who would vanquish their enemies and rule the land with righteousness. What no one was expecting was a Messiah like Jesus, who, in the end, would be crucified. They weren’t expecting that kind of Messiah, so they certainly wouldn’t accept it without some proof. Also, imagine the Roman military hearing about some wandering rabbi telling everyone He was the Messiah—the long-awaited King of the Jews. How long do you think they would’ve allowed Him to live? Jesus was selective in who knew the truth about Him, but He tried to keep others from finding out so that they would not interfere until He had met the objective.
Why silence the demons? They, of all creatures, could testify to the truth of who Jesus was. Then again, when’s the last time you heard of a demon telling the truth? To this day, the evil spirits lie about the person of Jesus so that many will not come to know that salvation is available to all.
Jesus also wanted His secret kept because the goal had yet to be met. He might be seen as a good teacher and a miracle worker, but until He died and rose again, He could not be seen as one who could save others from death.
Instead of broadcasting His true nature, Jesus tried to keep it a secret so that He could do the work without these external pressures interfering or detracting. But then, Jesus breathed His last breath upon the Cross, and it all changed. “When the centurion, who stood facing [Jesus on His cross], saw that in this way he breathed his last, [the centurion said], ‘Truly this man was the Son of God.’” (Mark 15:39) And there was no one there to tell the centurion to keep quiet. A few days later, Jesus “appeared to the eleven…And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’” It is finished. The work is done. Now, you have everything you need to demonstrate and tell the world who I am. Go and tell the world of all the great things God has done. Proclaim the message of the Good News and eternal life.
So, the question I have for you this morning is this: the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the World, is no longer a secret, so why do we treat it as such? Jesus asked us to proclaim His secret, the Gospel, to all the world, but when given the opportunity, we are often silent. Why is that? You know the power of God working in your life and in the lives of others. Not the word of a few witnesses from 2,000 years ago, but things you’ve seen with your very eyes. Why is it so difficult to share?
When we hear Jesus command, “Go, and tell the world…,” we often translate that into missionary work—an intentional “going”/trip to proclaim. However, “Go” is also translated “as you are going.” As you are going about your life, tell the world—proclaim the Good News. Our lives are to be a proclamation of the Kingdom of God, but as we live our day-to-day lives, we are to proclaim with our lives and our mouths the Good News of Jesus.
Tell the secret. Let the cat out of the bag. Bring to light. Spill the beans. Go public. Divulge… break out the thesaurus. However you would like to phrase it, share the Good News, and if you’re not comfortable in doing it just yet, then invite them to church—I think St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is one of the best-kept secrets in Enid, Oklahoma (don’t tell anyone!) Please. Invite others, and we’ll do our best to help you proclaim the Good News to those you bring. It is the primary reason we are here. The Messianic Secret is out. Be one who tells it.
Let us pray: Glorious St. Mark, through the grace of God our Father, you became a great Evangelist, preaching the Good News of Christ. May you help us to know Him well so that we may faithfully live our lives as followers of Christ and, like you, proclaim the Good News of God in Christ. Amen.
Candle in a Cave 