Mark 4:21-29 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Mark 4:21-29. Let’s go!
Mark 4:21-23 (NIV)
21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?
22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
On verses 21-23: Remember that Jesus is talking here with his disciples, to whom he has revealed the secrets of God’s kingdom (see v11). As a disciple of Jesus, you’ve been entrusted with the light of His truth not just for your benefit but for the benefit of others. God doesn’t give you this light so that would hide it (“put it under a bowl or a bed” – 21). He wants you to share it, disclose it, bring it out into the open (v22).
Sometimes because I fear looking a certain way or weirding someone out I opt not to share my faith with others. Just the other day, I was having a conversation with someone I’m just getting to know. He asked me what I did this past weekend. The first thing that came to mind was that we went to church and had an amazing time. But instead of saying that I fumbled around and shared something else that was “safer” and much more boring. And then I left kicking myself for being so stupidly fearful about sharing my faith. I asked God for another chance to share my faith with that person.
By not taking the opportunity to share my faith in even a natural, non-confrontational way, I prevented God from using me to bless and reach others. That’s why whenever I opt not to share my faith and when there’s an opportunity, I almost always regret it. But whenever I choose to share and be out loud with my faith, I never regret it. It’s because whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. May you and I not be afraid to share Jesus with others in wise, loving ways.
Mark 4:24 (NIV)
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you–and even more.
On verse 24: It matters to God what we do with the truth that we hear. Do we use the truth we hear to judge others? Be careful, for with the measure you use it will be measured to you and even more, Jesus says (v24). Always measure yourself before you measure someone else.
Mark 4:25 (NIV)
25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
On verse 25: You might ask, “What kind of God is this who gives to those who already have and takes away from those who don’t have?” Here is what Jesus is saying: when you cherish the spiritual truth that you have, applying it and sharing it with others in wise and loving ways, God will give you more. But if you don’t cherish the truth that God has given you, you don’t share it, and you act as if God has never revealed anything to you, then even what you have will be taken from you, because you didn’t do anything with it.
If I had to summarize verses 21-25 in one sentence, here it is: It matters what you do with the truth that God has given to you.
Mark 4:26-29 (NIV)
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
28 All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
On verses 26-29: Is the man scattering seed in this case God or someone else? It’s not entirely clear but you don’t need to know the answer to that question to get the point of this parable, which is this: There is something about the way the kingdom of God grows that is beyond our understanding and beyond anything that people do. Sometimes it might feel like you’re working so hard to serve God and people and yet you don’t see the fruit that you hope to see. And yet sometimes it might feel like you didn’t do anything special and yet people are coming to Christ, as if the kingdom of God is happening “all by itself” (v28) though you don’t know how (v27).
That’s why it’s called the kingdom of God. If there was a completely predictable 1 to 1 cause and effect relationship between how hard we work and how much we harvest (and when), then there would be no need to rely on God to do anything.
When it comes to serving God on the mission He has for us, what you do and how you do it matters so use what you have, be consistent and give it your all. But at the same time, remember that it doesn’t all depend on you. We want to trust God, rely on Him and believe that in His time and in His way God will bring the harvest.
Father, since it matters what I do with what I hear, I pray for wisdom and courage to be faithful with what You have given me. May I not be afraid but eager to share my faith with others. May I do so wisely and lovingly, knowing that You will always use it in Your time and way. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
