The Gospel of Mark, Pt. 21

Kingdom Principles, Pt. 1

In his novel, This Is Happiness, Niall Williams’ elderly narrator, Noe (pronounced No), remembers when electricity and light came to their little Irish village of Faha:

I’m aware here that it may be hard to imagine the enormity of this moment, the threshold that once crossed would leave behind a world that had endured for centuries, and that this moment was only sixty years ago.

Consider this: when the electricity did finally come, it was discovered that the 100-watt bulb was too bright for Faha. The instant garishness was too shocking. Dust and cobwebs were discovered to have been thickening on every surface since the sixteenth century. Reality was appalling. It turned out Siney Dunne’s fine head of hair was a wig, not even close in color to the scruff of his neck, and Marian McGlynn’s healthy allure was in fact a caked make-up the color of red turf ash.

In the week following the switch-on, (store owner) Tom Clohessy couldn’t keep mirrors in stock, as people came in from out the country and bought looking glasses of all variety, went home, and in merciless illumination endured the chastening of all flesh when they saw what they looked like for the first time.

Such are the effects when the light of the gospel of God enters into the darkness of our lives. Light not only lights the way forward, but it reveals....it exposes.....and it casts out darkness so that we can see reality for what it is.

In today’s passage, we continue in Mark’s narrative about Jesus’ teachings in response to the hardness of hearts of many who refused to accept his message and therefore committed the unforgiveable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit - which generally refers to the denial of the true divinity of Jesus and the utter rejection of his gospel message. And as we learned last week through the parable of the sower, Jesus’ unique usage of parables to teach about the kingdom of God had a two-fold purpose - to give insight and further understanding to those who genuinely follow him and are receptive to the gospel, while also confusing and confounding the proud and the hard-hearted who refused to accept his message, therefore acting as a form of judgment on the unrepentant.

These two groups were associated with two different kinds of soil through the parable of the sower. The unrepentant, proud type who have shallow hearts and are more concerned with the things of the world are represented by the first three soils - the hard soil, the shallow soil, and the thorny, or corrupted soil. On the other hand, the good soil is representative of people who’s accepting hearts are receptive to the word of God and therefore respond in humble obedience through which their faith grows bountifully.

And in today’s passage, Jesus uses another familiar metaphor and parable to teach more about the kingdom to those who truly have ears to hear, who truly understand the message of their Lord.

Mark 4:21–25 (SLIDE) “And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 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. 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.””

In this brief passage, Jesus actually employs two short parables to enlighten his followers about the nature and the reality of the kingdom of God, which will then be followed by a couple more parables that involve agrarian contexts in following with the parable of the sower, and we’ll be looking at those parables next week. And so here in verse 21, Jesus references a lamp and then asks a rhetorical question - (SLIDE) “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?”

This would be in reference to oil lamps that were used in his day. These were small clay bowls that were filled with oil and had a floating wick secured in the middle, and these would act as primitive lamps within homes. And so as in all parables, we need to begin by identifying the various parts of the parable that symbolize greater, spiritual truths. So in the case of this passage, we need to consider what the lamp represents.

So in our English translations, the lamp (or the candle - KJV) is preceded by the indefinite article “a”, which implies no particular lamp specifically.....just “a lamp”. However, in the Greek, there isn’t the indefinite article “a”, but the definite article “the”. Not only that, but in the original Greek construction of this verse, the lamp is in the subjective form, not the objective form. So technically, the beginning of verse 21 should be rendered as “Does THE lamp come in....” So why do our English translations render it the way they do, and why does this even matter?

So at the time that the gospels were written, the apostles had at their disposal a collection of writings called the “Logia”, which contained the various sayings and teachings of Jesus. And so they had the opportunity, and the divine authority, to arrange these stories and these teachings in a particular order as they were led by the Holy Spirit to do so. And so this reference to a lamp under a basket is found in all three synoptic gospels, here in Mark 4, as well as in Matthew 5 and Luke 8. And in Matthew and Luke, there is no definite article “the” which precedes the word “lamp”.....both Matthew and Luke use the indefinite article “a”. So its assumed by scholars and theologians like R.C. Sproul, amongst others, that the Bible translators saw that and simply sought to make them harmonize with one another.

