Why did Jesus warn the demoniacs sternly not to publicize his identity as the Son of God?
- Though Jesus did not deny others acknowledging him as the Son of God, he did prohibit the demons from doing so because their witness would be a discredit to Jesus in that it would imply that he was working with them as a team. An accusation of the Pharisees against Jesus was, “This man drives out demons only by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons” (Mt 12:24). Besides, many of the demoniacs might not be demon-possessed but mentally imbalanced people.
- The concept of Messiah for Jesus and the popular concept of the Messiah were different. For Jesus, the Messiah came to love, serve, and to sacrifice himself for all people so that those who believe in him and keep his commandments might attain salvation. Contrarily, the popular concept was a worldly conqueror who might lead the Israelites for their liberation from foreign rule. Jesus needed time to train his disciples and educate the public on his ministry so that they could follow him in reaching the heavenly crown through the cross of salvation. So, after major miracles, Jesus asked his beneficiaries not to publicize the favors they had received.
- Any prior claim of messiahship could endanger the life of Jesus before his appointed time of self-sacrifice. He needed time to accomplish his mission in the world by preaching to the public and preparing his disciples to continue his mission in the world.
