Mark 4:21-25
21 He 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? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.’
24 ‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ he continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’
This is a very well-known parable. We talk about people hiding their light under a bushel.
It is found in Matthew (5:14-16), Mark and Luke (8:16-18). Or is it?
Jesus used a ridiculous image. Who would light a lamp and then put a bucket over it or put it under a bed? No one would do that. You light a lamp so that it gives light. You don’t then cover it up. That is too ridiculous for words. It is so ridiculous it is comical.
But what was Jesus’ point? What does the parable mean?
We might say, “I know what that parable is about. Jesus is saying that we are to let our light shine. If we are Christians, we shouldn’t hide our faith. This is about our witness to Jesus and being open about following Him.” At Sunday School, we probably sang “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine”.
But there is a wee problem. The passage in Mark says nothing about us shining. Instead, Jesus said, “Be careful what you hear”. It is not about us shining; it is about us hearing.
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus used exactly the same image of a lamp not being hidden under a bucket but being put on a lampstand so as to give light to the whole house. In Matthew, it is about us shining. Jesus very clearly said, “You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”.
Maybe, if we have read Matthew, we assume we know what the parable is about and we impose Matthew’s message onto Mark even though Mark’s version is quite different. Luke’s version, by the way, is very similar to Mark’s.
In Mark and Luke, the question is not “Are we shining?”; it is “Are we listening?”. It is not about us shining; it is about God shining. God’s message is the light but are we putting a bucket over it? Are we refusing to listen? For example, God has revealed truth in the Bible. The Bible is the lamp.
Ps 119:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
In this parable, Jesus is saying, “Why would you have a Bible in your house and not read it?” That is bizarre. God has given this amazing source of wisdom and truth. God has revealed Himself and revealed His ways. When we have such an incredible source of light, why would we not open it? Why would we have such a valuable thing and not be hungry to learn from it. Having an unopened Bible is as ridiculous as lighting a lamp and then putting a bucket over it. Incredible! A message from God and people don’t read it!
Equally, think about what Jesus was saying to the crowd about their reaction to Him. God had revealed Himself in Jesus. Jesus was the Light of the World. Jesus’ teaching was pure wisdom. And yet, some people refused to believe in Him. Some people shut their ears to who Jesus was and what He was teaching. And they still do, of course. God has sent light into the world but people say, “Shut it out. Cover it up. I don’t want to know!” They quickly put a bucket over the lamp so that they can ignore it.
Jesu asks why any rational person would shut out the light.
Consider the gospel. God has provided, in Jesus, a means whereby we can be forgiven and reconciled to God and have eternal life. This is incredibly good news. God has revealed how we can be saved. This is light in a dark world. Why would anyone ignore the offer of salvation? Why would people shut their eyes and turn their backs? It is incomprehensible. It is as daft as lighting a lamp and then covering it up.
So, yes, in Matthew, Jesus talked about how we are to be lights. And the question is: Are we shining? But in Mark and Luke, He talked about God being the light and the question is: Are we listening?
In Mark 4, this parable comes straight after the parable of the sower who casts his seed but some falls on the path and is eaten by the birds. Some falls on rocky ground where there is no soil and it gets scorched by the sun. Some falls amongst weeds and thistles that choke it. Some falls on good soil and grows and reproduces. Jesus tells us there that the seed represents the word of God. Different people respond differently to the word of God. That parable is immediately followed by this parable. Are we listening to God or are we shutting Him out?
Do we recognise what an amazing gift the Bible is? Are we hungry to learn from it? Or, do we have this incredible source of light but we put a bucket over it and block it out?
Some people are eager to learn from Jesus. They look to Him because they want to learn from Him and they want to be like Him. But others do not. They block Him out.
The Christian gospel says that Jesus Christ died sacrificially for our sins so that we might be forgiven, and He rose again, conquering death so that we might have eternal life. The gospel calls us to trust in Jesus as our Saviour and to follow Him as our Lord. That is good news. That is a bright shining light from a gracious and merciful God. But some people put a bucket over it because they do not want to follow Jesus. They block out the light.
As Jesus said, shutting out the light is ridiculous beyond words.
Jesus said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear”. Be open to what God is saying. Do not block it out.
He then said, “Consider carefully what you hear”. We live in a world of information overload. There is information bombarding us from every angle. Some of it is misinformation. Sometimes it is hard to know what is true and what is not. Jesus is saying be careful how you listen. Be discerning. There is truth that God has revealed, and there are lies. Do not block out God’s truth. Do not close your ears to God and instead believe nonsense. When God has revealed truth, it would be dumb to prefer lies.
Then Jesus said that those who have will be given more and those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
Those who have wisdom because they have been open to God’s truth, will receive even more wisdom. Their hunger for wisdom will result in even greater wisdom. But those who ignore God – those who do not want to learn from God’s word – will sink into every greater ignorance.
Summing up: in Matthew Jesus was talking about us being lights that should shine. But in Mark and Luke, this parable is about God being the light and about how we respond. God has graciously revealed Himself and His plan for our salvation. Jesus warns us to not block out God’s truth – not put a bucket over it so that we can ignore it. Jesus’ encouragement, of course, is that we hunger for God and we listen to God.
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