March 27, 2021
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? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Mark 4:21-25 NIV)
Have you ever been reading scriptures where Jesus is speaking, and it seems that he changes the subject with no apparent connection to what he had just said before? This happened to me this morning as I was reading the scriptures from Mark 4 quoted at the beginning of this article. I have learned that when I encounter this, that I need to really pay attention because Jesus is the very embodiment of truth, he is the way, the truth and life (John 14:6). If I believe and obey what he teaches me, then I will know the truth and the truth will set me free (John 8:31-32).
The referenced scriptures occur immediately after Jesus had explained the parable of the sower of seed. What is the connection between this parable and Jesus talking about not hiding a lamp, concealed things being revealed, etc? As I pondered this, I began to see that the connection is his statement of, “Consider carefully what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more” and “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that the various soil types (pathway, shallow, thorny or good) represent the condition of my heart and what I do with whatever Jesus speaks to me (Mark 4:1-20). I have no interest in being anything other than a person who Jesus described as good soil. The good soil is the only soil that held onto his words and by perseverance produced the fruit of his word. Jesus said those people have a good and noble heart (Luke 8:15). A good heart is one that is intrinsically good because it is its nature. A noble heart is one that is attractively good, people are drawn to it.
In the same scriptures referenced above, Jesus also said that a lamp should not be hidden, but set on its stand, so that what is unseen may be seen. He speaks similarly in Luke 11:33-36, but he adds that the purpose of the light from the lamp is so that others may also see what is not readily visible. He goes on to say that my eye is the lamp of my body and that when my eye is good then my whole being is filled with light. When I put all of this together, it seems to me, that Jesus is telling me, that I am not to keep to myself whatever he teaches me, but that I am to share it with others so that they too may be good soil. This sharing is be done in both my words and my behavior.
Elsewhere, Jesus again spoke about not hiding a lamp when he said, “When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (Luke 11-33-36)
The contrast between healthy and unhealthy eyes or good and evil eyes, is a Jewish idiom where good means generous and evil means stingy. (See my previous blog post “Do I Have an Evil Eye?) This helps me understand the connection Jesus is making when he said, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Will I be generous, or will I be stingy? What does this apply to?
Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24). This statement does not leave anything out of what I am to be generous with. One of my biggest struggles is the fear of not being approved by other people. This is a way of trying to save my life, rather than being generous with whatever I have to offer. It is an expression of being stingy with sharing the real me and not being vulnerable with people. Vulnerability and mercy are foundational to building relationships with people. Without vulnerability and mercy, I will not be able to effectively share with other people the things that Jesus has given me and done in me. Because of his great love for me, God who is rich in mercy, made me alive in Christ when I was still dead in my sin. For it is by grace that I have been saved (Ephesians 2-10)
God is light and in him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5). If I walk in the light as Jesus is in the light (1 John 1:7), then my very presence will bring his light into that which is darkness. If I bring a lamp into a pitch-dark room that has cock roaches and moths in it, then the roaches will flee from the light and the moths will be drawn to it. The same is true with people, some will be drawn to the light of Jesus and others will flee because they fear the light.
One expression of fleeing from the light is when I reject what God says is good and embrace as good that which God says is evil. If I claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, I lie and do not live out the truth. But if I walk in the light, as he is in the light, I have fellowship with others, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If I claim to be without sin, I deceive myself and the truth is not in me. (1 John 1:6-8)
We live in an age when it is offensive to say that anything is evil. However, my role is to be a vessel of the light (a lamp) and trust that Jesus is working to draw all people unto himself and that he desires none to perish. Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth (John 1-14) and from that fullness we have received grace upon grace (John 1:16). Titus 2:11-12 says “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”
It is often said that mercy is not getting what we deserve, and that grace is receiving what we do not deserve. I think this is partially true, but it has it roots in a legal understanding of the nature of God our Father. God relates to us as our Father, not as a judge who judges us based upon the law. The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus is in the bosom of the Father in the most intimate relationship that is possible. (John 1:17-18) Whatever mercy and grace mean they have their very origin in God our Father and are perfectly demonstrated in the life of Jesus. I would define mercy as, God our Father, being willing to do whatever is necessary to make right, whatever is wrong, in his children. Grace means to be inclined towards a person to embrace them to show them kindness and to give them what they need.
In love, God our Father, who is rich in mercy, has made us alive in Christ, even when we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:3-5). This truly is good news! Therefore, let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). As we receive that mercy and grace, will you join with me in seeking to give it away to others? “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Mark 4: 24-25)
Blessings,
Kevin