But if we take Mark’s rendering literally, we see that the lamp isn’t just any generic lamp amongst a number of other lamps.....rather.....this is THE lamp, which begs the question.....what is THE lamp? Or better yet, who is the lamp? This lamp would first and foremost refer to Jesus Christ himself. We understand this in light of passages like in John 1:4–10 (SLIDE) “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”

And later on in John’s gospel, this identity of Jesus is further substantiated in John 8:12 (SLIDE) “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” So just like in the parable of the sower, in that the sower refers directly to Jesus, the lamp here in verse 21 refers directly to Jesus as well. However, like in the parable of the sower, this lamp, like the sower, has a douple meaning. It directly refers to Jesus, but it indirectly refers to all genuinely believers who are in Christ as well.

And this is what is confirmed in the other synoptic gospel, namely Matthew 5 and Luke 8. We read in Matthew 5:14–15 ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

And this leads to our first point in our outlines - the first of the kingdom principles in this section.....(SLIDE) The light of the kingdom. The word of God makes this very clear.....Jesus is the light of the world, and all those who are in him....who are born again by the Spirit of God.....all who have put their faith and trust in Jesus......we too are the light of the world. And in both Matthew’s and Luke’s narratives, the placing of the lamp under a basket is referenced within a statement. However, in Mark’s gospel, its referenced in a rhetorical question (SLIDE) - “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?” The obvious answer is no, because that’s an absurd thought.....Imagine lighting a lamp or candle, and then covering it up with a basket, or placing it under a bed so that it cannot light up the room. That would be an absurd thing to do.

Well, likewise, it is absurd to think of the light of Christ being kept from shining out into the world. In fact, it is the very nature of the light of Christ and the light of his gospel message that is specifically brought forth to shine light into the darkness of this world. You see, the announcement of the inauguration of the kingdom of God in Mark 1:15 that the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand is like shining a light into a dark room where everything in the room becomes exposed and visible.

This is what we see described in verse 22......(SLIDE) Mark 4:22 “For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.” And I find three aspects of this statement that will help us understand the significance of Jesus’ words here. First (1)......there is the revelation of truth. The truths about the kingdom of God are now being revealed to all who are genuinely seeking to follow God in Christ. Jesus’ original audiences would have had understandings of the kingdom shaped by their OT Scriptures as well as by the contemporary rabbinical interpretations and teachings of the scribes and pharisees. But since Jesus was the fulfillment of the OT, he therefore has the unique authority and divine insight to reveal to the truths of the kingdom, which would continue to be revealed through parables.

Second (2).....there is the disclosure of divine providence. The revelation of kingdom truths were in many ways an unveiling of the mystery of the gospel. Everything was a mystery to the people of God in those days, prior to arrival of Jesus Christ. When would God’s kingdom come?......what would the kingdom look like?.....who would lead the people of God into the kingdom?......who would be allowed into the kingdom?......all these, and many other questions, were a mystery to the people of God.

However, with the incarnation of the Son of God and the inauguration of the kingdom that he brought through his preaching and miraculous ministry, these mysteries were now being unveiled in real time.....they were once hidden, but now they are being manifested through Christ. Remember, back in verse 11, Jesus tells his disciples that they have been given the secret of the kingdom of God. And those secrets were now being revealed to those who were earnestly and humbly seeking to follow Jesus.

These secrets would reveal that the kingdom would be established by a suffering servant, not a conquering king.....that in order to be the first in the kingdom, you must consider yourself last.....that God desires mercy, not religious legalistic sacrifice......that you must love your enemy and pray for those who persecute......that God’s power is manifested in our weakness.......that God was a creating one new man (the church) out of two (Jew and Gentile).......and that citizens of the kingdom are not marked by outward appearance (ethnicity or circumcision) but by an inward disposition towards God (circumcision of the heart)......

And this leads to a third aspect of the light of the kingdom......(3) Transparency of the heart. As the light of the gospel shines forth into our lives, it reveals what is hidden, whether that is our personal character or our hardened hearts like in the parable of the sower. But it also reveals the true nature of our hearts. For some of us, that leads to repentance and being cleansed from all unrighteousness through the forgiveness found in the blood of Christ. But for others, that can lead to shame and guilt and the further hardening of hearts that lead some away from the truth of the gospel. And so we as followers of Jesus, as painful and uncomfortable as it can be at times, need to allow the light of the gospel to shine in the deepest areas of our lives, so that we can ultimately walk in freedom and absolute transparency with God and with others.

