Lessons 66-68

LESSON 66 - Parable of the candle Mark 4:21-25

21And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel (basket), or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? 22For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. 23If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

There could be several levels of meaning in this passage. First, the candle might represent Jesus Himself. He brought the light, yet He was the Light. (John 1:6-10, 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.") He as Messiah was not hidden from the people, but was manifest (revealed) to them.

Secondly, the light might represent the written Word of God, which planted in the good soil of faith, brings light. Psalm 119:130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Thirdly, in thinking of what Jesus said in the previous verses about the 4 kinds of grounds/hearts, what might the candle represent?

The candle is the means to bring the light into a dark room. Light dispels darkness. The light shows the way to others. It can even reveal danger. Jesus Christ in you is the light of God and you are His candle. When you allow the living Word of God to shine in you, you become the means to bring the light of God to those around you. Jesus described John the Baptist as a burning and shining lamp (John 5:35).

The light of the Word of God in you is not to be hidden. It is intended to be seen... in what you do, what you say, and how you act, so that all can be helped by the light that shines in you. All three of these teachings are true, but which was Jesus' meaning in this passage?

To get a clearer understanding of what Jesus was teaching, let's look at the account in Matthew 5:14-16. Jesus gave some additional information there that was not included in Mark's account. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house ...

Jesus followed that statement with... 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus was encouraging His followers to let the seed of God's Word in them become light, individually as a candle and corporately as a city, (the body of Christ), so that, if others would properly receive it, the Word would produce the light of God in them. The light that you have in you, the Spirit of Christ Himself (1 Peter 1:11, Ephesians 3:16-17) Who produces good works, becomes that which enables others to see the Lord and glorify Him. Many people are spiritually in darkness. Your conduct, your attitudes, your conversation, your reactions, your demeanor, all speak to others, and show them the light in your life. Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life,...

Lord, as I hold fast to Your Word, shine through me by the works You have ordained me to do (Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them). I know that as I yield to You as Lord, as I obey Your Word, as I put You first in my life, Your Word will become the wisdom of God in me. I choose to let Your light shine in me and not to hide it. I want others to see Your light and be changed by it themselves. I will seek to please You and bring You glory by my loving obedience.

LESSON 67 - Mark 4:24-25

24And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

The Amplified Bible reads this way: Be careful what you are hearing (and therefore believing). The measure (by thought and study) you give (to the truth you hear) will be the measure (of power and knowledge) that comes back to you; and more (besides) will be given to you (who hear).

The Living Bible: 22"All that is now hidden will someday come to light. 23If you have ears, listen! 24And be sure to put into practice what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand what I tell you. 25To him who has shall be given; from him who has not shall be taken away even what he has.

This passage serves as an encouragement and a warning. It offers a promise and a challenge. "Take heed" means "give close attention to and obey." Jesus was telling the people to listen carefully with their spiritual ears as well as their physical ears, and to obey. The more they apply to their lives what He taught, the more they would receive and understand. It is similar to serving a meal. You don't give someone a second helping, until he has finished the first one. Spiritual truth is built upon the foundational principles that the Lord established in His Word. As we believe and apply the basics, like the parable of the 4 kinds of hearts (soils), we will be given more understanding and "light." This verse guarantees that result. As we let God and His Word shine in us, we will receive more wonderful truths.

The warning in verse 25 tells us that those who don't pay attention and don't obey the Word of God will lose what they have received. This connects with vs 10-12. Jesus spoke in parables to all, but only the disciples asked their meaning (v 10). Their spiritual eyes were trying to see and their spiritual ears were trying to hear. He honored that desire. He gave them the explanation they sought.

Principle: If you don't understand a certain passage or verse, ask the Holy Spirit, your Teacher, to reveal its meaning to you, as Jesus' disciples did in Mark 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

Principle: God will never be disappointed in you, but He knows what wonderful things He has for you and wants you to have every one of them. He doesn't want you to miss anything that He has for you. Seek all that God has for you by heeding what He says.

LESSON 68 - Mark 4:26-29

26And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27"and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28"For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29"But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

When God rules in the life of a person, His planted seed of the Word results in a natural, day by day development that eventually brings a harvest to Him. His rulership in that person's life cannot be hidden. It will produce growth and substance, valued by the Owner of the field/heart. Others at different times may help in the planting or nurturing of the Word in that heart but God directs it all. 1 Cor 3:6-7 I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.

In proportion to how you allowed the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to work in you to produce the finest of harvest for God, you will receive wonderful rewards from Him. As you will have brought glory to Him by your life, He will give glory to you as an expression of His pleasure, and as a reward for the faithful service you will have given to Him. 2Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do not mix rewards for service with salvation.

Salvation is a free gift, no work involved (Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.). Rewards are earned, given for service rendered in Jesus' name. Salvation is a present possession; rewards are a future attainment to be received from the Lord Himself. 2Tim. 4:8 the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

This passage in Mark 4 also alludes to the culmination of the work of the Word of God. When the Holy Spirit has completed His work here and when the Word of God has produced all of the growth possible in lives, all will then be ready for the harvest, the ridding of the unrighteous from the earth and the gathering of the righteous to live forever with the Lord. (Matt 13:37-43) We will study this in more depth in a later lesson.

Mark 4:30-34 Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31"It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32"but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

33And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

The kingdom of God is where God rules as King. God first rules in the individual heart, which when joined together with others who have made Jesus Lord of their lives, will grow into a great kingdom, so large it will cover the earth in the 1000 year reign of Christ. It will be called the kingdom age. If we look at the growth of the kingdom beginning with the 12 apostles or even the 120 at Pentecost (Acts 2), almost 50 days after Jesus' resurrection, until today, we see how Christianity has spread. It had a small beginning, and only God could have made it encompass as many as it does today.