For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey him!"

- Luke 8:16-25

In yesterday's reading, we read of the women who traveled with Jesus' ministry. Jesus then told the parable of the Sower to the multitudes, and also spoke later to His disciples about the parable - and about why He chooses to preach in parables to the crowds. We are initiated into the idea and concept of spiritual mysteries - that is, hidden and secret knowledge - and about spiritual eyes and ears, a heart open to the word. See He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." Here we have a continuation from yesterday's reading, in which Jesus said the words, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" My study bible notes, "Taking heed to hear Jesus, the Word of God, brings light (vv. 16, 17) within the soul. It must not be covered but allowed to shine forth. The more one permits God's light to shine, the more light is given." Jesus (and my study bible) uses metaphors of both sight and hearing to speak about spiritual perception. When Jesus refers to things that are "secret" and "hidden," He is again referring back to His words in yesterday's reading about "mysteries." In fact, in Matthew's Gospel, when Jesus speaks of praying to your Father who is in the secret place, the same root word (in Greek) for something concealed or hidden or secret is at work. So we have a hidden dynamic at work here, which Jesus' word has revealed, as in a sort of mirror image of what we are to do. If we have the ability to hear the spiritual word, then we let the spiritual light shine through us that comes from that word. Spiritual eyes and ears are those things that equip us for illumination, and in turn we must let that light shine. This is what He asks of us. Of course, that Word is capable of taking infinite forms, expressed in our lives by our choices and actions in myriad ways - including our own transformation via change and repentance. This ability to perceive, with spiritual sight and hearing, is so important and central to Jesus' preaching and ministry that He here stakes all upon it: those who are capable of such perception will receive more, and those who are not will have even what they believe they have taken away from them.

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. My study bible notes that "Luke does not report why Jesus' family wanted to see Him. His brothers are either stepbrothers, sons of Joseph by a previous wife (the opinion of some Church Fathers), or other relatives." It's interesting to know that the tradition continues today in the Middle and Near East to call cousins "brothers."

And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You." But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." My study bible notes here: "Jesus declares His true family is a spiritual one -- those who hear and do God's word." It's important, to my mind, that this small story here is placed immediately following Jesus' preaching on hearing the word that is hidden, with hearts that are open to spiritual understanding and enlightenment. Clearly, relatedness and relationship are crucially tied to spiritual perception and understanding, to a heart that is open to this word and its illumination for each of us. And, this is also how we grow in relationship, through the patience to nurture its fruits through a life of discipleship (see yesterday's reading). We are linked in love through the heart open to Him and spiritual understanding, we are closer than mother and brothers and sisters, we are His family. This is what the Gospel, with all its deepening emphasis on love and relationship, has led us to at this point.

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey him!" My study bible notes, "In the most difficult moments of life, faith unites us with Christ and gives us His strength and comfort." I must say that I always think of water as symbolic for emotion. I read this story not so much as a literal story of saved lives, although of course, faith can work in amazing ways, and this story does indeed teach us of Jesus' identity as Christ and Creator with his power over winds and water. But this story is also a great metaphor for our own emotional upheavals as we go through life. This linking in our hearts with the word, with faith, is an extraordinary tie. Not only does it give us a depth of relationship as true family with Christ, as emphasized by His teaching, above, but it also gives us something that is stronger and more essential to us than even our own emotional lives. When we are afraid, when we face difficulties, when we go through emotional upheavals, this "secret" "hidden" Word is there for us to see us through them, and teach us how to get through them. We may have strong winds that shake up our lives with unexpected change or problems, and waves of emotion that throw us here and there within ourselves. But, for us, this whole, entire powerful reality of relationship is in faith that sees us through it all and is with us through it all. And that is a lesson here that we cannot miss.

What is faith, then, really? Faith is this entire, powerful relationship of spiritual strength and relatedness that is within us. It supersedes, in Jesus' teaching, family ties, emotional upheaval, life changes and dramatic threatening situations. Through it our sins are forgiven, and we receive and learn love. Through faith we are taken through all the storms of life. The secret, hidden things that are revealed are for our good, to cement this relationship, and that which we have will grow; our illumination will give us light to shine. For this one central relationship that can transcend anything, including our own emotions and fears for our survival, we rely on one powerful thing: faith. It encompasses all of that, and will grow. Jesus promises us: "For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." The secret and hidden will be revealed, so that our light may shine. Remember this as you walk through a life of discipleship, and the fruits which, with patience, it will bear. In the original Greek, faith is a word akin to trust. Let us remember, then, where we put our trust as all else may fail, before all things we think we know.