NOTES for Luk 9:18-22

We often wonder why Christ asked the apostles not to tell anyone who He was, while sometimes suddenly speaking of it Himself. But if we remember in which moments Christ directly testifies that He is the Son of God, we will see that prior to this He says something that could shock many at the time and turn them away from Him, something that completely did not fit the image of the Messiah (for example, in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John).

And this is not because Christ wants it to be difficult for us to believe in Him. He wants us to believe genuinely, no matter what. He never says: “I am the Christ,” in such a way that it is impossible not to believe, because He Himself has granted us freedom.

And so in this passage of the Gospel text, He does not say directly: “I am the Christ of God,” — after all, He has just fed five thousand, right now it is very easy to believe, but this would be faith not in God, but in a magician and sorcerer. No, He simply asks the apostles, those who have seen Him not only feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish, but also tired and silent; He asks those who are with Him all the time, for whom this will not be a coercion, who He is to them? And the apostles can answer that He is the Christ of God, because they follow Him and not only listen, but also strive to fulfill His Word.