Mark 4:21-25

Hebrews 10:19-25

Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Mark 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket

or under a bed,

and not to be placed on a lampstand?

For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;

nothing is secret except to come to light.

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”

He also told them, “Take care what you hear.

The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,

and still more will be given to you.

To the one who has, more will be given;

from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, visit me throughout the day so that I may accomplish your work. Inspire my words to give you praise and glory. Move my heart to be generous, kind, and merciful towards all.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Insiders and Outsiders: When the scribes and Pharisees turn on Jesus (Mark 3:6), and Jesus chooses the Twelve, he begins to speak in parables to those who are hostile to him and make a division between insiders – his disciples – and outsiders – those who reject him and plot against him. “Outsiders get parables with no clear point, while insiders receive the revelation of the mystery of the kingdom” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 133). The large crowd heard the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9), but not its explanation (Mark 4:10-20). In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues to teach his disciples – the insiders – with four cryptic sayings. These four sayings – grouped into two pairs, with the first pair using the image of light and pointing out how we use the light of a lamp and how what is hidden will come to light, and the second pair reflecting on how, by giving generously, we will receive more from God. These four somewhat cryptic sayings will be followed by two more “seed parables” about the Kingdom of God that we will read tomorrow. 

2. The Light of the World: In the first pair of cryptic sayings, Jesus invites his disciples to consider how they use lamps: When they light a lamp, do they put it under a basket, or do they bring it out and put it on top of a lampstand? The implication is that Jesus himself is the lamp or light of the world, who has come into the world to bring the light of the Gospel to humanity. Here, “Jesus wishes to prevent a mistaken interpretation of his earlier words about the mystery of the kingdom (Mark 4:11). Despite the obscurity of the parables and the difficulties people have in understanding his teaching, his purpose is not to hide the kingdom but to make it known” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 89). The mystery of the kingdom of God, present in Jesus and hidden among them for a time, will be made visible and fully revealed. On the one hand, the secrecy about the kingdom is only temporary. One day, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Apostles will be commanded to go out into the world to proclaim it openly. On the other hand, we can never fully grasp or comprehend the mystery of the Kingdom. It is a mystery that will always – in this life – invite us to go deeper. None of us is capable of fully comprehending the reign of God over all things and how God directs all things to their consummation at the end of history. Only in heaven, when we see God face to face, will all that is hidden be brought to light.

3. Divine Generosity: Amid the parables about the Kingdom of God, Jesus encourages his disciples to be generous with others. We need to realize that God has been so generous toward us and grants us the gift of mercy without reserve. In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God the Father to forgive the debt of our sins insofar as we forgive those who have sinned against us. God is generous with his mercy, but also with his grace that empowers us to do good works. Here, Jesus promises that to the one who has, more will be given. Just as an employer entrusts a good employee with more responsibility over time, God wisely bestows the abundance of his grace upon his faithful servants. The second pair of cryptic sayings, then, invites insiders, like Jesus’ disciples, to go deeper, for no one can ever exhaust the depths of Jesus Christ. If we strive to hear well and are persistent in seeking Jesus, we will be given even more. “[W]hoever responds to Jesus with openness and a desire to learn will be given even more insight; whoever does not will lose even the little understanding he has. God’s revelation is a gift, but it is a gift that must be freely accepted” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 90).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I hear your words and parables and earnestly desire to understand them and put them into practice. Sustain me with your grace as I work through trials and resist temptation.

Living the Word of God: How am I bringing the light of Christ to those around me? What kind of measure am I using? Am I generous with my time, talent, and treasure? Or am I selfish?