Sermon Notes: Mark 4:21-25
Jim Lanier
Mark 4:21-25 “Nothing is Hidden except to be Made Manifest”
Good morning, Church, for those visiting, I’m Jim Lanier, one of TRC’s Elders. We have a strong group of men, capable of dividing the word of God appropriately, so I don’t get many opportunities to preach but Mitch texted me a few weeks ago to see if I would preach today from, Mark 4:21-25. I turned to the text and quickly responded, “Diane’s not here at the moment, but unless she informs me of a conflict, I will take up the enigma.
Only 5 verses, shouldn’t take long.” Mitch was confused with my answer which led to a txt stream about what enigma and are you preaching or not. Jon finally chimed in and said something about being entertained by our txt repartee. We do have fun and I confess I keep them guessing sometimes.
Enigma, a person or thing that is mysterious, difficult to fully understand, puzzling to precisely get your head around. The surface may seem simple but when you scratch the surface something more complicated may be revealed.
Let me pray for us, Lord, we sit here in your presence today seeking life transforming clarity and truth from your word given through Mark’s gospel. Lord, I desperately ask for your protection over your people and forgiveness for me if I have blundered in my understanding. So Holy Spirit I ask you to be strong today in your impartation of truth and revelation of the Lord, Jesus Christ. May all your people say Amen, amen, amen.
Ok, in a minute we will all stand and read together, but first I want to read the five verses to you. So often a passage is so familiar to us that the words seem to bounce off rather than soak in. As you listen, let the words soak in.
Mark 4:21-25:
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.”
Let’s begin by looking at context. And I’m going to back way out. Somebody shoutout what we call the grand narrative, the story of everything. Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. Creation God created everything from nothing and it was very, very Good. The Fall, original sin, I know what God said, but it just doesn’t seem right for me. I think I’ll decide for myself. Adam and eve recognized their nakedness and hid from God, exposed, vulnerable, shameful, banished from the garden. Redemption, God has a plan, and ultimately that plan will lead to total Restoration. So where in this story of everything do we find ourselves today? What is our context and what is the context of Mark 4, indeed all of Mark? Redemption. And now the question that every student in every 3rd grade Baptist Sunday school class knows the answer to…who is the most important character in the story of Redemption? JESUS! Indeed, the first verse of Mark, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
Today’s passage is about hearing, specifically about hearing and absorbing the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Bible says a lot about hearing. I haven’t made a count but I believe Isaiah is the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament.
In Luke 4, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And then he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Proclamations are made… to be heard. Jesus proclaimed…good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those oppressed. The hometown folks marveled at the word’s Joseph’s boy spoke. But Jesus who was becoming quite the trouble maker began to speak about God’s plan for the outsiders, not just the Jewish insiders, and filled with wrath, filled with wrath, they tried to throw him off a cliff. No prophet is acceptable in his hometown. Not all “good news” is rightly heard and readily accepted.
Another example from Isaiah 6, part of which Jesus quoted and Jon mentioned last week from earlier in Mark 4, The call of Isaiah, and his response, “here I am, send me.” But right away, God says I will make your efforts futile.
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste…
This may seem a bit puzzling in itself. Still part of the redemptive story, but different context. Over several hundred years, God has pleaded with the Israelites to give up their idolatrous practices. They will not hear, they will not see, they will not understand with their hearts and they will not be healed. Because repeated attempts urging repentance have failed, punishment cannot be avoided. And the punishment although devastating will ultimately be redemptive.
So now let’s time travel several hundred years and see what Jesus has to say for us this morning as reported roughly 2000 years ago by Mark in the 4th chapter of what he has called the beginning of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Now let’s stand and hear together as we read verses 21-25.
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.” These are the words of God, written for us the people of God, thanks be to God.
Quiz time, let’s test how well you have heard. Not today, but three weeks ago, clue, graduate Sunday. What Old Testament verse did Mitch teach from? Proverbs 25:2, It is the Glory of God to conceal things, but the Glory of Kings to search things out. Chapter 4 is a collection of parables meant to teach about the Kingdom of God. He concludes the first parable, the parable of the Sower by saying “He who has ears let him hear.”
When the crowds disperse and Jesus is left with the disciples and other close followers, they ask him why parables, Jesus responds, “To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is parables so that” and quoting Isaiah, “They may indeed see but not perceive, they may indeed hear but not understand, lest they turn and be forgiven.”
