Messianic Secret

Healing of the leper at Capernaum (Mark 1:40-45), illustrated by James Tissot, Brooklyn museum: "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go show yourself to the priest"

The "Messianic Secret" is a common expression referring to Jesus' repeated request in the gospels not to reveal that he is the Messiah and Son of God. It originates from the work of a German theologian, William Wrede (1859-1906). His concept became a "major theme of biblical exegesis and Christian theology."

The article from the Osservatore Romano commenting on the Indexing of Maria Valtorta’s works reproaches her for not respecting this discretion. This is one of the four "doctrinal" arguments held as reprehensible by the Holy Office.

The "Messianic Secret" in the Gospels

This concept is mainly presented in the Gospel of Mark. Those of Matthew and Luke, which often retake the same narratives as Mark (synoptics), are more nuanced. As for the Gospel of John, it is quite the opposite, with an open and symbolic proclamation of Jesus’ messiahship. This theme of the Messianic Secret rests almost exclusively on the Gospel of Mark.

Commentators explain this difference in approach by the diverse expectations of the audiences to whom the Evangelists were speaking. This exegetical argument is understandable, but it cannot be opposed to Maria Valtorta’s work. Indeed, she does not limit herself to a partial exegesis of the Gospels but proposes a unified narration of Jesus’ life, integrating both the discreet and public dimensions of his messiahship. This explains why her work escapes the rigid categories of 'secret' or 'proclamation' as they appear in the segmented analyses of the evangelists. She exposes what the Evangelists will later "report" and not what each retains. In other words, if Jesus sometimes asks for discretion about his messiahship and proclaims it elsewhere, there is an overall coherence that partial analyses cannot demonstrate.

The Gospel of Mark and the Synoptics

Even though Jesus was publicly proclaimed Son of God by Heaven itself at the very beginning of his public life, Jesus asks for "secrecy" about his identity:

• After the expulsion of many demons, Mark 1:34 notes that Jesus "forbade the demons to speak, because they knew who he was." Indeed, they proclaim him "Son of God." Luke 4:41 says the same.
• After healing a leper near Capernaum (Mark 1:44), Jesus asks him not to publicize the miracle ("see that you say nothing to anyone") but to announce his healing through the usual channels: "Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded in the law; it will be a testimony to them." However, the healed man hastens to broadcast his healing with the consequence that "Jesus could no longer enter openly into a town, but stayed outside in deserted places." Luke 5:14 repeats the request for secrecy and the effect on his popularity, but does not attribute it to the leper. Matthew 8:3-4 repeats Jesus' warning but without the consequences.
• After several exorcisms mentioned collectively, Jesus "sternly ordered the unclean spirits not to make him known" (Mark 3:11-12). Indeed, they repeat: "You are the Son of God." This passage in Mark has no real parallel in the synoptics.
• When the demons named "Legion" were cast into a herd of pigs, they repeat their proclamation ("Son of the Most High God") but, unlike the leper of Capernaum, Jesus orders the healed man to make the event public "in the region of the Decapolis" (Mark 5:1-20). Matthew 8:28-34 reports roughly the same facts except for the public announcement. Luke 8:26-39 adds detail variants but adheres to Mark's narrative, including the public announcement "to the whole town."
• After raising Jairus' daughter, Jesus appears to those present to "strictly charge them not to tell anyone what had happened" (Mark 5:43). This is not mentioned by Matthew 9:25, but in the following verses, he heals blind men to whom he asks for secrecy, which they do not observe (Matthew 9:27-31). In Luke 8:56, Jesus limits the command to the girl’s parents to not tell anyone what happened.
• After the confession of Peter ("You are the Christ") leading to his primacy, Jesus "sternly ordered" the apostles "not to tell anyone about him" (Mark 8:30). Matthew 16:16-19 is more explicit about the prohibition: "tell no one that he is the Christ." Luke does not report this episode.
• After the The Transfiguration of the Lord, Jesus commands the three present disciples "not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead" (Mark 9:2-10). Mark specifies that the three apostles firmly adhered to this order. Matthew 17:1-18 reports essentially the same story. Luke 9:28-42 also reports this but seems to say their silence was self-imposed.

Public Proclamation in the Gospel

• Mark is not exempt from public proclamation of Jesus: From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus proclaims himself equal to God by forgiving the sins of a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12). Yet the scribes muttered: "He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
• Seven times, in Matthew, Jesus is called "Son of David." This title refers to the messianic promise made to David. Among those who honor him thus are petitioners ("Have mercy on us, Son of David!") whom he aids. Jesus goes further: in Matthew 22:41-46 (and in parallel Mark 12:35-37 and Luke 20:41-44), he questions the Pharisees on this topic: "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" He refers to Psalm 109(110):1, a messianic text where David calls the Messiah "my Lord." How can the Messiah be both David’s son (his descendant) and his lord (his superior)? This question aims to reveal that the Messiah is not merely a human king but possesses a divine nature and authority transcending the Davidic lineage.
• Luke 1:32 reports, from the Annunciation, the truth about Jesus’ divine and messianic origin: "He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David." However, this announcement is not public. It is otherwise for Zechariah’s canticle (Luke 1:76-77) where John the Baptist is foretold as the Redeemer’s forerunner: "You will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins." Heaven publicly confirms this at Jesus’ Baptism (Luke 3:16). Earlier, Simeon, who was not to die "before seeing the Christ, the Lord’s Messiah," proclaims him openly in the temple courtyard upon the young Jesus’ presentation (Luke 2:26-32). But above all, it is Jesus himself who publicly announces it from the beginning in the synagogue of Nazareth. He cites a very evocative passage from Isaiah<ref>"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

Analysis of the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

In a Christian sense, study concerning God and divine things in the light of Revelation.

In the Catholic context, usually refers to the first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) because of their common framework. Broader definition: those offering a general overview of a whole. (Example: a synoptic table).

Analysis of the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

Analysis of the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

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