My favorite thing about going to the doctor as a child was partaking of their subscription of Highlights Magazine. It was filled with puzzles and jokes and all things entertaining to a budding nerd like myself. One of my favorite games to play was Spot the Difference.
Let’s play that game. Can you spot the difference in these three verses?
Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? Mk 4:21.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Mt 5:15.
No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Lk 8:16.
This might prove more difficult than a Highlights puzzle. Look closely at Matthew 5:15 and Luke 8:16. Notice that in both Matthew and Luke the lamp is in the objective case. And the point, especially in Matthew, seems to be something like, “You’re the light of the world, don’t be quiet about Jesus.”
But Mark is doing something different. In Mark the lamp is the subject of the sentence. It’s about the lamp, not the one lighting the lamp. What he’s doing here is balancing what he said in 4:10-12. Contrary to what it might seem through his speaking in parables, Jesus hasn’t come to be put under a basket. He is there to be found.
A Treasure Hunt
Why is Mark speaking this way? It’s because for the time being—and this theme carries on throughout Mark—the identity of Jesus is largely hidden. It seems as if Jesus is hiding under a basket. But it’s important for Mark’s readers to understand that Jesus is not actually hidden. He’s there if we have eyes to see.
Think of it like a treasure hunt.
My wife and I like to watch The Curse of Oak Island. Well, we used to avidly watch it. Now we catch a few episodes here and there. The Curse of Oak Island is all about this fabled treasure that was hidden off the coast of Nova Scotia. And for 10+ seasons a couple brothers and their friends have been digging expensive holes, metal detecting, sniffing wood, and unearthing history.
After a decade of watching, we’re less enthused. I’m not exactly convinced that there is anything there anymore. But the Lagina brothers and company must still believe there is a treasure there—or at least they’ve found that the search in itself is a cash cow.
That’s the nature of treasure hunts. If you truly believe something is there then you’ll spare no expense to unearth it. But if you’re standing on the sidelines you must not believe the treasure is worth the hunt.
This is what Jesus is saying about parables. All of the talk in this section about soil and lamps and seeds is about how you respond to the message of Jesus. It is a reflection of your heart. If the message of Jesus means little to you—whether you’re hard-hearted, fickle, or distracted makes no difference—then you won’t jump into the treasure hunt.
You Get What You Put Into It
Mark’s point, then, is that the light of Christ is shining. He hasn’t put it under a basket. But it’s also the type of light that we need eyes to see. This is why Jesus says, “Pay attention to what you hear”. He is telling us to heed the Word.
If you discovered an old diary that was rumored to hold the secrets to the location of this vast treasure, you’d scour every word for clues. Unless, that is, you thought the treasure hunt was a wild goose chase. The same is true of the Word of God. We’ll take heed to the Word if we believe it applies to us, if we believe that herein is found treasure.
That is what this text is saying. If you hear with intent then you are going to get something out of it. Not that you’ll put meaning into a text that isn’t there. Nor that there is some secretly deposited message in an archaic code. It’s plain as day, if you but look.
If you find the message of the kingdom to be dull then it’s going to be dull. If you listen with the intention of trying to find fault then you’ll find fault. With the measure you use it will be measured to you. And so pay attention to what you hear.
The light shines. This gives us hope.
—
Photo source: here