Insiders and outsiders. And he continues his teaching with another parable, the parable of the Lamp, he begins with three rhetorical questions: “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?
Obvious answers, No, No, and Yes. Obvious answers which should cause us to ask,… to search a thing out, what’s he really talking about. “For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.”
First observation, something is hidden, but it will be revealed. It will be revealed to those “with ears to hear.”
Another observation. The words “ears” and “hear” are found together 68 times in the ESV, and 8 times we see the precise phrase “ears to hear,” twice in Mark 4.
The next thing we see is an instruction, maybe a command. Pay attention to what you hear…” why? Because with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.
And lastly, we observe Jesus’ teaching of Kingdom economy. 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.
Here in chapter 4, Jesus teaches 2 more parables about the Kingdom of God. Unlike the parable of the sower, Jesus will not give clear explanations. He will not say exactly how the Kingdom of God is relates to the parable and Mark concludes the section saying, “3 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. To the insiders, his disciples, the hidden things will be revealed.
These words and phrases have been with us for a couple of thousand years. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And we are familiar with the metaphor of the lamp from Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus called his disciples the light of the world and instructed them not to hide their Lamp under a basket but let you light shine before others giving glory to God. But what is different about the 5 verses we have today?
Let’s go back to our observations. Jesus begins with the idea and purpose of a Lamp. A lamp is to be displayed in a manner that all its light shines on is illuminated. Darkness cannot resist the light. Light reveals hidden realities, hidden truth. For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest nor is anything secret except to come to Light.
So, we have to ask ourselves what are the hidden truths. What is Jesus referring to that must come to light? Commentaries I’ve read suggest that all our hidden sins will eventually be revealed. All our failed attempts of obedience, all our selfish thoughts and actions. Like Isaiah’s hearers, all our idolatries, every time we searched for fulfillment in things that could not satisfy instead of relishing the blessings and boundaries of the Kingdom. Every failure will be revealed and must be dealt with.
…I believe our failures, our sins will be revealed, but I don’t think that is what Mark’s Jesus is telling us.
Jesus barely mentions sin in Mark’s gospel. The unforgiveable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is recorded in chapter 3, and he urges us to cut off and tear out the things in our lives that would cause us to sin in chapter 9. If Jesus is referring to our hidden sins here, I think he would go into some detail but he does not. So, what seems to be hidden, what secret is methodically being revealed throughout Mark? From the very beginning, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the fullness of the gospel.
As I scratched the surface of this text, I ran across a very interesting commentary on Mark’s gospel by William L. Lane. He as well refers to the lamp as an enigma. He gives insight in what appears to be mistranslation of 2 Greek words in the first verse. Hang with me now. The Greek word translated into English as the indirect article “a” as in “a lamp” is in the Greek a direct article “the” the lamp, the specific lamp. And the word translated brought actually means come., to appear, make one’s appearance, come before the public. The more literal translation of the words Jesus said is,” does the lamp come in…” to be concealed. Lane goes on to say that Mark’s placement of this parable of the lamp after the parable of the Sower, suggests that, “he has in view the secret of the Kingdom of God which is present in the person of Jesus, whose mission remains for many a veiled enigma,” I thought there was an enigma there.
John 1 adds confirmation, “9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. We who were once outsiders have been brought inside the family of God.
Our passage today goes on to give insight into how we “receive him.” It’s called the parable of the measures verses 24-25. 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.”
Just as he did in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus is making proclamations about his identity, his mission, and the Kingdom of God, throughout Mark’s account. The type of hearing he is referring to is much more than a physical act. It involves willing submission to discern through spiritual perception and appropriation of the word which Jesus and Mark are proclaiming.
The measure we hear with depends on the type of soil we are. The type of soil which will receive the seeds of the word. Is our soil too hard and too shallow to accept the seed or is our soil over run with briars and kudzu, the cares of the world. We are constantly bombarded by arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the word of God. We have to take every thought captive to obey Christ. We must recognize what is true and what Is not. And when the word of truth about Jesus Christ takes root and begins to bear the smallest fruit of faith in our hearts, God himself will add to that fruit. It will grow and spread and become more delicious day by day as it continues to be cultivated and fertilized by exposure to the word.
God will cause faith and an understanding the size of a mustard seed to grow into faith the size of a mountain.
