Mark 4:21–25 (ESV)
21 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? 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.” 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.”
When I’m preaching and leading a worship service, one of my biggest fears is that I’ll have a hot or open mic. To say that a mic is “hot” or “open” means that the microphone is on and broadcasting everything a person is saying. So I’m constantly concerned that my mic might be on when I’m not leading, which would mean that the congregation can hear anything that I might say, including my struggles to sing some of our more challenging hymns!
A hot mic is a good comparison to what Jesus is saying regarding a lamp. The point Jesus is making about the lamp is that the things He is now speaking about to His disciples in secret will one day become plain for all to see as the kingdom of God brings light to the world.
N.T. Wright, in his commentary on Mark’s Gospel, notes that this is both a promise and a warning. The promise is that while things seem small now, it won’t be long before the message of God’s love and grace explodes out to all the world. The warning to the disciples is to listen up and know the message well. Let it sink deeply in your hearts now so you can proclaim it to everyone.
Then Jesus gives them that little cryptic remark in verses 24-25 that people have often misconstrued to mean “What you get out of your faith is dependent on what you put into it,” as if the depth of our faith and the grace of God is something that we receive based upon our efforts alone.
To be sure, we do need to do our part when it comes to pursuing our relationship with Jesus. Just like with any relationship in our lives, if we don’t pursue that relationship, there won’t be much depth of intimacy, friendship, or trust, which is why Paul encourages us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2.12).
Here, however, the point Jesus is making is a call to follow Him, to swim out into the deep waters and not stay at the shallow end of the pool. If we stay at the shallow end of the pool, then our relationship with the Lord will only be superficial, and sooner or later, we’ll grow bored and dull to the work of the Lord all around us.
I can’t tell you how many times someone has complained to me that their faith has become lifeless and boring. My best pastoral response is usually a question that challenges their perception, “Really? The Creator, Maker, Sustainer of all things is boring you?”
We then go on to talk about how they are pursuing their relationship with Jesus.
What Jesus wants for His disciples, for us, is life to the full. We need to grab hold of the life He promises us wholeheartedly and pursue our relationship with Jesus to the point that He is the center of our hearts and minds, and everything is filtered through our relationship with Him. It’s an upward spiral. The more we press on, the more we are given. There is also the warning from Jesus of the converse downward spiral if we start letting go, if that happens, then even what we have will slip through our fingers.
Jesus is always calling us away from the shallows to the deeper waters of faith and trust. Are you willing to swim out further, climb a bit higher, and take that next trusting step?
“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.” (Mark 4.25).
Good stuff. God bless you and know that you are prayed for this morning.
Scott