Matt 9:30 & Mark 1:43

[restorationfreak]

Hi,

My name is R.J. I'm new to the forums so this'll be my first shot here.

In Matthew 9:30 @ Mark 1:43 the Greek word embrimaomai is employed when strongly admonishing them not to tell about their healings. Secular Greek Authors generally use this term to denote severe anger with the idea of coercion. While the Jews used it for any type of anger Or for sternness weather severe or mild(I choose the latter).

To my astonishment, I've found a few scholars go so far as to claim Jesus was harsh, severe, coercive, or even in a fit of rage! But I find that very hard to believe(no offense to them) because both the immediate and remote context say something different.

In the immediate context of Matt 9:30 we have two blind men with genuine faith to receive Christ's healing. In Mark we have an outcast leper approach Jesus with a sincere request. Jesus felt Spagchnon: a Greek term for deep-seated bowel-felt compassion.

In the remote context we have...

“HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE”.

And...

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not painting Jesus as soft on sin. He overturned the tables of bigoted thieves, pronounced woes on the self-righteous Pharisees, and sharply rebuked the stubborn inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for refusing to repent despite all he did for them. In all those cases he had pure righteous indignation!

I just don't see Jesus being all that stern here in Matt 9:30 nor Mark 1:43. Was he quite serious? Yes. But by no means coercive in his authority.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Dialogist]

Those are really interesting observations. Thanks for sharing with us!

Isn't it interesting that on those two occasions - the healing of the blind men (Matthew 9:30) and the healing of a leper (Mark 1:43) - that the reason for the Lord being stern was because He, out of humility, did not want to call attention to Himself on those two particular occasions. Consider, for example, Theophylact's commentaries (11th c. Byzantine) on these two verses:

And Jesus sternly charged them, saying, See that no man know it (Matthew 9:30). Do you see Christ's humility? ... But if in another place Christ says, "Go and tell of the glory of God" [Luke 8:39], there is nothing contradictory in this. For He wants them to say nothing about Himself, but to speak of the glory of God.

And He sternly charged him, and forthwith sent him away and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest (Mark 1:43). By this we are taught as well we are taught not to make a show when we do good to someone. See how the Lord Himself commands the man who had been cleansed not to spread His fame. Yet He knew that the man would not obey, but would tell all. Nevertheless He commands him to say nothing, as I have said, teaching us not to boast.

This fits exactly the pericope you point out (... for I am gentle and humble in heart ...) and, in my opinion, And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world (John 12:47) (That is not to say, however, that we won't eventually be judged - cf. John 12:48).