Parable of the Lamp

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

August 13, 2020

Parable of the Lamp

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.

Mark 4:23-24

Read: Mark 4: 21-25

Chapter 4 of Mark’s Gospel is four parables followed by Jesus calming a storm. At the end of the chapter, Jesus challenges the faith of his disciples, which is a way of emphasizing the phrase, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand”, a phrase Jesus used twice in chapter 4. (Verses 9 & 23.)

Jesus concludes today’s parable with a warning that if we do not seek to understand his parables, we are in danger of losing what we have. (v.25b) Jesus is emphasizing that his disciples are to go beyond the superficial meaning of the parables and grasp deeper truths about God and His coming Kingdom. Today’s parable about a lamp is very similar to Jesus’ statement in his Sermon on the Mount,

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus concluded his warning to not put your lamp under a basket with,

“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).

How can this statement of Jesus help us grasp deeper truths about God’s Kingdom?

My Takeaway: I hear a call to be proactive, everyday, in being a co-laborer with Jesus building for the Kingdom of God.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.