Children are made to be seen and not heard. Such was the admonition of some of our ancestors. What was the idea that was conveyed? It was that children were to be displayed but had no significant contribution to mature conversation. After all, what did they know about life? What wisdom did they have to share? What could children know?
In the life of the disciple it is not enough to hear the word of God. There must be application. We must use what we have been given. We have spent the last couple of weeks considering the parable of the four types of soil. We have learned that for our lives to be considered the “good soil”, of the fruit bearing kind, it is essential that first of all we receive the seed of the gospel, the beginning of God’s word and its truth is manifested in our lives. The sower came to sow. God has come into our lives giving us opportunity to share in the fruit bearing process. The next few verses tell us what to do with what we heard in the Good Ground, Good Growth passage of Mark 4:1-20. This passage is the “so what” message of the previous passage. How should the child of God, the disciple of Christ, and the citizen of the Kingdom of God respond rightly to the word of God?
Let’s read and consider this passage together. Hear the word of the Lord.
And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” (Mark 4:21-25)
The Word of God is to be visible and audible in the life of the disciple.
I. A LAMP IS NOT LIT TO BE HIDDEN. (21)
We can safely assume from this passage that a lamp is brought out to be lit. Even though a careful reading does not tell us that the lamp is lit, I think without this assumption the illustration loses its effect. I don’t think it was a normative cultural experience to have lamps on display that were not to be used. Today we can see decorative lamps on display in houses or model homes that are not even plugged in. They are there for looks. But in the day that Jesus was sharing this with His hearers the lamp had a functional purpose.
Just as a seed is sown for the purpose of growing, a lamp’s purpose is to give light. Lamps of the first century were filled with oil with a wick that was to be lit. Often the lamp would burn all night, giving light to dark places. Everyone would know where the lamps were kept and what they were for. They were not made to be hidden away.
A lamp that is hidden or covered is useless in a dark place. Imagine something that would not happen. First century children ask their mother or father why it is so dark in the home. The parents give the answer that they had chosen not to light the lamps. Perhaps they would need it when it was darker than the present darkness. This would be something that would not happen in first century homes. So why does a similar thing happen in ours? Why don’t we consider the Word and the work of God in our home lives, actively reading and studying and applying the Word of God in our homes so our children will have light in this dark world? It is almost like we are conserving the power of God to illuminate the darkness when the dark gets darker. Listen friends, the dark is darker today and getting darker. It is time to light the lamp and do not hide it.
The lamp is given to give light to all so hidden things are revealed. The song comes to mind that says “Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet and a Light Unto My Path”. This is a summary of the teaching of the Word of God. God’s word is illuminating for our journey through life. It helps me to see what may trip me up or cause me to stumble. It keeps me on the path of life and not wandering onto some broader way of destruction. A lamp is not brought out to be hidden.
II. A LAMP IS LIT TO BE PLACED ON A STAND. (21-22)
We cannot hide the Kingdom light, even when it casts its light on our personal dark places. The Bible teaches that Jesus came to be the Light of the world. He told His disciples of that day and our day that we are the light of the world. We have His light within if we are born into His Kingdom and indwelled by the Spirit of God. Sometimes that light illuminates our dark places we would rather keep darkened.
Sometimes we desire to stay in the dark. A pastor I know went to visit a man who had attended the church worship service sporadically. It was late in the day and they stood in the yard having a conversation until the sun went down. The man asked the pastor if he would like to come in and the pastor said yes. The man led the pastor into a room and never turned on the light. They continued to have a conversation for another hour or so until they could barely make out each other’s form in the darkness. A few months later the man began to attend church regularly and it seemed as though something had changed within him. He asked the pastor one day if he remembered that home visit and how he didn’t turn on the light. The pastor said he remembered that day. The man related that the reason he did not turn the light on was that he was afraid the pastor would read the Bible to him. He said that he wished he had turned on the light. Amazingly, we can know the illuminating power of the word of God and choose to remain in darkness anyway. God’s word says that man loves the darkness more than light because his deeds are evil. The word of God casts light in our personal dark places because God is personal.
