Mark 4:21-25

A Lamp on a Stand

21He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? 22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."



BACKGROUND READING:


Isaiah 51:1-16


Isaiah 60

Dig Deeper

Throughout their history, the nation of Israel had a clear vocation: they were to be the light of the world. It was God’s intentions that, armed with Torah (the Old Testament Law) and the prophets, Israel would show the entire world how to be the people of God. They never really got that right, however. This was an integral part of Jesus’ kingdom message. Rather than being a lighthouse to the world, a city on a hill, they had shined the light on themselves and then looked down on those in the dark.


Jesus, then, is giving a clear message about his version of God’s kingdom. He was giving them this message in secret now, but it should not always remain that way, nor would it. The whole reason for announcing God’s kingdom was to bring God’s light to the world. In pointing out how silly it is to cover a lamp, Jesus is simultaneously telling them about his kingdom announcement, but he is also condemning the way that Israel had handled the light that God had given them.


Jesus’ words here are both a promise and a warning. He is informing his disciples that they needn’t worry, this radical message of the kingdom of God will go public soon enough; that is the promise. But the warning is that they had better be listening because they will need to know and understand what this kingdom is all about. But it’s not just about listening, because everyone has ears. What did Jesus mean, then, by saying ‘if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear’? He is talking about listening with your spiritual ears, going beyond the surface meaning and listening to what he is really saying.


If you thought Jesus’ remarks about hearing were a bit cryptic, it gets even more so in his next statement. He warns his listeners to listen carefully to his message because with the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. What Jesus seems to be saying to his disciples is that they need to pay attention to what he is teaching them because they will receive the benefits of the kingdom to that same level.


There are two things that we can glean from that concept. The first is that Jesus is implying that he is saying what he is saying because Israel did not pay attention to God’s word and did not receive the benefits that he had in store for them. The second thing is that just as this concept was true for Israel and for Jesus’ first disciples, so it is true for us. Our knowledge of the word of God, and the degree to which we pay attention to it and apply it in our lives, will always be equal to our level of holiness and our ability to enjoy the spiritual benefits of God’s kingdom.


This does not mean to imply that this is all a matter of our own effort or that Jesus is instituting a principle of getting out what we put in. That leaves no room for God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. Rather he was saying that if they take in Jesus’ words and go deeper and deeper with it, they will get more and more back from God. If, however, they remain at a superficial level, they will be no better off then the crowds who are hearing but not comprehending. They will lose out on the new thing that God is doing in their midst right now.


God had once sown Israel, but they did not go deeper with his word. They did not hear what he was saying. Instead they stayed at a superficial level and did what they wanted to with his word. Jesus was giving a promise here that his kingdom would not be like that, but he was also warning that if people did act that way, they would find themselves outside of the kingdom. Once again, Mark wants us to see the lines of distinction that Jesus’ gospel draws wherever they go.



Devotional Thought

Do you have a passion to constantly go deeper and deeper with God’s word, or are you content to stay at a very surface level? Challenge yourself to go deeper into your knowledge of God’s word. You can never know too much. Create a plan to go deeper into the word of God, whether it be more Bible reading, reading deeper-level books about the Bible, or finding someone to teach you more.