Mark 3:11-12

[11] And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou the Son of God. [12] And he straitly charged them make him known.

What is the context of Mark 3:11-12?

Jesus Encounters a Large Crowd (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Jesus Heals Crowds by the Sea (Mark 3:7-12 true)
A Great Multitude Follows Jesus (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Ministering to the Multitude (Mark 3:7-12 true)
A Great Crowd Follows Jesus (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Crowds Follow Jesus .( F .) (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Crowds Follow Jesus (Mark 3:7-12 true)
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-12 true)

What does Mark 3:11-12 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

As before, Jesus continued to exorcize demons. He also continued to forbid them to reveal His identity. This would have encouraged the people to associate the title "Son of God" with the physical aspects of Jesus" ministry almost exclusively (cf. Mark 1:34). Moreover Jesus thereby retained more control over His self-revelation and the progress of His mission. Perhaps He also did not want the people to associate Him with these demons.

The idea that Jesus silenced the demons because they sought to control Him by using His name and thereby gaining power over Him seems improbable to me. ^[1] While conflict with demonic forces is definitely a theme in Mark"s Gospel, the demons had no real power over Jesus simply because they knew His name. This was a pagan superstition.

"The earliest confession of the Sonship seems to have come from evil spirits, who knew Jesus better than he was known by His own disciples." ^[2]