Luke 9:21 kjv

And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;

Luke 9:21 nkjv

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,

Luke 9:21 niv

Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.

Luke 9:21 esv

And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,

Luke 9:21 nlt

Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was.

Luke 9 verses

Luke 9 21 Meaning

Luke 9:21 describes Jesus' emphatic instruction to His disciples to keep His identity as the Christ a secret, immediately following Peter's confession. This command for silence, often referred to as the "Messianic Secret," was crucial for several reasons: to prevent misunderstandings of His mission as a political or earthly king, to avoid inciting premature uprisings against Roman authorities, and to ensure that His redemptive work, including His suffering, death, and resurrection, was fully accomplished and understood before His true messianic identity was widely proclaimed. The timing and manner of His revelation were essential to God's divine plan.

Luke 9 21 Context

Luke 9:21 immediately follows a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry: Peter's confession of Him as "the Christ of God" (Lk 9:20), a response to Jesus' question about His identity among the disciples. This confession marks a significant turning point, recognizing Jesus as the awaited Messiah. Directly after this profound declaration, Jesus issues the strong command to maintain silence about it. The subsequent verse (Lk 9:22) clarifies why this secrecy was necessary: Jesus immediately begins to prophesy His suffering, death, and resurrection.

Historically and culturally, Jewish people held widespread messianic expectations for a political leader who would liberate Israel from Roman oppression and re-establish an earthly kingdom. This popular perception starkly contrasted with the true nature of Jesus' mission as the suffering Servant (as prophesied in Isa 53) who would accomplish redemption through His death. By commanding silence, Jesus aimed to prevent a premature political uprising based on a misguided understanding of His kingship and to allow for the full revelation of His spiritual and redemptive purpose to unfold without interference or misinterpretation. His kingdom was "not of this world" (Jn 18:36), and His path was via the cross before the crown.

Luke 9 21 Word analysis

• And (Καί - Kai): A conjunction, indicating a direct sequence and continuity with the preceding event of Peter's confession.
• he (αὐτός - autos): Refers to Jesus, emphasizing that He is the one giving this direct, authoritative instruction.
• strictly charged (ἐπιτιμάω - epitimaō): This Greek verb signifies a strong, severe warning, even a rebuke. It indicates an authoritative and urgent command, highlighting the seriousness and absolute nature of the prohibition. It implies not just a suggestion, but a solemn and weighty instruction that must be obeyed without question.
• and commanded (παραγγέλλω - paraggellō): This verb further intensifies the "strictly charged," indicating a formal, decisive, and official order, often used in a military or judicial context. It reinforces Jesus' authority and the binding nature of the instruction, leaving no room for misunderstanding or deviation.
• them (αὐτοῖς - autois): Refers to His disciples, specifically those present when Peter made his confession, implying a direct and personal instruction to those who truly understood His identity.
• to tell (λέγειν - legein): To speak, declare, or proclaim. It signifies sharing information publicly.
• this (τοῦτο - touto): A demonstrative pronoun, referring specifically to the identity just revealed by Peter: "the Christ of God." This clarifies exactly what information was to be kept secret.
• to no one (μηδενί - mēdeni): An emphatic negation, meaning absolutely no one, zero people. This reinforces the complete and total nature of the silence commanded.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "he strictly charged and commanded": This dual phrasing underscores the absolute authority and seriousness with which Jesus delivered this instruction. It's not a gentle request but an unequivocal, firm order, indicating the immense importance He placed on this secrecy for the unfolding of God's plan.
• "to tell this to no one": This concise phrase establishes the core of the "Messianic Secret." The "this" points to the Messiahship, and the "to no one" emphasizes the complete prohibition against broadcasting this truth at this specific juncture. This was to manage the public perception of His identity until the proper divine timing and understanding were ripe for full revelation.

Luke 9 21 Bonus section

The concept of the "Messianic Secret" highlights God's strategic patience and the progressive nature of divine revelation. Jesus wasn't concealing truth out of a lack of confidence, but out of wisdom concerning human limitations and the precise sequence of events necessary for salvation history. This strategic silence protected His mission from being hijacked by popular political expectations and allowed the full picture of His work (cross and resurrection) to be established first. It demonstrates the importance of divine timing in the unfolding of God's plan. In our own lives, there can be wisdom in knowing when to speak certain truths and when to allow circumstances to unfold, reflecting a similar trust in God's timing for maximum impact and proper understanding.

Luke 9 21 Commentary

Luke 9:21 reveals Jesus' deliberate management of His public identity as the Christ. Following Peter's accurate confession, Jesus' strong command for silence wasn't about denying His Messiahship, but about controlling the timing and context of its revelation. He understood that a premature proclamation, especially given the popular but erroneous expectation of a political Messiah, would ignite a potentially disruptive public frenzy or even an immediate confrontation with Roman authorities, thereby diverting His mission from its true redemptive purpose—the cross. The "Messianic Secret" was a strategic measure to ensure that His suffering, death, and resurrection, which He immediately prophesied, would define His true Messiahship, not political conquest. This timing allowed the full scope of God's salvific plan to unfold according to divine purpose, enabling people to ultimately understand His kingdom not as an earthly dominion but as a spiritual reality established through His atoning sacrifice.