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Hi everyone. 
Welcome back to another podcast 

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for The Logical Bible study. 
And in this podcast, we take a 

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look at the Gospel reading from 
today's mass and we want to look

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at what was Jesus and the gospel
authors trying to communicate to

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the original audience. 
So that's called the literal 

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sense of the text. 
And as Catholics, we always need

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to start with that literal sense
before we try and work out any 

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deeper meanings, what was Jesus 
trying to communicate to his 

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audience. 
If you go to mass today, you'll 

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hear from Mark, Chapter 4, 
verses 21 to 25. 

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So, here's the reading. 
Jesus said to the crowd, would 

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you bring in a lamp to put it 
under a tub or under the bed? 

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Surely you will put it on the 
lampstand. 

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For there is nothing hidden, but
it must be disclosed. 

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Nothing keeps secret except to 
be brought to light. 

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If anyone has ears to hear, let 
him listen to this. 

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He also said to them, take 
notice of what you are. 

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Hearing the amount you measure 
out, is the amount you will be 

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given and more. 
Besides, for the man who has 

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will be given more from the man 
who has not, even what he has 

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will be taken away. 
So shorter reading today, and 

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Jesus has two small Parables 
here. 

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So we're in Mark chapter 4 and 
we're continuing this section of

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Parables here, so this whole 
sort of chapter 4 and the 

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surrounding Parts have quite a 
few parables in them. 

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Now, something to notice a 
couple of things to notice up 

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front about these particular 
Parables. 

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So in the lectionary at the very
start of the reading verse 21, 

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the lectionary which I just read
to. 

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You says, this Jesus said to the
crowd, That can be a bit 

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misleading. 
I think the lectionary has sort 

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of phrase that that way. 
So we know what's going on but 

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the actual text of verse 21 in 
Mark, actually just says this, 

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Jesus said to them, So we don't 
actually know who Jesus is 

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talking to here. 
If its continuing on from the 

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last thing he did in said he was
talking to his inner circle and 

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not the crowd. 
So could be the Jesus is just 

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talking to his inner circle here
or it could be the crowd. 

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It's not really clear. 
So we just need to make that 

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qualification that the 
lectionary has actually added a 

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word in there, that's not in the
original. now, these two 

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Parables here, these many 
parables, the one about the lamp

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and the one about he who has 
will be given more they appear 

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in Matthew and Luke but at 
different times and places, 

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they're in different contexts. 
So given that they appear at 

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different times in Matthew, and 
Luke probably these two short 

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sayings of Jesus a ones that he 
continued to repeat at different

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times in different contexts, 
which makes sense. 

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Because you will see, both of 
these Parables have quite a 

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General application. 
They talked about General, 

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spiritual and understanding 
principles. so it's most likely 

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that Jesus would have said these
if you times So let's start here

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at verse 21. 
So, Jesus asks, this question 

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would you bring in a lamp to put
it under a tub or under the bed?

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So this is a rhetorical 
question. 

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Jesus is asking and the obvious 
answer is supposed to be. 

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No. 
So what's a lamp will? 

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It's not like the modern kind of
lamp shades. 

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We have it's because I didn't 
have electricity. 

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It's like a small stone pot 
looks if you can imagine the 

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lamp from Aladdin that the genie
lives in, that's pretty much 

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what the lamps look. 
Like they just put a candle and 

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the kind of the candle came out 
the top bit. 

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And if you wanted it to light, a
large area of the house, you'd 

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put it on a stand, you put on a 
lamp stand and then that candle 

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light would kind of light up 
that room of the house. 

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And he says, would you put under
a tub or a bushel? 

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So it's kind of like a basket. 
Would you put it under a basket?

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Once you've lit the lamp. 
And so, the answer is supposed 

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to mean, oh, Jesus goes on 
surely, you'll put it on a 

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lampstand. 
So that's the appropriate place 

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for a lamp to go. 
Once you have lit the lamp, you 

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put it on a lampstand. 
And then Jesus tells us the 

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basic idea. 
He's getting out here with this.

