Gospel of Mark - 13 Ch 4:21-25
Notes
Transcript
Words of Wisdom
Words of Wisdom
This morning we are continuing in our walk through the Gospel of Mark and will be looking at chapter 4 verses 21-25 as we look at Words of Wisdom
In these five verses, we will see Five sayings Jesus has given us.
These Five verses are Five mini Parables.
We must remember that a parable is not about the story but about the truth that it illustrates.
These parables or stories have meaning, they illustrate truth.
As we look at these Five min Parables, we need to continue to consider the Question.
What can we do to advance the Kingdom of God for the glory of God?
With that let’s look at our text and then we will dig into each mini Parable.
21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
22 “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
25 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
Pray
Pray
As we dig into these verses consider carefully how these min parables ultimately reveal the truth to those who listen and understand them.
I. The Lamp
I. The Lamp
21 And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
This verse reminds me of Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
We may read verse 21 like this, A lamp does not come in order that it might be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, does it? It comes in order that it might be placed on a lampstand doesn’t it?
The first question we should answer NO to, as we do not purchase lamps to put anything over them.
The second question should be answered YES, as we purchase a lamp to place it on a lampstand, so that the light can shine brightly.
Lamps are for seeing and shedding light.
That makes them just like parables, as parables are given to be understood, and so that other things can be understood by them.
Here in Mark, this is again a mini parable, so Jesus is using the lamp as an illustration to teach a truth.
In John 8:12 Jesus tells us
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
There are two ways that Jesus could be using the lamp here.
Jesus could be referring to Himself.
If Jesus is the lamp, He was not and still not fully understood and recognized as the Messiah, but will eventually be openly proclaimed and recognized.
The hidden truth is only temporary.
Someday the identity of Jesus as the Messiah will be openly proclaimed, and eventually it will be universally recognized.
2. The second option is that Jesus may be referring to the Kingdom of God.
At the time the Kingdom of God was coming secretly, but people will eventually see that it has come with power.
There was truth hidden at that time, but will not remain hidden.
The Kingdom of God will be openly proclaimed and universally recognized.
Both of these options can be tied together or seen in a sense as one, for Jesus to come, meant the coming of the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God is and has come in the hearts of each and every believer in Jesus.
The lesson we need to learn from this mini parable is Jesus has come, and He is not to be hidden, but shared with all people.
II. Hidden but Revealed
II. Hidden but Revealed
22 “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
Jesus is no longer talking about the lamp, but about the things that the lamp illustrates, Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
The coming of Jesus and the Kingdom of God have two phases: first, the time of secrecy and truth hidden and the second phases is the time of disclosure and open revelation.
See the ultimate goal is not for truth to be hidden but for the truth to be revealed.
The first phase, that the truth be hidden has a purpose.
Jesus intention was to create separation between those who truly see and hear and those who do not.
Jesus gives those around Him time to penetrate the mysteries - that is the hidden truth.
The present hidden truth enables revelation to some and concealment from others.
The present hidden truth also gives Jesus the ability to control the pace at which His identity and the presence of the Kingdom of God are revealed.
The hidden truths that are referred to in this text have been revealed, and it is our job to share those truths with others that they may come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
III. Listen
III. Listen
23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Here we are told to listen, we all have ears, some may not work as good as others, but we are to listen pay attention to what Jesus is saying as it is important.
There are a couple of different ways that Jesus uses to make a strong point, that is to point things out that people need to pay close attention too.
One way is that Jesus at times repeats a significant point, and others times He states - If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
Here Jesus tells us to listen, not just to the next couple of mini parables, but also to the last two.
He also made this statement in verse 9 of this chapter.
9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The parables and teachings in this chapter are important, they have great wisdom that as disciples of Jesus we need to listen to and take to heart.
IV. Standard of Measurement
IV. Standard of Measurement
24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.
After just stating - if anyone has ears to hear; let him hear, now Jesus states, Take care what you listen to.
We must listen closely to what Jesus says, so that we can discern what the truth is that is being taught.
We need to take special care of the words that Jesus is teaching so that we may understand them and commit them to memory so that we can communicate them to others.
The next part of the verse here tells us that how we measure things will be measured to us.
That is the way that we accept the Word of God into our lives is the way we will receive things from God.
As we receive the Word of God, we are to share the Word of God with others.
As we share the Word of God with others, we will receive a corresponding reward from God.
Therefore, the way God blesses us is measured by how obedient we are to God’s commission to make disciples of every nation.
In 2 Corinthians Paul states it this way.
6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
This connects back to last weeks message, the parable of the Sower, if the farmer only plants a few seed, he will only be able to reap or harvest a small amount.
But the farmer who plants a lot of seed will harvest a bountiful crop.
If we do not share the gospel message with others, we will not see a harvest.
If we only share the gospel once or twice then the chance of a harvest is small.
But if we are obedient and faithful in sharing the gospel message, we will see a large harvest.
V. Wanting More
V. Wanting More
25 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
This verse is both a promise and a warning about understanding the parables.
Those who acquire some understanding and wants more will receive more.
The more we dig into the Word of God, the more we want to learn about God.
The closer we walk with God, the closer we want to be to Him.
When a person properly understands the truth of God’s Word, they will be drawn to receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and thus entering the Kingdom of God.
But those who have no interest in the Word of God and the truth’s that it teaches, will soon find themselves further from it than they were before they ever heard about it.
See disobedience brings spiritual barrenness.
For those believers who are faithful and obedient with the gifts God has given them, the more they will be granted, there will be an increase in their gifts.
But the believer who does not use their gifts that God has given them, God will gradually take them away.
We must be faithful to God in all that we do.
We must make ourselves available to God, be obedient in what He calls us to do, and willing to do whatever it is He leads us too.
We must consider the question, What can we do to advance the Kingdom of God for the glory of God?
From this text, we can advance the Kingdom of God for the glory of God by shinning and sharing the love of Jesus Christ to all around us. ]
We can share the good news of Jesus Christ, that He died so that we can be forgiven of our sins, and have a right relationship with God the Father.
We can listen to what God is telling us, teaching us, and leading us to do.
We can be faithful in what God has given us, to make a difference for His Kingdom glory.
We can be used by God to make a difference, to impact the community, and advance His Kingdom.
We must ask ourselves are we doing all we can to advance the Kingdom of God for the glory of God.
