THE MOST-OBEYED COMMANDMENT

The most obeyed commandment is found in Luke 9:21. “And he commanded them to tell no man.”

What was this that Jesus asked them not to tell any man? That He was the Christ, the Son of God.

Why did Jesus make this request right after Peter’s great confession? Some scholars think that Jesus said this because Peter and the others did not fully understand the message of Jesus yet. There is good evidence for this in Matthew 16:22, where Peter had to be rebuked for his misunderstanding of the cross. Christ had a timetable for all things, and it was not the right moment to reveal this.

There is an alarming silence on the part of many Christians in the Lord’s church today. Many do not talk about Jesus at all after they leave the church building. What they experienced in worship does not carry over to their daily life, in a desire to share it with others. They do not talk about God with their neighbors, their children, or the people with whom they work. Many do not even talk with God, much less about Him.

“Tell no man” is the most obeyed commandment because you don’t have to get involved, or study, or answer any questions, or contend with anyone, or disagree with anybody. Many do not want to jeopardize friendships. It’s the easy way out! We just depend on someone else to fulfill the “Great Commission”, someone else to care enough to actually live like a child of God.

“Tell no man” is the most obeyed commandment, but it’s also the most dangerous command to obey. It’s a command without any blessing or promise of blessing if it’s fulfilled.

We must remember, however, that this command was for the apostles for a brief, limited time. We are to tell the Good News of Jesus, to share Him, to take the Gospel to the whole world. The growth of the early church was not only due to the great preachers, but to every member sharing Christ with his neighbor (cf. Acts 8:4).

They could not be silent. They said, “We must speak that which we both saw and heard” (Acts 4:20).

And so must we!