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Parable, for there is nothing 
hidden, but it must be 

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disclosed. 
That's a bit of a confusing 

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grammar there. 
So I think a better translation 

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of this is for there is nothing 
hid, except to be made manifest.

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And then the next thing he says 
is Noah is anything secret 

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except come to light? 
So those two are parallel 

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sayings that are supposed to 
mean the same thing. 

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In other words, anything that's 
hidden now will be revealed. 

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That's the basic. 
Meaning anything that's hidden. 

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Now will be revealed. 
So if we link that to what he 

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said about the lamp, It appears 
to be something along the lines.

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His meaning appears to be 
something because he doesn't 

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tell us something like the light
is designed to be shared. 

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It's designed to reveal things. 
It's not designed to be hidden. 

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Two possible meanings here of 
what Jesus means. 

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It could be a reference. 
I think the most likely one is 

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Jesus. 
Here is referring to the message

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of King of the kingdom of God in
general. 

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So he's saying that the kingdom 
of God, is in a sense, hidden as

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he explained earlier in the 
parable of the sower, but its 

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purpose is to be made manifest 
during the teaching of Jesus. 

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So, if this is the right 
understanding, Jesus is saying 

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that eventually the kingdom of 
God will flourish and will be 

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revealed. 
Clearly, even though it's 

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somewhat hidden now that could 
be Is saying is that it's a 

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general information about the 
kingdom of God, gradually being 

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revealed, which I think is 
probably the right 

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interpretation. 
But if he is talking to the 

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crowd in general, perhaps what 
it means is this, it's an 

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exhortation, a command to his 
hearers that once they've heard 

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the message of the Kingdom, they
need to go and do something with

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it. 
The message of the kingdom of 

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God is designed to be acted on, 
so to be reflected on acted on 

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and then spread the message. 
So either of those could be 

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right because the first meaning 
in terms of the kingdom of God 

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being hit being hidden, but 
revealed slowly that fits with 

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what Jesus has just been talking
about with the parable of the 

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sower which came just before. 
But the second possible, meaning

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that it's a command to the crowd
to share what they've heard fits

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with what he says next. 
So really either one could be 

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right. 
Verse 23, this is the in between

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bit. 
Jesus says, if anyone has ears 

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to hear, let him listen to this.
So here, Jesus highlights to his

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audience that is just given them
an important teaching, and if 

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they want to understand it, they
will go away and meditate on it.

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So whenever you hear that 
phrase, which is pretty common 

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in the gospels, anyone who has 
ears to hear let him listen. 

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It's supposed to be let him 
consider reflect on and act on 

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what I've just said. 
It's Signal that Jesus giving 

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the what he said is important. 
Verse 24. 

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He also said to them, so this 
could be some time later that 

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Mark is talking about. 
This is another saying of Jesus 

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that we're looking at. 
Now take note of what you are 

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hearing as in listen carefully 
to these teachings, absorb them,

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the amount you measure out is 
the amount. 

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You will be given. 
So he's using a metric or 

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commercial metaphor. 
They would be pretty familiar 

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with sort of Market, 
transactions and bartering. 

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So if you can, imagine a man 
going down, The market and the 

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merchant measures out, 300 grams
of barley in exchange for let's 

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say, honey. 
So it's kind of like one man. 

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Pours out 300 grams of Bali and 
in exchange, the other man, 

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pours out, 300 grams of honey. 
So, it's whatever you pour out 

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that is what you can expect to 
get back their equivalent again.

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Jesus doesn't tell us the 
meaning of this little Parable, 

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but it appears to be, basically,
something like this, the amount 

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of effort you put into paying 
Ian and thinking about the 

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kingdom of God and your yearning
to understand it, the amount of 

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effort you put into those 
things, that is the same amount 

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that you will progress in your 
understanding of the Kingdom. 

