With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given

 

 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  

 

Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

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

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 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."  

 

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

 

- Mark 4:21–34 

 

Yesterday we read that once again Jesus began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat on it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"  And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it become unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

 

  Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."   Jesus speaks of believers as "light" in the Sermon on the Mount, and uses these words here regarding the lampstand (see Matthew 5:14-16).  Here in this context He speaks again of the revelation of mysteries, contained in the parables He gives to the people, for those who have ears to hear.

Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  My study Bible says that this is a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  We must not only hear, but hear properly.  It says that more will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, and they will grow in understanding.  My study Bible quotes St. Mark the Ascetic, "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."   Again, words Jesus uses here are also found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel, and also in Luke's Gospel, each in a different context (see Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38).  No doubt this spiritual truth, applicable to many circumstances, was repeated by Christ many times.

 

 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  My study Bible tells us that this parable occurs only in the Gospel of St. Mark.  The kingdom, it explains, is a reference to the whole span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, and the seed is the gospel (see Christ's explanation of the parable of the Sower in yesterday's reading, above).  The man's sleep, in this understanding, indicates the death of Christ, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows shows that Jesus does not manipulate people's response to the gospel; rather, each is free to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest indicates the Second Coming, when everyone will be judged on their reception of the gospel.

 

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 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."   In St. Matthew's Gospel, this parable is paired with the parable of the leaven (see Matthew 13:31-33).  Both illustrate the explosive and expansive growth of the Kingdom.  According to Theophylact (noted in my study Bible) this represents the disciples, who began as a few, but "soon encompassed the whole world."  These also stand for faith entering a person's soul, causing an inward growth of virtue.  Thus the soul can become godlike and even receive angels (the birds of the air may nest under its shade). 

 

 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.  My study Bible comments that, to unbelievers, the parables remain bewildering.  to those with simple faith, it notes, these stories using common images reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able.

My study Bible explains that the Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb."   In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the disciples, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables . . .."  So, my study Bible comments, this can also be translated as ". . . all things come in riddles."  So, as we read these various parables given to us here, and taught to the crowds by Jesus, let us note first of all that He explains them privately to His disciples later.  That is, for those with what we might call receptive ears, so to speak, Jesus continues to elaborate the meanings of the "riddles" hidden in these parables.  Such it is that we may also assume we will find meanings in the parables, and that, through faith, they may continue to render meanings applicable to our lives even at various times in our lives.  We can see through patristic commentary and even the short notes in my study Bible, various understandings are possible, as the teachings of Jesus apply to so much and so many circumstances -- whether that be the apostles sent out as "seeds" or even the Church itself as a grain of mustard seed that grows with expansive growth.  Even as individuals, we also may experience the same growth that works in us and produces expressions in our lives at various times, even so that we also may harbor angels and their work and guidance to us (as they ministered to Jesus in the wilderness during His time of temptation; see Mark 1:13).  So when we read these parables, let us do so with open hearts and open ears.  We should not be surprised if, through faith, glimmers of meanings come to us as we experience various aspects of our faith throughout our lives.  Jesus promises that "there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light."  St. John's Gospel in particular emphasizes that Christ is light (the Creed says "Light of Light, true God of true God"); see John 1:1-9; 8:12.  So, therefore, what we find in this image of the lamp that cannot be hidden is also the nature of this light:  that it must spread and be shown, similar to the amazing nature of the growth that comes out of the mustard seed, and also the truths of God revealed to those who may receive them.  These are mysteries to us as they remain hidden as we cannot grasp them; but note that Jesus gave the word as they were able to hear it.   This light that cannot be hidden, these things that will be revealed, secret things that should come to light, all express the expansive, generous nature of God, what we might even call an explosive grace that is characterized more than anything else by a love that continually reaches toward us to share in that Kingdom, and desires for us to know as we are known, as St. Paul puts it (1 Corinthians 13:12).  Therefore, to know the parables is to revisit them as they show us new lights about our faith, as we become more "able to hear."  Jesus teaches us, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given."  With faith, we look forward to receive more of God's gracious light; for as we live that faith we're given, and share that light, so we step onto the path of more to be given.