What is the difference between the Messianic Secret and the Messianic Mystery?

Answer 1

Messianic secret: Means that as Jesus heals, preaches, and teaches, he is revealed as the promised Messiah. Messianic mystery: Announces the paradox that the Jesus, the Messiah, although son of God would have to suffer, die, and then be raised in glory.

Answer 2

A:The 'messianic secret' refers in Mark's Gospel to the repeated instructions of Jesus to his followers, those he healed, and sometimes even to demons, not to tell others about him or the miracles he performed. This seems contrary to what we would expect from Jesus on a mission to teach a new covenant and is not followed by the three later New Testament gospels.

A recent theory proposed by Dennis R. MacDonald (The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark) and becoming accepted by some New Testament scholars is that the author of Mark made a conscious effort to identify Jesus with Odysseus, a Greek hero with whom Mark's gentile audience would have been familiar. Odysseus, on his return home, had to disguise his identity to avoid his enemies, and the messianic secret in Mark could serve the same purpose for Jesus. If Mark's author was influenced by Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, this would prove that Mark's gospel stories are at least substantially fictional.

Another Answer:

Though mentioned in Matthew and Luke, Jesus, initially, did not want the general population to know He was the promised Messiah as the people were looking for a political-military Savior and not the first suffering servant. This most likely made His freely going about in His ministry much easier.

I would suggest the questioner read Mark 4 as it tells best the reasons behind speaking in parables and telling those who witnessed/received miracles to not devulge His work as yet. It certainly had nothing to do with pagan mythology.

Discovering the 'messianic secret' would take time for all. Like the seed which is covered by ground, the secret of Jesus' identity would be concealed for a season. Jesus did not force people to accept Him as Messiah saying, "those who had ears to hear" - they would need to learn the secret on their own. The disciples not only needed time to recognize Jesus as Messiah, they also needed time to come to terms with His messianic agenda - Messianic suffering precedes messianic glory - totally opposite of the majority expectations:

Mark 9:31New International Version (NIV)

31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."

Complete human understanding of the messianic secret would only be possible after His resurrection - and at that time, even the Apostles did not understand:

Mark 9:9-10New International Version (NIV)

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.