Again, as absurd it is to think of lighting a lamp and then immediately putting it under a basket or a bed, it is equally absurd to think of a Christian’s light being kept and hidden from shining into the darkness as well. So this leads us to another important question that we need to ask of ourselves....is there anything in our lives, whether intentional or unintentional, that’s hiding our light? Think of it in terms of the soils that we looked at last week....namely the shallow and the corrupted soil.

Is our light so superficial and weak that when trouble and persecution comes our way and challenges our faith, does our light quickly dim? Or do the cares of this world.....does the deceitfulness of riches......do other concerns and personal pursuits hide our light from shining? If that’s the case, we need to take heed to passages like this and the parable of the sower and we need to remember the common call of Christ in both parables. In verse 9 and in verse 23 Jesus says the same thing (SLIDE) “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And then he builds on this in verse 24 (SLIDE) “And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear...”

And this leads to our second kingdom principle....(SLIDE) The call of the kingdom. Jesus isn’t just suggesting that we hear better so as to simply make out the words that are coming out of his mouth. He’s calling us to listen intently so as to understand, which will naturally lead to obedience. A couple of Mavrick’s jobs around the house are to take the trash cans out to the curb Thursday night so that Cal-Waste can empty them Friday morning, as well as to do the dishes in the kitchen. Now if Mavrick and Monica and I are sitting around one evening watching TV, and one of us asks Mavrick to go take the trash cans to the curb or to go do the dishes, and he looks at us and nods his head and says ok (or amen), and then never does what we ask.....did he really understand our message? Did he have ears to hear so as to accept and receive the message into his heart? How could we ever really know if he understands and accepts the message?......when he goes and does the thing he’s told to do. Obedience is the result of hearing and understanding and accepting.

So when Jesus says “if anyone has hears to hear, let him hear” or “pay attention to what you hear”, he’s implying that attentive listening always results in active obedience. So to understand that lights are not lit to be hidden, but to shine, means that we must actively shine our light into the world around us. And this is accomplished two-fold - by what we say, and by what we do.

The apostle Peter reminds all of us in 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Shining our light involves the proclamation of God’s truth. If there’s anything we’ve learned from the death of Charlie Kirk, its that we as Christians need to be vocal about faith. Now we may not necessarily be called to proclaim in public forums at college campuses, or from a pulpit for that matter........but we’re all given a platform if we simply pay attention. Maybe you platform is social media......just be careful and wise........or maybe your platform is your work, or your household, or your circle of friends.

But no matter the platform we’re given, we need to remember to use it to shine the light of Christ through what we say. People need to hear the truth. And we need to remember that we fight lies with truth....truth spoken in love. And we wage war against the enemy with truth. I’m reminded of Revelation 12 where John shares this great vision of the cosmic battle in the heavens and where Satan is cast out of heaven along with a third of the angels who rebelled against God, and it says in (SLIDE) Revelation 12:11 “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” The light of Christ is shone through us by the words we speak.

But also, and may most prominently on the pages of Scripture, we shine our light through our actions.....through obedience to God’s word. Again, the parallel passage in Matthew 5:14–16 says (SLIDE) ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Shining our light is directly related to our good deeds, which in general refers to obedience to God’s word. The world may try to silence our mouths from speaking....they may respond with a closed ear and a hardened heart to our witness and our testimony....but they cannot deny our acts of love and grace and mercy and radical obedience to the commands of Christ. One of the problems that many, if not most, unchurched people have with those inside of the Church is that we’re all hypocrites. We always say one thing, yet do another. And I typically have two responses to those charges. One, people don’t begin with understanding what we actually preach and teach, so to call us hypocrites is meaningless because they don’t even understand what we believe. Second, I’d typically say.....I agree......everyone is a hypocrite to some extent, and that’s why we all need a Savior.

