Matthew 8:4

4. Tell no man Our Lord on many occasions forbade the subjects of his beneficent miracles to speak of them; and on others he directed them to be proclaimed abroad.

Readers are puzzled to know the reasons from which he acted. Perhaps the following views will make this clear:

1. Our Lord did not wish to avoid the full confession of his deeds of mercy on the part of their objects. This is fully illustrated in the case of the woman healed of the issue. See on Mark 5:33.

2. Why, in this case of the leper, and similar cases, he commanded silence, is fully and conclusively explained by Mark in his account of this miracle. The man cured of this leprosy did not obey our Lord; and the inconvenient consequences show what the evils were which our Lord wished to avoid. (Mark 1:45.) He went out and began to publish it loudly, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more enter into the city, but was without in desert places. How our Lord was incommoded by crowds, will appear from many passages. See Mark 3:9; Mark 3:20. The thoughtless populace were, moreover, liable, in some fit of enthusiasm, to attempt to make him a temporal king, and so embroil him with the government. See notes on Matthew 12:16-21.

3. Our Lord most wisely desired to be the selecter of his own preachers and proclaimers. He justly esteemed it not according to a divine order, that devils should be the free testifiers to his divinity. Nor was every man who was the object of his mercy well qualified by dignity, prudence, understanding, or accuracy, to give a correct impress of his divine power and mission. His own apostles even, after long training and more than one trial, did he find scarce fit to utter his truth or proclaim his deeds and character. His only proper expositor, except in peculiar cases, was himself.

4 . Why he bade the demoniac of Gadara publish his deliverance abroad is explained in our comment on the place. (See on Mark 5:19.) Our Lord was about leaving that country, and so was not liable to the inconveniences mentioned above; he was leaving many traducers, and so needed one outspoken defender and preacher.

But… show thyself to the priest Some commentators suppose that the Saviour silenced him until he had seen the priest, in order that the priest might pronounce him clean, uninfluenced by any rumour of his miracles.

But our Lord utters no until. He gives the man no permission to proclaim it after he has seen the priest. A testimony unto them That they may know that a mighty cleanser is here. It was a most suitable case to present to the priesthood, because it came by law under their notice, (Leviticus 14:2; Leviticus 14:10; Leviticus 14:21,) because of its peculiar symbolical significance, and because of its demonstrative character. It was a problem which they would be at a loss how to solve, but by admitting his divine mission.