Mark 8:26

And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(26) Neither go into the town.—As in other works of healing, so in this, our Lord seems to have prescribed quietude after, as well as before, the miracle, as a spiritual discipline—partly, we may believe, because the work that had been done called for prayer for the right use of the new, or the restored, power; partly (as in Matthew 12:16), because He would not seem Himself to court the fame of publicity. Following the line of thought taken in the Note on Mark 8:24, we may extend the application to the work of spiritual illumination. Here also it is not good that the first clear apprehension of spiritual truths should be followed by the hasty utterances of the excitement of the new-born life.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:22-26 Here is a blind man brought to Christ by his friends. Therein appeared the faith of those that brought him. If those who are spiritually blind, do not pray for themselves, yet their friends and relations should pray for them, that Christ would be pleased to touch them. The cure was wrought gradually, which was not usual in our Lord's miracles. Christ showed in what method those commonly are healed by his grace, who by nature are spiritually blind. At first, their knowledge is confused; but, like the light of the morning, it shines more and more to the perfect day, and then they see all things clearly. Slighting Christ's favours is forfeiting them; and he will make those who do so know the worth of privileges by the want of them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The town - The town of Bethsaida.

Nor tell it ... - Lest it excite the jealousy of the Pharisees, and produce commotion and danger.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26. Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town—Besides the usual reasons against going about "blazing the matter," retirement in this case would be salutary to himself.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Mark 8:22"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he sent him away to his house,.... Which seems to have been in one of the neighbouring villages or was one of the houses scattered about in the fields for the conveniency of rural business.

Saying, neither go into the town: or "that town", as the Syriac, the town or city of Bethsaida:

nor tell it to any in the town; to any of the inhabitants of the town that he should meet with any where or at any time: the reason of this was not merely or only because Christ would have the miracle concealed; but chiefly because the inhabitants of this place were notorious for their impenitence and unbelief. Christ had done many wonderful works among them and yet they repented not; nor did they believe in him; but despised him, his doctrine and his miracles; and therefore for their neglect and contempt of such means he was determined to withdraw them from them. So Christ sometimes deals with nations cities and towns that disbelieve reject and despise his Gospel; he takes it away from them he orders his ministering servants to preach no more to them; no more to tell them of the good news of life and salvation by him: thus he dealt with the Jews who contradicted and blasphemed and judged themselves or by their conduct made themselves appear to be unworthy of the words of eternal life; he took away the kingdom of God or the Gospel from them and sent it among the Gentiles: and thus he threatened the church of Ephesus for leaving its first love to remove the candlestick out of its place in case of non-repentance; and a grievous judgment it is upon a place and people when God commands the clouds to rain no rain upon them, Isaiah 5:6; or, in other words when he enjoins his ministers no more to tell, or publish his Gospel to them; he determining to withdraw from them and have no more to do with them; so Christ and his disciples departed from this place, declared in the following verse.

Geneva Study Bible

{5} And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

(5) Christ will not have his miracles to be separated from his doctrine.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Mark 8:26. εἰς οἶκον, home.—μηδὲ, etc., go not into the village; to avoid creating a sensation. It has been suggested that the gradual restoration of sight in this case was meant to symbolise the slowness of the Twelve in attaining spiritual insight. They got their eyes opened very gradually like the blind man of Bethsaida. So Klostermann.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

26. to his house] Bethsaida, therefore, was not the place of his residence; he was to go immediately from the place to his own home—not even to the village to which he had already come, and he was not to mention it to any one dwelling in that village, or whom he might meet by the way.

Bengel's Gnomen

Mark 8:26. Εἰς τὸν οἶκον—μηδὲ εἰς τὴν κώμην, into the house—nor into the village) His house therefore was in the remote extremity of the village.—μηδὲ εἴπης, nor tell) Jesus avoided celebrity, especially at that time. [For this miracle is the last in the Evangelists before the Feast of Tabernacles (and before the discourses recorded in John ch. 7–10—V. g.); and He forbade this miracle to be published abroad, just as He did the healing of the deaf and dumb man, ch. Mark 7:36. The people, after having celebrated the Passover, repaired to their country employments: His adversaries were thenceforth honoured with no further sign; and whatever effects were needful to be produced in the case of the disciples by miracles of this kind, had now already reached their highest point. Behold the year of grace now completed in Galilee!—Harm., p. 348.]—τινὶ, to any one) who is in the town.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 26. - This verse, according to the best reading, runs thus: And he sent him away to his home, saying, Do not even enter into the village. It thus appears that Bethsaida was not the home of this blind man. He might naturally have wished to exhibit himself in Bethsaida, where many must have known him, and to have sung the praises of his great Benefactor. But this was far from what Christ wished. He wished to be in seclusion. He had no desire to excite more than could be helped the idle curiosity of the multitude. His miracles were for the sake of his doctrine, and not his doctrine for the sake of his miracles. The whole character of his administration was retiring and gentle. "My doctrine shall distil as the dew." "He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any hear his voice in the streets." Mark 8:26