For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light

 

 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.  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 Jesus again began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was one 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, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes 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."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you 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."   Jesus' analogy about the lamp and its light is also used in the Sermon on the Mount, at Matthew 5:15, but in a different context.  Here these words are part of Christ's call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  My study Bible comments that we must not only hear, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, and they will therefore 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, we find another saying here as part of the Sermon on the Mount ("With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you"), as well as in Luke's Gospel (see Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38), each in a different context.  No doubt, my study Bible remarks, Jesus repeated this particular message 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."    This parable is found only in Mark's Gospel.  My study Bible explains that the kingdom refers to the whole span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, and the seed is the gospel, as in the parable of the Sower in yesterday's reading, above.  The man's sleep, according to this interpretation, indicates Christ's death, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows shows that Christ does not manipulate human beings' responses to the gospel.  But instead, each person is free to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest indicates the Second Coming, when all 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."  My study Bible says that, according to Theophylact, the mustard seed represents the disciples, who began as just a few men but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  It also stands for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul, my study Bible says, will become godlike and can receive even 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.  Again the Gospel emphasizes that Jesus speaks to the large crowds who now gather to Him in parables.  He wishes to engage those who will truly desire what He offers, past the fascination or draw of the miracles and signs He does.

There is a very interesting writer, lecturer, and artist named Jonathan Pageau, who specializes in symbolism and how it is at work in our lives.  His fascinating website includes many video and other presentations; it's called The Symbolic World.  One can also find many of his video presentations on YouTube, which often feature other well-known figures.  Pageau is one of the many contemporary figures who evoke an understanding of what we might call the things that are hidden in plain sight.  That is, the symbolism inherent in stories, Scripture, and what we observe in the world, and the echoes of meanings behind them.  There are many contemporary artists, thinkers, and those concerned with a renewal of faith who focus on these subjects.  Some call this idea "re-enchantment," indicating that in our contemporary culture, our societies have lost a great deal of our historical understanding of beauty and truth, and the meanings that filled daily life for our ancestors.  The reason I bring up this topic is not simply due to its contemporary appeal for many, but rather to speak further about Jesus' love of teaching in parables, and His obviously powerful use of them.  If we look carefully at Scripture, what we find is not so much teaching material, nor even direct and obvious commandments, but stories.  We are taught through stories.  In fact, some say that we cannot live without stories, and after blogging on Scripture for such a time I would say that I must agree with that.  For the story of Christ's ministry isn't only about "teachable moments," as a particular popular expression puts it.  The story of Christ is meaningful to us simply because it is a story.  When we read the stories of what Jesus did, of how He spoke to people, of how He responded to people, of all the things He did in His ministry, then we grasp on to meanings that affect us and help us.  We learn in a way that one can't get simply from hearing a lecture.  When we have stories to tell one another, stories that are told to ourselves, stories about Christ that we can repeat to ourselves, elements of which we remind ourselves in times when they come back to us to illuminate something going on in our own lives -- in all of these ways, the stories (or perhaps we could say Story of Christ's life) give us echoes and meanings that continue throughout our lives, and new illuminations when we need them when we go through our own story to tell of our lives.  We live by stories, and this has been called "The Greatest Story Ever Told."  So the Son has come into the world in order to give us His story, the story of His life, but more importantly, of His ministry, so that we can tell it to one another and benefit from it immeasurably ourselves.  Reflective of that wisdom that sent Christ into this world is the wisdom of Jesus in giving to us parables, stories that can reach down into us in ways that lectures and teachings and commands cannot.  For these stories, drawn from every day life, illustrate the mysterious ways of the Kingdom in ways that we can grasp, and learn to understand -- and in ways that ask us for growth in continual renewal of how we come to know more deeply the truths of those simple stories.  The poignant aspect of the mustard seed, growing into a sturdy bush with branches that even give shelter to the birds of the air -- angels, perhaps, in disguise -- continues to echo its meaning to us in just these few beautiful but simple words of Christ.  When we run out of witty remarks, or pithy statements, or deep treatises of fact or theories, what we need are stories.  Let us grasp those stories and hold fast to them that they may continue for those who come later.  Let us consider how powerful stories are, and how much we all need them, for they teach us so much -- and no one has told them better than Christ.  We simply need the ears to hear.