Out in the open
This week's study is on Mark 4:21-25:
These verses come in the middle of a section of the Bible where Jesus is talking about evangelism, discipleship, and the mysteriousness of God's power. It's during a time in history where lamps were filled with burning oil and weren't just apps on cellphones or battery-powered things. If you took a lamp and stuck it under a bowl, you were wasting your money. No light would come out, and eventually you'd snuff it out. Same deal with beds. If you put it under the sort of wrestling-mat beds people used to sleep on, you'd snuff out the lamp. Plus it was stupid. Who hides a lamp? The whole purpose of a lamp is to bring light. If you hide the light, what good is it? Its purpose is thwarted.
Was Jesus just taking a break from talking about the mysteries of his kingdom in order to lecture some particularly stupid disciples on basic life skills? "Housekeeping 101: The lamp goes on *top* of the stand, not underneath the bowl." Or does this tie into the talk about God's power, and about evangelism and discipleship? I think it's related. Jesus is saying that the stuff he pours into us, the knowledge and the "anointing" of his oil, is meant to be public. It isn't meant to sit inside of us, or to just be seen by us. It's supposed to bring light to the world, to glorify God and make his existence known.
If you look at God's plan to reach out to the lost and save them, the lamp story makes sense in that context. If, for instance, you have a bad tooth and God heals it, what good does it do him if you keep it secret? Yes, he's happy your tooth doesn't hurt, but how does it advance his cause? Whose life is affected by his power? (Other than the dentist who doesn't get your money.) It doesn't say anything about anything. Yes, the oil is burning, but who sees it? It's a waste.
The same deal applies even to our knowledge of God's existence. Does it do him any good if we never admit to knowing him? If someone is intolerant of Christians and stereotypes them, and we never reveal that we're also Christians, how are they supposed to find the truth? Does God have to go to each person individually while we keep his grace and power to ourselves? He already paid for the oil to bring them light. Why should he have to buy more?
And what about the problems in our lives that God fixes? If we won't admit we have a problem, how is God glorified when the problem is fixed? If nobody ever knew we had cancer, and it was healed, who can rejoice in God's power? Who learns that God heals? Same deal with addictions, character sins, etc. When a violent man ceases to be violent, or a prostitute ceases to prostitute herself, or the meth head quits smoking meth, who can celebrate if they never let it be known what it is they were delivered from? Is oil burned solely for the sake of warming the lamp's heart, or is it supposed to produce light as well?
Eventually we end up snuffing out God's work in our lives. If God is not glorified through our lives, and the purpose of his power and revelation is as much to help us as it is to help others, eventually his focus shifts. Why keep putting oil in a lamp that nobody sees? Why waste it?
And inasmuch as we share what God is doing, he will reward us with more. If we're open and transparent with our lives, God knows that the work he does in our lives will glorify him to others. If we only share the big things, and only with those people who are closest to us, who are we still inadvertently keeping in the dark?
That's not to say that God won't reward people who keep to themselves. God has a ton of grace and his love overcomes all sorts of boundaries. A lot of things he does, he does simply because he wants to. But mechanically speaking, we have to know the purpose of God's power, and its place within the machine of salvation. The conversion from weakness to light redeems our weaknesses like the conversion of matter to energy. As others see it, it's like a chain reaction. The knowledge and power of God are designed to be contagious. Blessed are the weak indeed. They're like walking atom bombs.
If you've seen God in your life, share it with others. Acknowledge him and his power. Try to err on the side of openness in your interactions with others. Get used to sharing, to being honest, to telling stories of what has happened. If you're weak, don't be afraid to let people know. You could be setting the fuse for a huge miracle.
He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
These verses come in the middle of a section of the Bible where Jesus is talking about evangelism, discipleship, and the mysteriousness of God's power. It's during a time in history where lamps were filled with burning oil and weren't just apps on cellphones or battery-powered things. If you took a lamp and stuck it under a bowl, you were wasting your money. No light would come out, and eventually you'd snuff it out. Same deal with beds. If you put it under the sort of wrestling-mat beds people used to sleep on, you'd snuff out the lamp. Plus it was stupid. Who hides a lamp? The whole purpose of a lamp is to bring light. If you hide the light, what good is it? Its purpose is thwarted.
Was Jesus just taking a break from talking about the mysteries of his kingdom in order to lecture some particularly stupid disciples on basic life skills? "Housekeeping 101: The lamp goes on *top* of the stand, not underneath the bowl." Or does this tie into the talk about God's power, and about evangelism and discipleship? I think it's related. Jesus is saying that the stuff he pours into us, the knowledge and the "anointing" of his oil, is meant to be public. It isn't meant to sit inside of us, or to just be seen by us. It's supposed to bring light to the world, to glorify God and make his existence known.
If you look at God's plan to reach out to the lost and save them, the lamp story makes sense in that context. If, for instance, you have a bad tooth and God heals it, what good does it do him if you keep it secret? Yes, he's happy your tooth doesn't hurt, but how does it advance his cause? Whose life is affected by his power? (Other than the dentist who doesn't get your money.) It doesn't say anything about anything. Yes, the oil is burning, but who sees it? It's a waste.
The same deal applies even to our knowledge of God's existence. Does it do him any good if we never admit to knowing him? If someone is intolerant of Christians and stereotypes them, and we never reveal that we're also Christians, how are they supposed to find the truth? Does God have to go to each person individually while we keep his grace and power to ourselves? He already paid for the oil to bring them light. Why should he have to buy more?
And what about the problems in our lives that God fixes? If we won't admit we have a problem, how is God glorified when the problem is fixed? If nobody ever knew we had cancer, and it was healed, who can rejoice in God's power? Who learns that God heals? Same deal with addictions, character sins, etc. When a violent man ceases to be violent, or a prostitute ceases to prostitute herself, or the meth head quits smoking meth, who can celebrate if they never let it be known what it is they were delivered from? Is oil burned solely for the sake of warming the lamp's heart, or is it supposed to produce light as well?
Eventually we end up snuffing out God's work in our lives. If God is not glorified through our lives, and the purpose of his power and revelation is as much to help us as it is to help others, eventually his focus shifts. Why keep putting oil in a lamp that nobody sees? Why waste it?
And inasmuch as we share what God is doing, he will reward us with more. If we're open and transparent with our lives, God knows that the work he does in our lives will glorify him to others. If we only share the big things, and only with those people who are closest to us, who are we still inadvertently keeping in the dark?
That's not to say that God won't reward people who keep to themselves. God has a ton of grace and his love overcomes all sorts of boundaries. A lot of things he does, he does simply because he wants to. But mechanically speaking, we have to know the purpose of God's power, and its place within the machine of salvation. The conversion from weakness to light redeems our weaknesses like the conversion of matter to energy. As others see it, it's like a chain reaction. The knowledge and power of God are designed to be contagious. Blessed are the weak indeed. They're like walking atom bombs.
If you've seen God in your life, share it with others. Acknowledge him and his power. Try to err on the side of openness in your interactions with others. Get used to sharing, to being honest, to telling stories of what has happened. If you're weak, don't be afraid to let people know. You could be setting the fuse for a huge miracle.
Comments
Post a Comment