Why all the Cloak-and-Dagger?

Why all the cloak-and-dagger stuff? If you’re Jesus and claiming to be the Son of God, why didn’t you just come out and say it right away? Why all the subtleties and parables, with the caveat of “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Why all the secrecy?

Well, after doing some digging, it turns out He may have had good reasons for doing it that way. Much of the secrecy and subtlety had at least something to do with human emotions and motivations.

Let’s start in John 6, when Jesus fed the 5,000 men (and the thousands of women and children with them). A very large crowd was following Him after seeing the signs He had performed while healing the sick. He took a boy’s five small barley loaves and two fish, gave thanks, and fed the people. The NIV points out that the people ate as much as they wanted. Remember that fact.

Why all the secrecy? Why didn't Jesus just come out and say "I am God's Son?" Well, he did. Just in context and for very good reasons.

After this miracle, the people had an interesting change of heart. They wanted a king and weren’t going to take no for an answer. Verse 15 says, “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew from that place to a mountain where He could be alone.”

There’s problem number one: Jesus did not come to force Himself into Kingship. Period. He came to put the New Covenant in place, which was a voluntary relationship of the heart, and not one established by force.

Then, later that night, Jesus walked on water to catch up with His disciples, who were on a boat. You know the story, right? But the same crowd of people He’d just fed realized that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, so they went looking. But why?

That’s evidently what Jesus wanted to know, too. The crowd got into their boats and went to Capernaum, finding Him on the other side of the lake. The crowd asked Him, “Rabbi (which means teacher), when did you get here?”

It picks up in verse 26, where He answered, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because of the signs I performed, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

So, right there is problem two: what are their motivations for following Jesus across the Sea of Galilee? Do they want more free food, or have they come to the realization that He is the Son of God? I’d say Jesus already knew the answer, didn’t He?

Last but definitely not least, I think we can find the answer during the final days of Jesus’ ministry before the Crucifixion, when He was being interrogated by the Sanhedrin, which is the name of the Jewish religious leadership.

In Mark 14:61-62, Jesus has been brought before the leadership, and they are asking Him why He’s not responding to the (false) testimony that different people had brought against Him. It picks up in 61, but Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again, the High Priest asked Him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

Jesus answered Him directly in verse 62: “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One (God the Father) and coming on the clouds of Heaven.”

Note the reaction in verse 63. The high priest tore his clothes and asked, “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

Jesus finally admitted outright that He was God's Son. It was the final step in God's redemptive plan, called the New Covenant.

In ancient times, it was considered extreme blasphemy for a man to claim to be God. In that culture, claiming to be the Son of God meant claiming to be God, which was instantly punishable by death.

After all, in John 14:9, Jesus told Phillip, one of His disciples, that “He who has seen Me (Jesus), has seen the Father (God).”

Jesus simply couldn’t come out and directly say He was the Son of God until God’s redemptive plan was up to the final step, which was the Crucifixion. If He’d said it that openly in the three years of His ministry, the Jewish leaders would have hounded Him relentlessly, so much so that accomplishing His earthly ministry would have been a whole lot tougher.

This lesson is causing me to question my own motivations for following the Lord. I’ve got some stuff going on that I’m asking for His help with, and haven’t seen anything yet. That doesn’t mean He’s not working in the background, right? Let me rephrase: He is always working out His plans.

After all, Jeremiah 29:11 is a promise that still holds true today: “For I know the plans I have for you” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “plans for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (HCSB version)

Even when we do go through hard times, and we all will, which is a promise from the Lord, two verses come to mind.

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things so that in Me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!”

Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

The key word here is ALL: I’ve seen God take some pretty dark days and turn them to my good for His glory. I’m praying He will be glorified right now, not because of what I want, but because of who He is!

God bless you in the middle of hard times! I promise you, in 55 years of living, I’ve finally figured out He is always there, even when I can’t seem to feel it! Let’s have faith anyway!