13 – Responsibilities of the Faith
Mark 4:21-25
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Difficult words
- Manifest: Made known
Question 1
What sort of things do you associate with light?
Question 2
If a person has good news to share, and decides to keep it a secret, what would you think of that person?
When looking at the parable of the sower, we ended by thinking about the fruit that comes in the life of a person who believes in Jesus Christ. Jesus goes on to explain what some of the responsibilities of a Christian are. To do this he changes the picture from seeds and crops to candles and lights.
Jesus asks a question in order to make the disciples imagine a silly situation. The question is, ‘do you light a candle and then put it in a place where you can’t see it?’ or, to use a more modern example, who would turn a lamp on and then hide it in a cupboard? It’s a daft idea. The whole point of a candle or a lamp is to give light to people around it so that they can see. In the same way, the fruit which comes in the life of a Christian is not supposed to be hidden away but should be obvious. Like lights in the middle of darkness it shows other people how to live and leads them to God.
Jesus goes on to say, ‘with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’ The Christian life is one of generosity. Once we realise that everything we have, we receive from God, then we will be keen to share it with other people. Really, Jesus says, the more we share the light of the gospel with others, the more of God’s blessings we will experience in our own lives. This is not like a mathematical formula, and we do not do these things just to get a reward. But if we have received the grace and love of God in our lives, give praise to him, and show the same love towards others, then God promises us further blessings.
Question 3
In what ways can we hide the light of God?
Question 4
Why is Jesus so keen for us to be generous to others?
Pray
that God will make your life shine brightly so that people around you may be able to see this and realise that they need to come to him for themselves.