Matthew 16:20 kjv
Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Matthew 16:20 nkjv
Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Matthew 16:20 niv
Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Matthew 16:20 esv
Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Matthew 16:20 nlt
Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Matthew 16 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mk 1:34 | ...and would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. | Demons knowing Jesus' identity |
| Mk 3:11-12 | And whenever the unclean spirits beheld him, they fell down before him... and he strictly charged them that they should not make him known. | Jesus silencing spirits who knew Him |
| Mk 5:43 | And he strictly charged them that no one should know this... | Command of secrecy after healing |
| Mk 7:36 | And he charged them to tell no one... | Command of secrecy after healing (deaf man) |
| Mk 8:29-30 | And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. | Parallel account of Peter's confession and silence |
| Lk 4:41 | ...and rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. | Demons confessing and being silenced |
| Lk 8:56 | ...but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. | Secrecy after Jairus' daughter's resurrection |
| Lk 9:20-21 | And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God." And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one. | Parallel account in Luke |
| Mk 9:30-32 | For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered... And they did not understand the saying..." | Disciples' lack of understanding of His suffering |
| Lk 18:31-34 | And he took the twelve and said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished... They understood none of these things." | Disciples' continued incomprehension |
| Jn 6:15 | Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king... | Jesus avoiding political coronation |
| Isa 53:1-12 | Prophecy of the suffering servant, a foreshadowing of Jesus' true mission. | Prophetic context of a suffering Messiah |
| Mt 28:18-20 | All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... | Post-resurrection command to proclaim Christ |
| Acts 1:6-8 | So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses..." | Post-resurrection understanding of kingdom timing |
| Acts 2:36 | Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. | Peter's open proclamation post-Pentecost |
| Acts 3:19-21 | Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out... and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus... | Apostolic proclamation of Jesus as Christ |
| Acts 4:10 | let it be known to all of you... that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead... | Bold confession of Jesus as Christ |
| Acts 5:42 | And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. | Ongoing proclamation by early church |
| 1 Cor 1:23 | but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, | Nature of apostolic preaching: Christ crucified |
| 2 Cor 4:5 | For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord... | Preaching Jesus as Lord, the Christ |
| 1 Jn 2:22 | Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? | Emphasizing the confession of Jesus as Christ |
Matthew 16 verses
Matthew 16 20 Meaning
This verse signifies a crucial command from Jesus to His disciples: to keep His identity as the Christ, the Messiah, confidential. This instruction is given immediately after Peter's divinely inspired confession of Jesus as the Christ, marking a pivotal point in Jesus' ministry where He begins to unveil the true nature of His Messiahship, particularly its connection to suffering and death, before its public proclamation.
Matthew 16 20 Context
Matthew 16:20 immediately follows the pivotal confession of Peter, where he declares Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mat 16:16), a revelation confirmed by Jesus as coming directly from the Father. This event marks a turning point in Jesus' public ministry. Up to this point, much of Jesus' identity and mission had been partially revealed or alluded to. The command to secrecy in verse 20 serves to control the understanding and timing of the proclamation of His Messiahship, especially before the full scope of His redemptive mission, involving suffering, death, and resurrection, could be grasped and fulfilled. It precedes Jesus' first direct prediction of His passion, which subsequently clarifies the nature of the "Christ" He truly is – a suffering servant, not a conquering political king as popularly anticipated.
Matthew 16 20 Word analysis
- Then (Τότε - tote): Connects the action directly to Peter's preceding confession, indicating a logical sequence and consequence. The command follows immediately upon this profound revelation.
- he strictly charged (διεστείλατο - diesteilato): From the Greek verb
διαστέλλομαι(diastellomai), meaning to "give strict orders," "command emphatically," "warn solemnly." It implies an authoritative and earnest injunction, more than a casual instruction. This term highlights the serious and binding nature of Jesus' command. - the disciples (τοῖς μαθηταῖς - tois mathētais): The specific audience for this command. Not the general public or crowds, but His inner circle who had just received the divine revelation of His true identity. They were privy to a deeper truth but also entrusted with a weighty secret for a specific period.