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So, the understanding you get is
proportional to the effort, you 

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put into understand the kingdom.
This is a message to his 

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hearers. 
Remember who were trying their 

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best to understand the kingdom, 
So this is a call for his 

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audience to do something with 
the information they are hearing

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from Jesus, they're expected to 
put in some effort into what 

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they're hearing. 
Which is an important message 

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because there are some 
Christian, the groups that would

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say that faith and being a part 
of the kingdom is not really an 

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effort kind of thing. 
But I think Jesus teaching here 

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is that? 
Yeah, you do have to put in some

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effort if you want more 
understanding and more grace. 

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so, he said that so far, But 
now, it gets a little more 

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difficult. 
He says, and more besides or 

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another translation is and still
more will be given to you. 

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So for those who truly seek 
God's kingdom, God will bless 

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them abundantly more than they 
expect. 

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So, that's all okay. 
So far, those who put in an 

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effort will get more than they 
expect. 

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Now, perhaps a more difficult 
sentence verse 25, for the man 

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who has will be given more. 
So, Jesus is still talking here 

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about understanding of the 
Kingdom for the man who has will

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be given more. 
So, Jesus appears to mean, the 

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person who cooperates with God's
grace and the understanding of 

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the Kingdom that they have will 
be given further understanding 

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and progress further in the 
Kingdom. 

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That's how the kingdom of God 
works in these early years. 

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That's remember what Jesus says,
things like strive to enter the 

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kingdom. 
There's this element of effort 

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and reflecting and applying 
Jesus words is what's required 

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to get into the kingdom. 
Second half of verse 25. 

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Jesus says, from the man who has
not. 

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Now, it doesn't mean, this 
second man has literally nothing

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as we're about to discover. 
He does have something. 

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Even what he has will be taken 
away. 

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So the man who doesn't cooperate
with the understanding he has of

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God's kingdom will lose, even 
the understanding he has So this

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is a controversial, wouldn't 
important principle? 

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If you're given some of God's 
grace and their suppliers is 

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much in our day, as it did, then
in terms of learning about the 

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kingdom. 
If you hear about the kingdom, 

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if you're given some sort of 
God's grace, but you don't 

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apply, you don't cooperate in 
it, you don't act on it, then. 

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Even that little bit that you 
have will be taken away or will 

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eventually be lost. 
So Jesus, here is trying to set 

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up a general principle for his 
audience. 

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If you're given some light or 
you're given some information 

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about the kingdom, if you act on
it and do something with it and 

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reflect on it, you'll be given 
more information. 

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You'll progress further in the 
Kingdom. 

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If you don't act on it, you go 
backwards in the Kingdom. 

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That's the principal. 
And obviously, this matches. 

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Well, with Catholic, teaching on
salvation, in terms of you can 

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actually progress further in 
Salvation and backwards in 

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solvation depending on your 
level of cooperation. 

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So that's our text for today. 
Hopefully, you found that 

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interesting passage. 
I certainly think it's one of 

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the more interesting passages in
telling us how God intends our 

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cooperation in Salvation to 
work. 

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There's one reference to this in
the parrot in the catechism. 

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So how does the Catholic Church 
understand this passage does a 

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brief reference to it in 
paragraph 5 for 8 in the section

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about the kingdom of God, it 
says the signs worked by Jesus, 

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a test that the father has sent 
him. 

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They invite belief in him to 
those who turn to him in faith, 

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he grants what they ask. 
So, Miracle strength and faith 

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in the one who does his father's
Works, they bear That he is the 

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son of God. so you'll hear in 
that catechism, passage the bit 

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about those who turn to him in 
faith, he grants, what they ask 

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and that kind of matches with 
this passage here in Mark 4 

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about if you act on what you 
hear your progress further in 

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the Kingdom, Thanks again for 
listening. 

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You have any questions about 
this passage or any others? 

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You can send an email to the 
email address which is in the 

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show notes or you can even leave
a voice message on the podcast 

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website. 
So both of those will be in the 

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show notes. 
Thanks again for listening.