But if our heart is hardened, the truth that may have initially found a place will be taken away. Zechariah 7:11-12, they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, great anger came from the LORD of hosts.
The measure with which we hear will determine if we are inside or outside the Kingdom of God. Pay attention to how you hear.
We could wind things up about here, but acknowledging the Glory of God to conceal things and the glory of Kings to search things out, we still have some searching to do about the Lamp and Mark’s gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and his mission. Jesus has healed a man with an unclean spirit, healed many of other diseases, cleansed a leper, healed a paralytic, taught with authority and at the end of chapter 4, he will rebuke the wind and the sea causing great fear in his disciples, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
We have seen that he proceeds with immediacy in his journey toward a very deliberate destination. As we travel along with him, we witness more healings, the feeding of the five thousand, his walking on water, and the healing of a deaf man. And along the way three times Jesus tells his witnesses don’t tell anybody about it. Mark 9:9, “And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”
It seems Jesus wants his lamp to remain under a basket and what we have seen are the glimmers of light leaking through pinholes, gaps in the basket. So, when will the basket be lifted, when will the Lamp be put on a stand as it’s ultimate proper position?
Spoiler alert! Up ahead in the heart of Mark’s gospel Jesus gives three proclamations, three very powerful revelations about himself. Such astounding revelations that the disciples cannot comprehend them. A revelation is something revealed. Along with paying attention to how we hear, Jesus just as well could have said pay attention to what you see.
If I have confused you maybe the story from John 9 will help. It’s another contrast between outsiders and insiders. As Jesus and the disciples were walking along, they passed a beggar, blind from birth. An interesting discussion ensues leading to Jesus stating, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” He spits on the ground, makes a little mud pie poultice, rubs it on the man’s eyes, told him to go wash it off in the pool of Siloam. So, he went and washed and came back seeing, but Jesus had apparently moved on. As you might expect, upon finding this man healed the town folk inquired what had happened. Who, what, when, where, how? He satisfied all their inquiries except who had done it.
It’s like, “I don’t know who he was, remember I was blind.” The Pharisees get involved and they suspected that this was the work of that troublemaker Jesus, and they couldn’t let that get out, so they threatened the man and his family and put him out of the synagogue so no one would hear any more about it. But Jesus heard he had been cast out and found him, asking “Do You believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” The one cast out has been brought inside and those who think they are inside are cast out.
Physical blindness gives way to Spiritual sight and true healing, as if the basket over the Lamp is lifted away and what was hidden is being made manifest.
I have given this example from John for you to perceive clearly what takes place around Jesus’ three proclamations in Mark. On each side there is a story of blindness healed as if the basket being lifted; one at Bethsaida and Blind Bartimaeus just outside Jericho. Could it be that Mark is prodding us to focus on, to pay attention how we see what Jesus says about his hidden mission? Find out by reading 8:31, 9:31 and 10:33. For clarity read 10:45, “For even the son of Man came not to be served but to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The Lamp doesn’t come to be hidden but to be made manifest. The gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God; by his stripes we are healed.
Jesus Christ the Son of God, Our Redeemer.
So, a bit of application.
Today Jesus asks each of us the same questions he asked the disciples in 8:27 and 8:29, “Who do people say that I am?” And then, “Who do you say that I am?” It’s almost like God has concealed a thing, that the disciples and we must search out. We have all the answers in one book. Devote time in it. Read it once and then again and again. Believe it. Learn to connect the dots as I’ve tried to do today. Discuss it with a Paul who can teach you. Teach what you learn to a Timothy that he may teach others. And walk with a Barnabus that you both will be encouraged along the way. Form a relationship with the Holy Spirit who Jesus said would guide you into all truth taking what is Jesus’ and declaring it to you. And if you lack wisdom, ask God and it will be given to you more and more, but ask in Faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
One final warning, do not harden your hearts as the Jews in Rome did when Paul preached to them under house arrest:
“The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
27 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
One final enigma to solve, when will I be done? Right now. Let me pray and we can worship appropriately.
Our Father in heaven and indeed here with us as we gather. Holy is your name. May your Kingdom and your will be established here on earth as it is in Heaven. Provide for us what we need today. Continue to show us mercy as we strive to be merciful to others. Strengthen us and turn us back if we are tempted to wander. For yours is the Power, the Glory and the Kingdom forever. Amen