Messianic secrecy suggests that Jesus wanted to keep the truth that he was a Messiah a secret. “The central locus of Mark's hiddenness theory is messianic secrecy proper, defined here as those instances in which Jesus deliberately conceals his identity” (Steele 1). This idea is only represented through the Gospel of Mark. In other gospels, Jesus does not specifically try to denigrate rumors about the Messiah. This theme of secrecy and privacy is evident throughout the Gospel, from the stories of John the Baptist to the Passion of Christ. One of the main developers of the Messianic Secret was William Wrede. Born in Germany in 1859, Wrede spent his life developing Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien, which translates into English as “The Messianic Secret” (Belvins 2). From the first story in Mark, John the Baptist is presented as a messenger who is told to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Mark 1:3). John did as God told him and prepared himself for the coming of Jesus. This moment informs readers that Jesus' coming was planned and that people were awaiting his arrival. John excitedly told the others that someone greater than him was coming and that he would not be worthy to touch his feet. When Jesus arrived at the Jordan where John the Baptist was, God told John that Jesus was the one he was waiting for by opening the heavens and sending a dove (Mark 1:9-11). This first section provides the idea that Jesus is Lord and is on Earth to share God's love by living as His son. One of the first examples of the messianic secret is found in Mark 1:21-28. In this verse, Jesus is studying with his disciples in the synagogue. Suddenly a man suffers from an unclean spirit within him. Jesus reacts by telling the spirit to leave and that d...... middle of paper ...... the Gospels of Mark explicitly state that Jesus did not want witnesses to share his miracles, it might be possible that Jesus our intentions were not to keep secret that he was in fact the Messiah. Works Cited Blevins, James L. “Seventy-two years of the messianic secret: a review article.” Perspectives in Religious Studies 1.2 (1974): 192-200. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Internet. March 18, 2014. Dunn, James D G. “Mark’s Messianic Secret.” Tyndale Bulletin 21. (1970): 92-117. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Internet. March 18, 2014. “King James Version (KJV). » Encyclopædia Britannica (2013): Search starters. Internet. March 18, 2014. Steele, Greg. “The Theology of Secret in the Gospel of Mark: An Exploration of the Messianic Secret and Corollaries.” Restoration Quarterly 54.3 (2012): 169-185. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Internet. March 18. 2014.