Jesus Christ
The Passion
The Secret Messiah
by Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D.
"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm....And they said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" -Mark 4
Jesus went forth preaching, healing, and raising the dead. Yet he was at first careful not to explicitly reveal his true identity even to his disciples.
"And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this!" -Luke 8
Jesus was content to allow others to believe what they would, giving only indirect hints as to his true identify, as Jesus the Christ (Christ = King) and thus Jesus, the Messiah, King of the Jews. Only to those who could understand the deeper meaning of his sayings and parables realized that Jesus was declaring himself--but these men and women were few and far between.
"Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word." -John 8.
"And he said to his disciples, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand." -Luke 8.
As Jesus repeatedly discovered, those with ears to hear, those with understanding, could not even be found among his own disciples.
"Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?" -Matthew 15
"How is it that ye do not understand?" -Matthew 16
Who am I, he repeatedly asked his disciples. A prophet, Elijah, John the Baptist, a holy man, they answered, for at first even they did not know, nor did they understand.
"Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him. Yet, still his disciples understood not that he spake to them of the Father." -John 8.
Yet, this was as he desired, for to declare himself too soon, would immediately invite arrest, stoning, Crucifixion and death. Neither the elders, the chief priests, or the Roman authorities would stand for it.
"And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered" with a question that they dared not answer. "And they said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. Matthew 21
Jesus, by design, was to remain, until almost the end, the secret Messiah, his true identity guessed at by only the few.
"I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." -Matthew 13.
Indeed, as Jesus well knew, one he announced his true identify and purpose "they would mock him, scourge him, spit upon him, and shall kill him." -Luke 24.
As Jesus warned his disciples over and over again, if the Pharisees and ruling elite, learned he was the Messiah and the King of the Jews, he would "suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed." -Matthew 16.
And yet, even though he was careful in what he said, some understood that Jesus was proclaiming himself the Messiah. Thus, even early in his ministry, some tried to kill him:
"But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth...Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." -John 8.
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It was not just the Pharisee brotherhood who would kill him if Jesus dared reveal his true purpose and identity as "the King of the Jews" and thus the "King of Israel" but the Romans. A proclamation such as this would be viewed as an open challenge to Imperial Roman rule, a treasonable sedition. If he claimed to be king, Jesus and his followers would be hunted down and and handed over to "the Gentiles: And they shall kill him" (Mark 9) and Jesus still had much to do.
It was because of the many enemies who would pounce and try to take his life, that Jesus was circumspect in what he said, and why he often spoke in parables and riddles, saying: "Those with ears let them hear. Those with eyes, let them see."
Jesus, as we know, constantly referred to himself as the "Son of Man." Initially it was only among his closest followers, his deciples, that Jesus dared to reveal himself as the Son of God--the Messiah.
Thus, during the early stages of his ministry, Jesus, the secret Messiah, ensured he had some freedom of movement, and thus could preach and teach and fulfill the prophecies as foredained. In this way, Jesus could chose the right moment for his own torture, crucifixion and bloody death, the ultimate sacrifice of redemention.
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