But thirdly, maybe they’re right some of the time, and that’s why we as followers of Jesus must make every effort to align our behaviors with our beliefs. We cannot merely talk the talk, we must walk the walk as well. The apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi in Philippians 2:14–16 (SLIDE) “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

Our shining of our lights is directly connected to our actions rooted in a commitment to hold fast to the word of God, and then allow those words to shape us so that we can be a light in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation that’s living in darkness. We’re not perfect, we’re simply forgiven and deeply loved by our heavenly Father, and the world needs to see that reality lived out in how we interact with those in the world. Paul highlights two character traits that are quite relative to our current day and age......are we grumblers and complainers.....or are we disputers and argumentative all the time? In other words, are we divisive in any way, particularly within the body of Christ? If so, we need to repent and strive to live as blameless, innocent children of God who shine our light rather than contribute to darkness.

Which is why Paul says to the Ephesian Christians in Ephesians 5:6–14 (SLIDE) “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) (objective morality, justice, universal truth), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””

As the light of Christ has shone in each and every one of us here......let’s let that light continue to shine through us and into the lives of others. And while we live a life of this, we need to keep in mind this third principle of the kingdom - (SLIDE) The economy of the kingdom. Jesus continues in verses 24 and 25 of our passage.....Mark 4:24–25 (SLIDE) ““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. 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.””

The principle is this - the more you activate your faith into obedience and the more you put God’s word into action, the more understanding and insight and opportunity and blessing you’ll be given. This is in keeping with the parable of the sower and the good soil that produced thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold. You see, the more you exercise your faith, the more you grow in it.

If you recall the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the Master rewards each of the servants that invested his given number of talents. And it wasn’t based on results...it wasn’t a numbers game......it was based on their commitment to obedience and walking in faith to the their Master’s commands. So for the servants who were given two talents and five talents, they put them to work....in other words, they took their faith and they put it into action....and was the reward for both of them? The Master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

This is how the economy of the kingdom works.....regardless of the amount that you’ve been given (amount of faith......amount of resources.....amount of time.....whatever) - if you are willing to put it to work....to invest it.....it is promised to grow and become blessed and God will give you more. He’ll give you more knowledge.....he’ll give you more understanding......he’ll give you more opportunity.… “with the measure you use it, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given.”

In the direct context of Jesus’ disciples, this meant that the more revelation they understood and put into action regarding the kingdom of God, more understanding and more opportunity for obedience would be given to them in time. They would be able to walk by faith now, having received a limited amount of knowledge from Jesus at this point in their experience. Imagine how much more emboldened and empowered they would become following the death, burial, and resurrection of their Lord.

And the same is for you and me. God has granted each of us a certain level of understanding of his word and a certain measure of faith. And so for starters, what are we doing with all that now? The temptation is to want more and have it right away.....we want to have our cake and eat it too! But our reward of more is dependent upon our willingness to invest and exercise that which we currently have. And in due time, we’ll be given more understanding.....more faith......and more opportunity to shine our light. In fact, our light may even become brighter and brighter over time as we walk by faith and remain steadfast in our commitment to God’s word.

But the opposite is also true..… “from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” This would most likely include the two soils from the parable of the sower that were shallow and thorny or corrupted. They received a little bit of revelation.....the seeds were planted, but because a variety of reasons, both attacks from outside as well as inward selfish and worldly desires, that seed bore no fruit, and therefore, the little light that that person was given was taken away because they didn’t do anything to grow the seed and shine the light.

God didn’t just save us just to keep us from escaping the ultimate punishment of hell. He saved us for so much more, and yet too many people treat Christianity like a get-out-of-jail-free card......like its something to use in the case of a rainy day. Or they completely take what they think is salvation for granted, but they never do anything with it......they never grow.....they never really transform into the new creation God intends for all genuine followers of Jesus.

And so, we all need to make sure we keep hears to hear, and that we pay close attention to what we hear and see in God’s word. The psalmist says it best in Psalm 119:105–106 (SLIDE) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.” By surrendering our lives to Jesus and placing our trust and faith in him, we are effectively swearing an oath to keep God’s righteous rules, since in order to truly love Jesus, we must obey his commands.

So let’s be that good soil.....let’s be that lamp that is placed on a stand for all to see, and let’s shine the light of Christ in this dark world so that other’s would see our good works and praise God and in turn, give their lives to Jesus as well!