Portraits of the Kingdom: Mark 4:21-25.

Notes:

Alan Cole: “If truth is temporarily hidden in the parables, it is only so that it may be later revealed: the ultimate purpose of a parable is therefore not to conceal truth but to reveal it.”

What is the purpose of Hide and Go Seek?

Stay hidden forever isn’t fun?

Lily Example:

Hidden

Revealed

Embraced

Part I: The Development of the Revelation of Jesus

What is the lamp?

Greek Lit: “Does the lamp come?”

Lamp=subject of the sentence

“THE” lamp

“brought in”= “more suitable of a person than an object, and has indeed been used of Jesus earlier.”

Mark 1:7 “7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.”

Mark 3:20 “20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.”

Does the lamp “come”?

Can lamps “come”?

Not “carried” or “placed”

Not “what” is the lamp, but “who” is the lamp?

What is the purpose of a lamp?

Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Purpose of a Lamp is to shine in a spot that takes advantage of it’s brilliance.

You put a lamp on a lamp stand!

Rare: 4 Purpose Clauses in 2 verses!

Verse 21: Purpose through Questions:

v. 21: Is the purpose of a lamp for concealment? NO!

v. 21: Is the purpose for the lamp not to be on a lampstand? ABSOLUTELY!

Verse 22: Purpose through Statements:

“The purpose of all things hidden is to be made manifest.”

“The purpose of all all things secret is to shed light on that secret”

v.23: For the purpose of coming into light.

At this point, in Christ’s ministry, he hasn’t yet revealed himself in all his fullness.

Messianic Secret:

Show Lily playing hide-and-go seek.

He’s exposed, but still contained.

2 Pictures of Lily!

Behind fridge

Behind door

“Concealment intends disclosure.” James Edwards

Fantasy Book:

Says something, but no idea what that means?!

Context=Jesus describing what Parable are all about.

About Jesus!

Mystery about the Kingdom=Partly the Revelation of the King

Purpose of Parables is to REVEAL Jesus.

“God’s glory is revealed indirectly in disarming ways through riddling parables, weakness, suffering, and death.” David Garland

Example of book

Jesus becomes the Lamp on a Lampstand!

Revelation

Got to put the Lamp on the Lamp stand.

Got to be revealed, exposed, for it’s purpose to light.

Can’t shut him out.

We did! We tried to snuff him out.

Rather than place the LAMP on a Stand, we put him on the CROSS.

But this lamp can’t be burned out!

Jesus illuminates! That’s what we must do for Jesus. Hold him high.

Part II: “The Parable of the Measure”

24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

David Garland: “The parable of the measure refers to the ways people respond to the light. The economic axiom that the poor get poorer and the rich get richer also holds true for the spiritual life.”

Part II: English: “Hearing puts them under great obligation, not least because they are heading just at the time when God’s kingdom has drawn near (1:15). The time has come, not just for Jesus to preach and heal, but also for them to make up their minds.”

v. 23-24: Lamp is something seen, but the way to see is through hearing!

Layer 1: Mysticism

Pre-crcifixion

Layer 2: Doubt

Resurrection without Ascension

Layer 3: Health and Wealth

Resurrection without Ascension

Layer 4: Opportunists

Act 8: 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Make money of Jesus

Layer 5:

Full-orbed Jesus: Christ’s Cosmological Rule!

Total sovereignty!

“The doctrine of Christ is the central point of the whole system of dogmatics.” Bavinck:

He is the King not merely of Zion, but of the whole world… He must reign, not only in heaven, but especially here on earth.” Kuyper “The Work of the Holy Spirit”

“The entire cosmos, with all its creatures, is subject to Christ, who rules as King not only in the church but over all things.” Bavink, Reformed Dogmatics

“The world was created by the Son and for the Son. It exists only for his sake and reaches its goal only in him. Reformed Dogmatics”

“The Son is not to be excluded from anything. You cannot point to any natural realm or star or comet or even descend into the depth of the earth, but is is related to Christ… There is no force in nature, no laws that control those forces that do not have their origin in that eternal Word… All science… is a radiation, reflection of a new glory that was hidden, but that is now revealed in Christ.”

Will you handle this word with care?

Are you listening?

Are you paying attention?

Are you paying attention?

The time is now! Not tomorrow. Take it. Seize the day: Carpa Dium.

Hear Jesus.

Take it and apply it, and more light will be produced.

“IT” refers to “God’s rule and presence.”

If you apply the word, it will be multiplied, if you don’t, everythign will be stripped away.

David Garland: “The one who snubs [the truth] has everything to lose; the one who risks faith in what now lies hidden has everything to gain.”