In Matthew 16:20, Jesus instructs the disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. This seems contradictory because we are called to share our faith with others. However, in this specific instance, Jesus had a set number of tasks to accomplish, including fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. If too many people knew too much too quickly, it would have been difficult for Jesus to complete his mission.
After his resurrection, Jesus gave the Great Commission to the disciples, instructing them to go and make disciples of all nations. This shows that while Jesus wanted to keep his identity as the Messiah a secret for a time, he ultimately wanted his followers to spread the word about him to the entire world.
For the past 2000 years, Christians have focused primarily on talking about Jesus when sharing their faith. While this is important, there are other ways to share our faith as well. By living like Jesus followers and demonstrating his love and compassion to others, we can help people understand that we follow a different guide and that our Savior is in charge of our lives.
The ultimate goal is to help others move one notch closer to Jesus, which brings great joy to both the person helping and the person being helped. By living our faith in the world every day, we can make a difference and show others the love and compassion of Jesus.
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