“21 He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isnt it to be put on a lampstand? 22 For nothing is concealed except to be revealed, and nothing hidden except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!”

24 Then He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured and added to you. 25 For to the one who has, it will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”
Mark 4:21-25
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And by using a rhetorical question with a very obvious answer, Jesus shows the disciples that this new message, this new life they are being given, is meant to be shared. Learning under a rabbi used to be an ‘exclusive’ thing. It was almost a status symbol. The rabbi had to approve of your petition to come sit under him and learn from Him, and it could have felt like a social divider that excluded others from knowing what you were learning. Like a tightly kept secret. You would also wait to begin to disseminate the knowledge you had gained to others once. You had become a rabbi yourself. Sure, you would have conversations with your rabbi and with other disciples, but you were not an ‘authority’ on your own quite yet.

But the message that Jesus was giving to His disciples was meant to be shared now, not later. His teachings have an urgency, and the time for revelation had begun. Jesus had been hidden long enough. Humanity had waited long enough. God’s perfect timing said that the hour had arrived, and the Kingdom was at hand. The lamp was lit. It was time to shine.

And the take away fro us today is obvious, too. What Jesus has given to us, His message, His love, His grace, purpose in ministry, service to others, etc. is all meant to be shared in the here and now, in these moments that we currently occupy. The light He has given us is meant to shine, there are no two ways about it. And so when He says, “If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen.” that is further proof that this is for everyone, not just a select group.

And so, He follows this up with another statement that equates to an idea of ‘Use it or lose it.’ As we GoLove people in Jesus’ Name, sharing the good news of the gospel, we must realize that there is no need to wait, no need to hold back. It is time for the truth to be revealed. Every good disciple is going to do what their master teaches immediately, in this moment. And in doing so, making use of the teachings, they will gain, they will grow in their understanding and in faith. But to those who shy away from sharing, who do not put into action what they say they believe, even what little they have in the way of faith will diminish. Like an unused muscle atrophies and wastes away, so these faithless followers will diminish and become irrelevant.

Light is meant to shine, and with the measure we use it, we will either grow in it or diminish. And if the desired outcome is obvious, so should the path be that leads to it.