It is our responsibility to remain in the place we are placed to illuminate the room we occupy. In our trials that seemingly would break us we are sustained by God to endure as His witnesses. As children of God, we are often on display much like a lamp on a stand. In the face of intense suffering we are often pointed out as people wonder how we are bearing up under the weight of such sorrow and pain. We are often tempted to run away and seclude ourselves in our suffering. But often it is God’s way for us to be placed in a hard place and allow His light to shine through the cracks in our lives so that He is seen shining through and the power of the word of God is realized by others. Stay where you are and do not isolate yourself in your suffering. God knows your condition. He wants to work in your suffering for redemptive purposes. Our room is where we live out our lives. Our “room” as a disciple is larger than the church building, larger than our house, larger than our workaday world, larger than our schoolrooms. Our room that needs illumination is the entire world. Our room is our life at large. The light is too big to keep under a bucket, too big to hoard in our hearts. Light is given to share with all who are in the room.
III. THE PRESENCE OF LIGHT IN OUR LIVES OBLIGATES US TO SHARE IT WITH OTHERS. (23-25)
The word of God teaches us how to live in the light of God’s kingdom. It is not enough for the people of God to know the word of God, although this is where it starts. How will we know how to live if we don’t know how God says for us to live? But to know in more than just an intellectual way we must experiential know the word of God experientially. We must put this knowledge to work. To apply God’s word to our lives, we have to believe it and trust that the application of God’s principles for living has great value for abundant living.
More light than heat is the goal of our growth. Often our attitude in sharing the word of God is one of a blow torch or a heat lamp or a finely tuned laser light that can cut without concern. We want to tell those who live in the darkness that they are to be condemned without telling them to come to God and be healed. The obligation to share the light of God’s word should be instructive, not destructive. We should care about those who are lost in darkness.
The more we listen to God’s word the more it shapes how we think in our world. A biblical worldview is one that taps into God’s way of thinking. Knowing God’s way of thinking comes by studying what God has said which comes from the very mind of God. Faith comes by hearing. What are you putting into your mind lately? What is it that you listen to? One way to hear God’s word in a fresh new way is to read it aloud or hear it read aloud. The more we listen to what the world is speaking the more fear it will produce. This is the world’s message. Be afraid, be very afraid. The word of God says: Fear not, I am with you.
The more we hear and obey, the more we are given. We begin our journey of faith with God by acting upon His revelation. We can only know God when He reveals Himself. And then we act upon that revelation. We hear. We obey. Faith grows. And God reveals more so we can obey more so we can trust more so our faith grows more.
The Kingdom of God is like a lamp that has been lit. The lamp has been lit by the king. And the king is all about light. His light has overcome the darkness and it is spreading. When dark is the darkest, light has more power. The King is able to keep this lamp burning. He can sustain it and He knows where He wants to shine it. The darkness will not overcome. This world will one day be lit up all the time and there will be no darkness at all. We will see the King and His light clearly because sin’s shadows will be gone. There will be no more darkness. God is able to keep the lamp burning. Are we able to keep it from being hidden? Are we doing our part to let it shine and remain in the place we are placed?
The Kingdom of God is like a word that has been heard. God has spoken through the ages. He has told us how to live. We are to practice what we learn from His word so we will know how to live as citizens of His kingdom. Are we applying God’s enlightened teaching to the darkness within us and around us? The King is able to grow the word that has been heard. He is able to sustain His decrees to fruition. God is able to bear the fruit within us that He has sown. Are we able to keep from telling it?
Here’s the “so what” question:
DOES THE WORLD SEE THE WORD SHINING AROUND US AND HEAR THE WORD COMING FROM WITHIN US?
How would the ones who know us best answer that question? It’s easier to pretend around those who know us the least. Are we real in our testimony of the word of God and its application?
Do the citizens of this world as well as the citizens of God’s kingdom see God’s light and hear God’s word when we are around? Do they see lights and hear things?
Children of God AND citizens of His kingdom are made to be seen AND heard.
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