Mark 4: 21 – 25
Shine Jesus Shine
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Besides this Gospel, the disciple Luke urged on by our Precious Holy Spirit, reported on these words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s see what he also revealed.
Luke 1: 16 – 18, “16 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
Now please remember that although Mark probably wasn’t there, his step father in the faith, Peter was there and heard our Lord Jesus. Luke wasn’t there when our Lord gave this speech but later came and interviewed those who were. So, let’s see what all three have in common and are different.
You can almost see Luke interviewing people and writing down their thoughts regarding these comments. He is the one who gives us a lot more information.
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?
Mark tells us from the witness Peter that our Lord gave a Parable by asking a question, ‘ Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?’ Luke who came back years later and interviewed people came up with the truth of our Lord’s question. The truth of our Lord’s remarks was that He did not come to the earth in order to hide things from us.
What does a lamp do? It uncovers the darkness. It reveals what was hidden by the darkness, doesn’t it. His word is light. How about this amazing verses in Psalm 119, verses 105 – 106, “104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.’
When a person lights a lamp its purpose is to give as much light as possible. Do you remember our last study that talked about the 4 soils? The last one bore a fruitful increase of 30, 60, and a hundred fold.
We need to follow God’s Word and share God’s Word and it will cause the growth. Our Lord Jesus tells us, His children as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, “16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
Luke gives this description of our Lord’s words, “17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.’
Mark’s version has ‘hidden’ first followed by ‘secret’ – ‘For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.’
Everything that happens in our lives will be revealed even the thoughts that we think about. Take a look at these Scriptures;
Psalm 94: 11, “The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.”
Matthew 12:36, “36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.”
There is coming a day when God will judge the secrets of men through Christ. Then everyone will have everything we ever said or done out in the open. That is why it is important to bring things out in the light now as we read in the Gospel of John chapter 3, “18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Please notice how Luke describes our Lord’s conversation. “18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
Luke gives an interesting statement here as compared to what Mark wrote down. See if you notice?
Mark says, “For whoever has, to him more will be given, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Remember, we just previously were talking about the soils of hearts who did nor did not received the ‘Good News’ of Salvation. Even though they might seem to be in disagreement, they are both also accurate and cover the exact meaning that our Precious Holy Spirit gave us through His Holy Word.
The seeds which fell on hard soil, rocky soil, and soil covered up by thorns or weeds, all represented people who really never gave their heart to our Lord Jesus. Only the fourth soil was good for abundant growth.
The hard ground and the rocky ground seem to fit what Peter picked up – ‘Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.’ These seeds were taken away by the enemy because it fell on hardened hearts. The others fell on rocks which also couldn’t penetrate into a receptive soil.
Now some people have tried to come up with the soil under the thorn bush allowed the seed to grow down and take root but were chocked off by the cares and worries of the world. This they say represent ‘Cardinal’ Christians.
I believe this possible position is countered by what Luke says, ‘even what he seems to have, will be taken away.’ People who may think that they are Christian’s but in reality they are not. These people will lose out. I think this is why the apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians chapter 13, “5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.”
