Prayer
Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this lovely prayer directly from Psalm 143:5-6
LORD, as I read about the wonders You have done
and meditate on all your works;
as I ponder the wonders Your hands have done,
I spread out my hands to You,
thirsting for You like a parched land thirsts for rain.
Come and satisfy my thirst, O Lord! Amen
Reading
Just yesterday we reflected on the command to go tell others about the wonders Christ has done for us. But in today’s reading, just after He has given sight to a blind man, we read:
Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don’t even go into the village.’ (NIVUK) // “Do not go into the town, *or tell it to anyone there.” (NLV)
The difference between those two translations of the verse are because some early manuscript copies include “or tell it to anyone there” and others copied even earlier do not. All this means is that at some point, very early in the history of the Gospel of Mark, a copiest added a few words. We assume that this was intended to clarify that Jesus commanded him not to go into the village because He wanted to keep this miracle private for the moment. After all, we see a similar incident in John 9 where a blind man was healed and the poor chap ends up being absolutely grilled and even excommunicated by the local religious leaders because of their opposition to Jesus.
Whatever Jesus’ particular reasons were on this occasion, the general principle we can draw from this is that there are times when Jesus might command us to keep silent. As Ecclesiastes 3:7 says: “There is … a time to be silent and a time to speak …”
In our witnessing for Jesus, and simply in our everday living, it is vitally important for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, directing us when to speak and when to stay silent. He knows what is best for the people we encounter, and we are called to be sensitive to how He is guiding us in every given moment.
Contemplation
Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn this declaration over and over in your mind. Keep it in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ:
- I will stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit guiding me when to speak about Jesus and when to remain silent.
Holy Spirit, please guide me and empower my silence today. Help me to refrain from bearing witness to others when You command me not to speak. Amen.
Dave's Diary 