Mark 4:21-23 It Should Come to Light

Once again Jesus asks us to really listen; "let him hear". This is important! In this little parable, hardly even a story, Jesus is asking the big question: "Are you going to live for me or for yourself." And to live for Him is to live transparently.

At first glance verses 21 and 22 seem almost unrelated. In verse 21 He is talking about lamps, which must be prominent. But in verse 22 the subject is secrets which should be hidden. What is the link?

My logical, analytical side likes everything clear and easy to understand, but the Asian mindset is quite different. Things only need to be tangentially related. so maybe there is a poetic, or an "opposites attract" reason for this paradox. Or maybe the incongruities are to grab our attention.

In verse 21, He asks a rhetorical question. Is a lamp to be hidden or displayed. The obvious answer: "To be set on a lampstand". What is the good of a hidden light? It is wasteful and illogical.

Maybe he is talking about the word here. The gospel of the kingdom. It is meant to be shown to all the world, meant to be really listened to.

Verse 23 begins with "For" meaning therefore, and, as or but. These verses are linked! Any "light" we try to hide will be exposed. It is almost as if he is saying "In your stupid, proud humanity, you may think you can keep some important things hidden, but they aren't going to stay that way.

Or maybe He is saying we aren't even aware of some essentials, they are hidden from us.

It could be our true characters that are hidden away from us, and the world. In the preceding parable of the sower, the soils superficially may have looked the same, but the harvest will show their real nature.

Jesus is talking to the disciples here . The 'stony soil' character of Peter and the 'thorns" of Judas' character were both brought to light during the crucifixion. Peter realised , maybe for the first time just how stubborn he was... and, by the grace of God, he changed! So we don't have to stay in the same place. Our character is revealed so we can change it. The soil can be tilled, the rocky subsoil broken up and the weeds turned in.

By contrast, when Judas learnt of the "deceitfulness of riches". He chose not to do the hard work of destroying the weeds. He would not change his ways and reaped the cruel reward.

God's character through Jesus was also revealed at the cross. A character of total self-denial and love for us.

Maybe we try to hide our Christianity too, we harbour the gospel but don't share it. Even then it will still shine through the cracks in our lives. The gospel will 'out' despite us.

What about our favourite "hidden" sins? Or those grudges we try to hide from our acquaintances? In fact anything that we use to make up the sham of the human life that is less than totally open to God's word? These will 'out' as well. Very scary thought!

Is it really possible to live transparently? This is a big ask. But the next couple of parables show how growth towards this goal is possible in the "kingdom of God".

Mark 3:7-12 Don't Preach!

The Pharisees have begun their plotting against Him, so Jesus withdraws to the sea. But it wasn't a quiet withdrawal because a "great multitude" is mentioned in both verses 7 and 8. People come from all the surrounding areas. His popularity is increasing.

But why do they come? Because of the "many things He was doing". They come not to hear the preaching or even the teaching but to see miracles!

How often do I want God to "do something" when He offers far greater?

Jesus fears the crowds would crush Him. I get the feeling that He is uncomfortable with this popularity. Sure He meets their needs for healing and getting rid of the unclean spirits, but He sternly warns the spirits "not to make Him known". He has enough popularity and pressure.

Once again the unclean spirits know who he is and bow down to Him. They have fought against Him in heaven because they wouldn't worship Him. Now they bow and admit He is indeed God.

But Christ has no need of spirit preachers and commands them to stop.

I have to have more than just a knowledge of Jesus before I can "make Him known". And Mark in the next section tells what this qualification is.

Mark 1 The Real Jesus

In the "Christian Growth" section of the newly opened Argenton branch of Koorong, I found this great book Jesus Mean and Wild. Mark Galli bases his book on Mark's Gospel so I grabbed a copy.

He suggests that Jesus, contrary to the prevailing view, is not gentle, meek and mild all the time. Galli spends his first three chapters in Mark 1 showing us the love of an "untamable God".

Chapter One, entitled "Difficult Love", comes from
Mark 1:11-13. He brings out that straight after being filled with the Spirit and affirmed by His Father Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness for testing. He sums it up by saying "God loves you and has a difficult plan for your life". Those God loves the most are the ones He tests to their limits and refuses to pamper. Why?...Galli posits that suffering renews our spiritual vitality and strengthens our character, but maybe more importantly, it also prepares us for ministry. He says that God may appear cruel but really He is fashioning us, like he did with Christ in the desert, to go out into the wilderness of this world with the gospel. Just as his Beloved Son did.

Chapter Two, entitled "A Hopeful Repentance" is based on
Mark 1:14-15 where Jesus connects the gospel with repentance (ie. to start living and acting differently). Galli says that the shame and guilt of looking honestly at our lives and realising that we are miserable sinners drives us to Christ and repentance This repentance has hope because God is gracious and will not only heal but will also change our actions. As Galli quotes from Frederica Mathewes-Green:

"Jesus didn't come to save us just from the penalty for our sins; he came to save us from our sins - now today, if we will only respond to the challenge and let him.... The Lord does not love us for our good parts and pass over the rest. He died for the bad parts and will not rest until they are put right. We must stop thinking of God as infinitely indulgent. We must begin to grapple with the scary and exhilarating truth that he is infinitely holy, and that he wants the same for us."

Chapter Three, "Holy War", about
Mark 1:23-26 where the demon rightly assumes that the Holy one of God is here to destroy evil.. Even though he fears for his life, the possessed man is attracted to Jesus. He realises that Jesus loves him. Galli says

"The one who loves us is the Holy One who wishes to make all unclean things holy. That means the one whom we cannot stay away from is the same one who is out to destroy those very habits, sins, notions, addictions, and self-justifications that we think we can't live without. And there are times when we feel as if Jesus is out to destroy us.
It is a wonderful and a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the real Jesus."

The real Jesus!