If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear

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

In yesterday's reading, we encountered Jesus' use of parables. We began with the parable of the Sower. Jesus taught, "Listen! Behold, sower went out to sow." He taught the crowds by the seashore, so many now that He must sit in a boat to teach. The parable, interestingly, is a kind of parable of parables. Jesus ends His public teaching with, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Privately, He tells His 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 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.'" He then explained the parable of the Sower, the seed, and the good ground of the heart. How the seed takes root -- or not -- will determine its yield. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

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." Here is another parable; they are coming all together for us in this Gospel of Mark now. Jesus' style of teaching is for the crowds, large and bustling, which now gather to hear Him. Can they hear what He is teaching? Will they be drawn in to His truth, and want more? Here we have the parable of the lamp and the lampstand. Christ's light will reveal all! But it all depends on the ears with which we hear, the "ground" of the heart (see yesterday's reading and the parable of the Sower). Christ is here to spread His light! Parables do not hide the truth, but disclose it to those who will ask and seek and knock. But here, and repeatedly so in Mark's Gospel, the emphasis is on how we receive. My study bible beautifully points out: "That which is hidden is the Gospel, the presence of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel, at first a mystery explained only to the disciples, will be revealed to all. Everything done in secret will ultimately be revealed." And this Kingdom will be one which each may come to experience, via the light of this Lamp.

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." Another parable, explaining yet another mystery of the Kingdom. Here, He emphasizes the quality of our spiritual hearing. Do we pay attention? Is the good ground of the heart ready to receive? To what measure will it receive? Our own fertility of reception will determine the bounty we reap, that which we are given, for which we are grateful. The gift of Grace will be poured out upon those who may receive it. There is a reciprocal dependency here, a kind of relationship of opening to God, being filled, and wanting more. Inherent in it is the great value of this gift!

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." Here is another parable illustrating the qualities of this Gift. The Kingdom is not something we make or create; it is given to us. It grows within us. But we reap the harvest. My study bible says, "The kingdom of God is like the seed which by the power of God produces a harvest. This is an image of the mysterious working of the Kingdom -- beyond human measures and expectations. This parable appears only in Mark." Just as the farmer has a cooperative relationship with the earth, so God works with us to provide, and asks of us only our cooperation in this Kingdom.

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." Finally, we are given the beautiful parable of the mustard seed. This growth is so marvelous, so mysterious and magnificent, that out of the tiniest of seeds the great and sturdy bush grows. Note the potency of this flavoring, an herb. In some ways it reminds us of the parable that His disciples are the salt of the earth. This potent herb, as the tiniest of seeds, can grow up to become greater than all the herbs -- and abundantly, to flavor all of life. We begin with the tiny seed of faith. There is no telling what it can produce. My study bible says, in another note worth quoting: "Jesus begins with poor fishermen, but in a few years the Christian faith will spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. The work of God may involve apparently insignificant people and circumstances, but the possibilities are limitless because of God's power. That being said, Jesus' followers must always be prepared for the 'long haul.' Jewish expectations in Jesus' day were for the Kingdom to appear suddenly and fully. But God's Kingdom takes time to grow and mature through adversity, and when it is fully formed it will be even greater than expected."

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. Again, we are given to understand that parables are for the large crowds that now follow. "He who has ears to hear, let Him hear!" In private, He explains to the disciples.

A parable is, in and of itself, a kind of teaching about the Kingdom. The Kingdom is a mystery, a riddle waiting to be opened, explored, understood. And, like the growth of the mustard seed, that opening and unfolding can grow and grow. When does our understanding cease to grow? When is there nothing more for which to ask and seek and knock? How great, in fact, can this Kingdom grow? The parables today ask us to keep knocking and seeking and growing, to keep a check on our hearts, to make sure we have "fertile ground" -- and especially to continue receiving. God's abundant bounty comes, as Mark's Gospel tells us, "as we are able to hear it." Jesus gauges His audience, and gives in a way so that it is geared to how one is able to receive. In private, we still come to Him to understand -- perhaps, in the secret place. But the great growth of the Kingdom is something that cannot be exaggerated. Jesus' parables teach us that there is always room for growth. This is something mysterious, that can't be calculated in human terms or by human expectations. God's strength is with us in this endeavor; it's not of our own making nor manufacture. But the growth is there, the harvest is there. The light from the Lamp is abundant and cannot be limited, except by our failure to hear and see in spiritual terms, to receive. My study bible quotes St. Mark the Ascetic, from the 6th century: "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you." How do we approach the mustard seed today? What surprises do you find in the crops that grow without your understanding? How does the Lamp give its light today? Let us guard the heart and its good ground, so that we may continually receive the gift of the Kingdom.