The Secret Uncovered

Well good morning.

It is so good to be back

I miss being up here

To be honest I’m kinda of jealous of chaplain Heibel.

I have loved being your chaplain being your pastor

But hey with the job

with being in the army

comes change and it’s time for change

So I’m only gonna be here at this service for the next two weeks

and after that

it’s PCS time

so I believe our actual fly date is 20 December

but between 4 day weekends

and leave

and moving

these are going to be my last two

But I’ll tell you what

God is good

He couldn’t have blessed us more

than with the gift we have in chaplain Heibel.

Anyways enough talk let’s get into it

So today we’re going to go into a parable of Jesus

that talks about being a light

Talks a bit about accountability

Talks about hidden things coming to light

At the last judgment

Or so it would seem

You know at face value this passage is easy to interpret or should I say Mis-interpret

Because as you dive into the text

As you dive into the words

You begin to see a mystery

Something that is very different

Something that the deeper you go

You begin to see

What can be misunderstood

And even misleading

Because a lot of us confuse this passage

With one thats very similar and found in Matthew

But the reality is

This passage contains a much deeper truth

Than what most are familiar with

While Matthew speaks of bing a light unto the world in chptr 5 15

Mark speaks of something more prophetic

Something more mysterious

Did I capture your attention?

And as I was thinking up of an illustration for this passage

I couldn’t think of anything more comparable

That a tv show I once was really in to

And I may be dating my self here

showing how old I am

But how many of are familiar with the X-files?

If you have never seen this Tv show

Let me tell you

You’re missing out

I mean the basic idea

Is of a man who is an FBI agent

Who works in the weirdest department of the FBI

And throughout the video series

He is constantly running up against cases

That defy logic

That defy all sense of reasoning

But what I truly loved

Where the episodes that dug deep into the conspiracy

Of aliens

and government control

I recall that through the seasons

They would give you bits and pieces

Like clues

To what the ending would be

To what the ultimate uncovering

or unveiling of the global conspiracy

Would be

A conspiracy that of course

Would threaten our world

They would lead down a trail of tiny crumbs

That literally left you hanging

To be honest it drove you nuts

But it kept you glued to the television

Because every single week

You looked for more clues

And I recall discussing these episodes

With my friends

With my neighbors

With regular people that found this show absolutely fascinating

And I recall each of us arguing over what we thought

Was going to happen in this show

Believe it or not

They were actually able to keep this going

For nine seasons

Nine years

Until they came out with a movie that sort of explained it all

Into one giant unveiling

And let me tell you

If you haven’t seen this

I encourage you to do so

It was a fascinating series to say the least

But you know todays passage of Scripture

Is sort of like this

And at face value

It doesn’t really appear to be saying that much

Maybe just appear a bit convicting

Maybe a bit normal

Kind of what you would expect out of the Bible

But that’s simply not the case here

And so today I want to take you down a trail that Jesus is leading us to

But you won’t get this if you don’t understand

The ending

Or the culmination of the Bible

You won’t understand where Jesus is leading us

Unless you understand the purpose as to why He came

And so today I want to help you with these bread crumbs

I want to help you with the clues

Because just like the X-files

Jesus is very cryptically

Giving us a bit of information

That is just enough to keep you intrigued

But not enough to give away the answer

And to those that understand the benefit of Hind sight

He is giving us the key to His purpose

And to His ministry

And so today

I want to go over three things

This mystery that is Jesus

The purpose of His ministry

And our calling to share the Good News

If you would open up your Bibles please to Mark 4:21

And we will be going down to verse 25

Mark 4:21–25 NLT

Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

Prayer,

What’s my number 1 rule

Context is always king here

And before we go into the multiple various potential meanings of this parable

I want you to do me a favor

and consider the audience to which Jesus is speaking to

First off notice chapter 4 verse 1

he is surrounded by so many people

He literally has to sit in a boat

As it is pushed away from shore

In order that he can see everyone and be heard by everyone

And if you can imagine that His fame

And his popularity

Have grown to the point that he can no longer

Sit in front of people and just teach

He actually has to sit on a boat

Projecting his voice while everyone stands on the shore

Desperately trying to hear him.

