Bible Studies From The Daily Office Thursday, January 23, 2025
The Collect:
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings:
Psalm 37:1–18
Ephesians 5:15–33
Gospel: Mark 4:21–34
21 And he said unto them,Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And he said unto them,Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
26 And he said,So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30 And he said,Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
Commentary:
In previous studies, we discussed the nature of parables in general. To reiterate, Matthew Henry, the 17th century theologian wrote the following regarding Jesus’ use of parables:
“He taught them many things, but it was by parables or similitudes, which would tempt them to hear; for people love to be spoken to in their own language, and careless hearers will catch at a plain comparison borrowed from common things, and will retain and repeat that, when they have lost, or perhaps never took, the truth which it was designed to explain and illustrate.”
Parables can also be an appeal to logic, as with the parable of the lamp or candle. Jesus asked them, albeit rhetorically, “Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?” (v. 21) Even though culture and times have changed in that we seldom use candles, electricity having replaced older technology, the logic remains constant.
Today, were he here to teach as he was then, Jesus might ask, “Would you bring an (electric) lamp into a dark room only to hide it under a bed or in a closet?” Logically, no, a rational person would not. The obvious intent would be to illuminate the room not hide the light under a basket, a bed or in a closed closet. As with the Parable of the Sower, the candle or light, represents Jesus and his teachings. By its very nature, light is meant to be revealed. The truth of the Kingdom of God is the same way, and God promises that it will be revealed.
“For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” (v. 22) Jesus seems to imply that something is presently “hid” or “secret,” but intended to come to light or revealed. What is presently hidden? What is to be revealed? It may refer to the meaning of the parables themselves–hidden to some but known to others (4:34-35). Or, it may refer to the hiddenness of the kingdom of God in the person and ministry of Jesus which is yet to be fully revealed. The light of the kingdom of God is breaking into the world. It is obscured by opposition and by the inability of some to hear, but the light will ultimately shine brightly. (Hicks)
“We must not hide this light. If you have the truth of God, you have a solemn responsibility to spread that truth in whatever way God gives you opportunity. It is just as someone who has the cure for a life-threatening disease has the moral responsibility to spread that cure. God didn’t light your lamp so that it would remain hidden.” (Guzik)
“If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them,Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given” (v.23-24) Is Jesus, in this statement, discriminating against those with a hearing disability—such as myself—absolutely not! You can have perfect hearing, but yet not hear (comprehend, retain, receive) messages that are obvious to most.
It is rumored, that a giant retailer has—for a number of years—made it corporate policy to hire the best and brightest minds trained in marketing, from Ivy League schools. Tuition charged at such schools is so exorbitant that the vast majority of these students are from upper class families and have spent their young lives in cultural bubbles—so to speak—isolated from common people, the very demographic they are hired to market to.
How can a young person, who has never visited common America, but only flown over it, know the wants and needs of the common people?
When these Ivy League graduates make a bad marketing decision, they can not understand why their products are not selling. There is no great secret evading them, the answer should be obvious, they tried to sell the people something that the common people did not want. Sometimes, even very highly educated people can be oblivious to the truth. They fail to hear, to comprehend, to retain, that which is plainly displayed in front of them. They fail to apply sound discernment.
Not only does this apply to marketing or even ideological truths, but especially to spiritual truths as well.
“Spiritual discernment sees the presence of the kingdom of God; it hears the message and sees the light, and the kingdom of God illuminates that corner of the world. Eventually, what is now hidden will fill the room; it will fill the cosmos. The kingdom of God will dispel the darkness and light up the world.” (Hicks)
“For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” (v. 25) “When we hear the word of God, and receive it with gladness, more will be given to us from God’s spiritual riches. Jesus reminds us that spiritual growth follows momentum, positive or negative. When we have the godly habits of receiving the word and living it, more is built on to that. When we lose those godly habits, they are extremely difficult to get back.” (Guzik)
The Parable of the Growing Seed (This is the only parable unique to the Gospel of Mark.)
“And he said,So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. ” (vs. 26-29) “Sowing seed seems like an inauspicious start, but seeds have power, producing plants whose roots crack great rocks—plants that provide food and shelter for animals—plants that make human life possible. The point of this verse is not the work of the farmer but the work of the seed, which obtains its growth from a mysterious source and grows so slowly that we cannot see it growing. Only when we go away and return after a day or a week or a month can we see the seed’s progress—and be gladdened by it—and wonder at it. The kingdom of God is like this slow but steady growth.” (Donovan)
“because the harvest is come.” “Just as a field’s crop may be unnoticed when first planted, but can’t be missed when mature, so it is with the Kingdom of God. It has small beginnings and its root may be small, but when God develops the work it cannot be missed.” (Guzik)
Noting the similarity to Joel 3:13, some scholars think that Jesus’ words point to a coming judgment. However, it is probably better to understand this as a simple parable about an ordinary farmer who plants and harvests, but who relies on God’s grace to make the harvest possible. So also, workers in the kingdom of God, which “is at hand” (1:15), can rely on God’s grace to bring the kingdom, small and seemingly inconsequential, to full fruition.
The Kingdom of God Is Like A Mustard Seed?
“And he said,Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.” (v. 30-32) In first century Judea, the mustard seed enjoyed proverbial status as the smallest of seeds, but the analogy Jesus makes here is that the Kingdom of God has its beginnings in small, barely visible, seemingly inconsequential phenomena. The mustard plant usually grows to be a shrub 10-12 feet (3-4 meters) tall. Again, the point is neither the small size of the seed nor the large size of the plant but rather the contrast between the two. It starts out small and grows exponentially.
Logically, we would think that Jesus should have chosen, as disciples, learned individuals—the best and brightest of the time—and not lowly fishermen, common laborers. In the same respect me mihgt expect him to compare the Kingdom of God to some mighty and strong tree—such as oak or a tall pine—but yet he chooses the mustard seed. Perhaps we should note this precedent as indicative of the universality of the Kingdom of God, a fellowship for all mankind.
“And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.” (vs. 33-34) When Mark wrote “with many such parables” we might assume he was attempting to convey the same message as that of John in the very last verse of his Gospel, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” If only all these other things which he said or did, had been recorded for future generations! We must assume that it was the will of God, his glorious plan, that allowed the Gospels—as we know them—to be written down and not lost to antiquity.
Some of Jesus’ parables, were very plain and required no explanation, with some he took his disciples aside and instructed them in the meaning and purpose.
We must also see great wisdom on the part of Jesus, in that he knew his enemies were always in the crowds he spoke to, and by using a parable that delivered a great spiritual truth veiled in an analogy that spoke to the commoner, when his detractors tried to insinuate his message (parable) was flawed, they only made themselves look foolish to those that heard the underlying message.
In many ways, even today, the word of God often exposes detractors and enemies of God—those who refuse to hear and take to heart the word—as being of the same mindset as that of the first century Pharisees.
Benediction
May the love of God be the passion in your heart. The joy of God your strength when times are hard. The presence of God a peace that over flows. The Word of God the seed that you might sow. Go out into the world in peace. Have courage. Hold onto what is good. Return no one evil for evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted. Support the weak. Help the suffering. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Bible Studies From The Daily Office, is an outreach ministry designed to encourage the viewer to read one Old Testament or Epistle, a Psalm, and a Gospel selection everyday. Following each Gospel reading is a commentary designed to help the reader understand the traditional meaning of God’s Holy Word.
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