- that they should tell (ἵνα μηδενὶ εἴπωσιν - hina mēdeni eipōsin): The Greek construction uses
ἵνα(hina - so that) with the negativeμηδενὶ(mēdeni - no one, literally "not even one"). This signifies a strong negative purpose: "so that they might tell no one." - no one (μηδενὶ - mēdeni): An emphatic negation, reinforcing the absolute nature of the prohibition. This secrecy was intended to be complete.
- that he was (ὅτι αὐτὸς ἦν - hoti autos ēn): "That he himself was." The
αὐτὸς(autos - himself) subtly emphasizes Jesus' unique personal identity. - the Christ (ὁ Χριστός - ho Christos): "The Anointed One." This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew
Messiah(מָשִׁיחַ - mashiach). The title carried profound and often nationalistic connotations for the Jewish people, who widely anticipated a conquering political king to deliver them from Roman oppression. Jesus' Messiahship, however, fundamentally encompassed a different mission of suffering and spiritual salvation.
Words-group analysis:
- "Then he strictly charged the disciples": This phrase underlines the immediate, solemn, and authoritative nature of Jesus' command given only to His chosen inner circle. It implies the weighty significance of Peter's confession and the need for controlled disclosure.
- "that they should tell no one that he was the Christ": This is the heart of the "Messianic Secret" in Matthew's Gospel. The secrecy surrounding Jesus' identity as the Christ was crucial. It aimed to prevent public misunderstanding of His Messiahship as primarily political or militaristic, thereby averting a premature attempt by the crowds to force Him into a kingship (Jn 6:15). It also allowed time for the disciples to fully grasp the suffering nature of His Messiahship, as Jesus was about to introduce the concept of His passion, death, and resurrection, which radically redefined prevailing expectations. Furthermore, it protected the divine timeline for His mission to culminate on the cross.
Matthew 16 20 Bonus section
The immediate juxtaposition of divine revelation (Peter's confession) and strict human instruction (Jesus' charge) in Mat 16 illustrates the dual aspects of divine truth: its profound origin in God, and its careful management and unfolding within the historical plan of God for humanity. It shows Jesus as the sovereign agent of divine revelation, determining when and how His true identity and mission should be fully disclosed. The disciples, despite their privilege of knowing, were initially bound by the temporal limitations and pedagogical requirements of Jesus' ministry before His resurrection empowered them for unrestrained proclamation. This principle underscores that understanding spiritual truth often requires patience and willingness to receive it on God's terms, not based on preconceived notions.
Matthew 16 20 Commentary
Following Peter's Spirit-revealed confession, Jesus' strict charge to silence about His identity as the Christ marks a critical juncture in the narrative. This is a primary instance of what scholars term the "Messianic Secret." Jesus did not deny His Messiahship, but He controlled its public disclosure. The reasons for this secrecy are manifold: Firstly, to manage popular expectations. The Jewish people largely anticipated a political Messiah who would liberate them from Roman rule, and an open proclamation could have ignited a premature, politically motivated uprising that would have obstructed His true mission (Jn 6:15). Secondly, the disciples themselves, despite Peter's revelation, did not yet grasp the suffering nature of the Messiah; they still clung to traditional, triumphalist views. The secret allowed Jesus to teach them privately about His impending passion (Mat 16:21), a concept vital for understanding His true redemptive work. Lastly, it honored the divine timing and sovereignty over His mission, ensuring that His public ministry would culminate not in popular acclamation but in the self-sacrificial act on the cross, the means of true salvation, before His ultimate exaltation and global proclamation following His resurrection (Mat 28:18-20). The command highlights Jesus' complete authority and deliberate unfolding of His divine plan.