I recall one archeologist mentioning he would do this

Because so many people where trying to simply touch him

Or even be near him

And I try to put myself in their position

Would I be polite and stand there watching this man

This physical version of God almighty

Who is Healing people

Bring them back to life

Would I really not try to get near to him

So what you’re seeing here

Is in fact a necessity

If he wants to get his point across

If he wants to be able to teach the crowd

He has to step back, out of reach

And project his voice

But then I want you to sort of step into the mind

Of the average listener

Because after all

He is teaching the people

And he is teaching parables

difficult lessons that not everyone is going to understand

And when you put yourself in their shoes

There’s almost cryptic

and seemingly mysterious nature to what Jesus is saying here.

I mean really think about this

if you were sitting there,

listening to the Son of Man,

talk about knowledge that we may not have

Talk about analogies that you may not understand

Then you would begin to obviously

begin to listen closely and intently,

so that we can gain foresight into the hidden things of God

And so look closer at verse number 21-23 here

Mark 4:21–23 NLT

Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Now I know the simplest interpretation of this passage

could be evangelism.

It could be an understanding of sin.

Maybe even a conviction of sin

You know and if I was completely honest

Multiple times I have looked at this passage

And scared myself

Because I thought it was talking about sin I did in secret

You know like the first time you drank your dad’s beer

Or stole $20 out of your mom’s wallet

The hidden things will come to light right

And If I was to be honest, I’ve even used this passage

Against Soldiers,

I mean it preaches really well

It’s even wonderful to use in counseling

But The truth of the matter is

I was falling victim to the same thing

We always do

I was using a passage out of context

Because I got to be honest I don’t think this is what Mark is referring to.

I mean don’t get wrong,

Preaching that we have the light of the Gospel within us

And that we have been commanded to share that light

And put Jesus on a pedestal,

All that is biblical and necessary yes

But is that what Mark is referring to here

Is that what Mark is telling us Jesus said?

Like I said I don’t think so

Because let me ask you

does that fit within the context of the passage

if you are a person sitting here,

listening to Jesus speak,

then does our understanding of the gospel,

necessarily translate over to what they are hearing.

Remember,

Jesus is talking to people

This is an actual event

Jesus hasn’t died yet

He hasn’t made the final sacrifice yet

He hasn’t been crucified yet

So in fact the Gospel that you and I know

Hasn’t come to pass

For the audience that Jesus is speaking to

So then the light that you and I would reference here in this passage

The lamp that we feel should not be hidden in our lives

Is not what Mark is referring to

It simply doesn’t fit the passage or the context

Makes sense?

So many times in biblical interpretation

We take a passage

And we apply it to our selves

Without giving a single thought

To the narrative of the story

To the audience it was being told to

Even the literary genre that it claims

And if we are not careful

We lead ourselves and others into straight heresy

And don’t get me wrong

I’m not saying that evangelism

and living a life of holiness is heresy

But what I am saying is that this is not the topic of this passage make sense

So look with one more time

Mark 4:21–23 NLT

Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

One commentator put it like this

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 9: Matthew–Mark (Revised Edition) (Commentary)

the point of this parable is that the present hiddenness of Jesus and the kingdom will not always be. Hidden things are meant to be brought into the open (v. 22).

Another commentator said

Mark ((2) The Purpose of Parables (4:10–12, 21–25))

Jesus and the kingdom did not come to be hidden but to be revealed to all. Such revelation, however, could not be made fully until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. This verse quite informs the messianic secret.

Messianic secret?

Perhaps you recall that in every instance

Of someone calling Jesus the Messiah or the Son of God

Jesus has told them to be quite

Every time He has cast out a demon

And the demon Identifies him

What has He done?

