Knowledge

Matthew 16:20 - Then he strictly charged them not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

This seems odd on the surface. Why wouldn't he want people to know? It seems he would want to convert - and to be able to love - as many people as possible. That is human thinking.

Two things come to me when I think of this passage. First, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. If people knew, they would expect more from him than he was able to give; like making him king of Israel and revolting against the Romans. He did not do that! Instead, he advocated working with them. His mission as he saw it (at this point) was to come to the Jewish people and turn them back to God.

Second, it wasn't his time. If people knew, the Roman authorities would know and his mission would not be complete. Might he have had a timeline? It is clear that there were certain things he needed to accomplish before his death. He knew he would be executed - yet, he wanted to make sure his people, his disciples were strong enough to continue. Therefore, it wasn't time. And in the fullness of time, he is indeed revealed.
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