Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 9:30

"And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know it." — Matthew 9:30 (ASV)

Straitly charged them—The word, which originally implies the panting breath of vehement emotion, is one of the strongest used by the New Testament writers to express repugnance, displeasure, or a command that implies annoyance (Mark 1:43; Mark 14:5; John 11:33; John 11:38). It is as if our Lord saw their garrulous joy about to express itself and sought by every means in His power to restrain it.

The reasons for this may be found, as elsewhere, in two possibilities:

1. It was good for the spiritual life of the men themselves that they should express their praise of God not with their lips, but in their lives.
2. Our Lord was shrinking from mere notoriety—from the gaze of crowds drawn together to see signs and wonders, and who were ready to make the Wonder-Worker a king because He performed them. St. Matthew, at a later stage, notes this as characteristic of our Lord’s ministry (Matthew 12:16–21).