Told them to be silent

And perhaps you recall the reason why He wants His identity to remain secret for now

And this reason goes hand and hand with His purpose

With His messianic mission

Remember He came to die

He came to be the sacrifice for our sins

He came to be the Gospel

And so in these parables

In these cryptic allegorical type teachings

Not only was Jesus hinting at his purpose

Not only was Jesus hinting at the reason He came

But this mysterious statement came with a warning

Something that if you fully understand

Is truly quite terrifying

Look with me at the final verse here

Mark 4:24–25 NLT

Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

You know how many us have ever taken on a project

Maybe a homework assignment

Maybe are standing in formation while 1SG is putting something out

And we aren’t truly paying attention

How many of us are guilty of behavior like that

And be honest

I can’t tell you how many times

I have been in a meeting

Completely off in never never land

Half listening and half not

And then a tasking is given and I have no idea

What I am doing

Heck I do this often

Ask 1LT Towne

I go to his office all the time

Asking whats going on

Because my mind isn’t always in the game

The knowledge that I should have

The knowledge that I should desire

Isn’t always where its supposed to be

And this is what Jesus is telling us right here

The closer you listen the more understanding you will be given

You know I like expert opinions right

One author put it like this

Mark (2) The Purpose of Parables (4:10–12, 21–25)

This verse is both a promise and a warning about understanding the parables. Whoever acquires some understanding and wants more will receive more. Proper understanding will lead to accepting Jesus and entering the kingdom and to more and more blessings from God. Those who have no interest in parables and the kingdom about which they teach will soon find themselves further from it than before they ever heard about it.

You know whats terrifying about this

What is absolutely gut wrenching about this

Its all on you

Its all on you

You can’t blame anyone else for your failed relationship with God

You can’t blame anyone else for your mistakes

Its all on you

You know how many soldiers

Come to me and tell me that God has gone silent in their lives

Their marriage is falling apart

They are under investigation

For something stupid they’ve done

Or maybe even been falsely accused

Perhaps they’ve gone into financial ruin

And yet they come to me

Crying and screaming asking me for help

As though I’ve got some magic pill that is going to make all their issues go away

And you know the first thing I ask them,

How come I haven’t seen you at church

How is your prayer life

Do you have a personal relationship with God?

When was the last time you opened up the Bible?

I’ll bet you can guess how many tell me they’ve fallen pretty far away

In these final verses

Our Lord and Savior

Is putting the responsibility on the individual

If you want to get to know God

Then at the end of the day the only person you can blame

For a failed relationship with God

Is yourself

At the end of the day

You will answer to God for your actions

And have no one to blame but yourself

That’s what this passage teaches

Verses 21-23, He has come to be the Gospel

Verses 24-25, You will understand this truth if you want to know God.

Its that simple

You know my daughter and I are very close

I think she is the very definition of a Daddy’s girl

And I am the very definition of a man

Who’s heart is wrapped around a little girls pinky

And I love her with all my heart

And a few days ago as we were coming back from an event

I remember talking to her about the most important relationship she will ever have

And I recall telling her

It’s not with me

It’s not with mommy

It’s not even with your future husband

It’s with Jesus

I recall telling her

That the Bible tell us

That out of love for the Son

The Father created us

And that out of love for the Father the Son died for us.

But at the same time this love trickles down to us in a manner

That is so pure

That is so unconditional

That its unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed here on this earth

And I recall telling her,

That in this life she is going to learn a great deal many things

But above all else

Learn about Jesus

Learn about our Savior

Because the truth of the matter is,

That the Bible says,

That out of love and obedience

The Son gave up His life for us

He became sin offering up the appropriate sacrifice to the father

at just the right time

Proving Himself worthy

Of becoming our King

Our High priest

And our only way to the Father.

And if my eschatology or my end times understanding is true

Then at the moment he died on that cross

Hebrews chapter 9-10 tells me

He fulfilled his priestly duties

By offering His own blood on the mercy seat in heaven

So that when he comes back for the final time in revelation 19

He be my King for all eternity.

Guys this passage here today

Is telling us

Is hinting at the fulfillment of the Gospels

At his future mission

that will soon be revealed in later chapters

But right now

In this moment in time

You have the benefit

Of understanding what He has done for you

Of understanding what He did on that day

And as we close today

I encourage you to take the words of Verse 25 seriously.

I encourage you to take the Good news of the Gospel seriously

And share with everyone you meet

One final passage and we will close with this.

Hebrews 4:14–16 NLT

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Prayer

Numbers 6:24–26 NLT

‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’