Hi everyone. Welcome back to another podcast
for The Logical Bible study. And in this podcast, we take a
look at the Gospel reading from today's mass and we want to look
at what was Jesus and the gospel authors trying to communicate to
the original audience. So that's called the literal
sense of the text. And as Catholics, we always need
to start with that literal sense before we try and work out any
deeper meanings, what was Jesus trying to communicate to his
audience. If you go to mass today, you'll
hear from Mark, Chapter 4, verses 21 to 25.
So, here's the reading. Jesus said to the crowd, would
you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed?
Surely you will put it on the lampstand.
For there is nothing hidden, but it must be disclosed.
Nothing keeps secret except to be brought to light.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.
He also said to them, take notice of what you are.
Hearing the amount you measure out, is the amount you will be
given and more. Besides, for the man who has
will be given more from the man who has not, even what he has
will be taken away. So shorter reading today, and
Jesus has two small Parables here.
So we're in Mark chapter 4 and we're continuing this section of
Parables here, so this whole sort of chapter 4 and the
surrounding Parts have quite a few parables in them.
Now, something to notice a couple of things to notice up
front about these particular Parables.
So in the lectionary at the very start of the reading verse 21,
the lectionary which I just read to.
You says, this Jesus said to the crowd, That can be a bit
misleading. I think the lectionary has sort
of phrase that that way. So we know what's going on but
the actual text of verse 21 in Mark, actually just says this,
Jesus said to them, So we don't actually know who Jesus is
talking to here. If its continuing on from the
last thing he did in said he was talking to his inner circle and
not the crowd. So could be the Jesus is just
talking to his inner circle here or it could be the crowd.
It's not really clear. So we just need to make that
qualification that the lectionary has actually added a
word in there, that's not in the original. now, these two
Parables here, these many parables, the one about the lamp
and the one about he who has will be given more they appear
in Matthew and Luke but at different times and places,
they're in different contexts. So given that they appear at
different times in Matthew, and Luke probably these two short
sayings of Jesus a ones that he continued to repeat at different
times in different contexts, which makes sense.
Because you will see, both of these Parables have quite a
General application. They talked about General,
spiritual and understanding principles. so it's most likely
that Jesus would have said these if you times So let's start here
at verse 21. So, Jesus asks, this question
would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed?
So this is a rhetorical question.
Jesus is asking and the obvious answer is supposed to be.
No. So what's a lamp will?
It's not like the modern kind of lamp shades.
We have it's because I didn't have electricity.
It's like a small stone pot looks if you can imagine the
lamp from Aladdin that the genie lives in, that's pretty much
what the lamps look. Like they just put a candle and
the kind of the candle came out the top bit.
And if you wanted it to light, a large area of the house, you'd
put it on a stand, you put on a lamp stand and then that candle
light would kind of light up that room of the house.
And he says, would you put under a tub or a bushel?
So it's kind of like a basket. Would you put it under a basket?
Once you've lit the lamp. And so, the answer is supposed
to mean, oh, Jesus goes on surely, you'll put it on a
lampstand. So that's the appropriate place
for a lamp to go. Once you have lit the lamp, you
put it on a lampstand. And then Jesus tells us the
basic idea. He's getting out here with this.
Parable, for there is nothing hidden, but it must be
disclosed. That's a bit of a confusing
grammar there. So I think a better translation
of this is for there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest.
And then the next thing he says is Noah is anything secret
except come to light? So those two are parallel
sayings that are supposed to mean the same thing.
In other words, anything that's hidden now will be revealed.
That's the basic. Meaning anything that's hidden.
Now will be revealed. So if we link that to what he
said about the lamp, It appears to be something along the lines.
His meaning appears to be something because he doesn't
tell us something like the light is designed to be shared.
It's designed to reveal things. It's not designed to be hidden.
Two possible meanings here of what Jesus means.
It could be a reference. I think the most likely one is
Jesus. Here is referring to the message
of King of the kingdom of God in general.
So he's saying that the kingdom of God, is in a sense, hidden as
he explained earlier in the parable of the sower, but its
purpose is to be made manifest during the teaching of Jesus.
So, if this is the right understanding, Jesus is saying
that eventually the kingdom of God will flourish and will be
revealed. Clearly, even though it's
somewhat hidden now that could be Is saying is that it's a
general information about the kingdom of God, gradually being
revealed, which I think is probably the right
interpretation. But if he is talking to the
crowd in general, perhaps what it means is this, it's an
exhortation, a command to his hearers that once they've heard
the message of the Kingdom, they need to go and do something with
it. The message of the kingdom of
God is designed to be acted on, so to be reflected on acted on
and then spread the message. So either of those could be
right because the first meaning in terms of the kingdom of God
being hit being hidden, but revealed slowly that fits with
what Jesus has just been talking about with the parable of the
sower which came just before. But the second possible, meaning
that it's a command to the crowd to share what they've heard fits
with what he says next. So really either one could be
right. Verse 23, this is the in between
bit. Jesus says, if anyone has ears
to hear, let him listen to this. So here, Jesus highlights to his
audience that is just given them an important teaching, and if
they want to understand it, they will go away and meditate on it.
So whenever you hear that phrase, which is pretty common
in the gospels, anyone who has ears to hear let him listen.
It's supposed to be let him consider reflect on and act on
what I've just said. It's Signal that Jesus giving
the what he said is important. Verse 24.
He also said to them, so this could be some time later that
Mark is talking about. This is another saying of Jesus
that we're looking at. Now take note of what you are
hearing as in listen carefully to these teachings, absorb them,
the amount you measure out is the amount.
You will be given. So he's using a metric or
commercial metaphor. They would be pretty familiar
with sort of Market, transactions and bartering.
So if you can, imagine a man going down, The market and the
merchant measures out, 300 grams of barley in exchange for let's
say, honey. So it's kind of like one man.
Pours out 300 grams of Bali and in exchange, the other man,
pours out, 300 grams of honey. So, it's whatever you pour out
that is what you can expect to get back their equivalent again.
Jesus doesn't tell us the meaning of this little Parable,
but it appears to be, basically, something like this, the amount
of effort you put into paying Ian and thinking about the
kingdom of God and your yearning to understand it, the amount of
effort you put into those things, that is the same amount
that you will progress in your understanding of the Kingdom.
So, the understanding you get is proportional to the effort, you
put into understand the kingdom. This is a message to his
hearers. Remember who were trying their
best to understand the kingdom, So this is a call for his
audience to do something with the information they are hearing
from Jesus, they're expected to put in some effort into what
they're hearing. Which is an important message
because there are some Christian, the groups that would
say that faith and being a part of the kingdom is not really an
effort kind of thing. But I think Jesus teaching here
is that? Yeah, you do have to put in some
effort if you want more understanding and more grace.
so, he said that so far, But now, it gets a little more
difficult. He says, and more besides or
another translation is and still more will be given to you.
So for those who truly seek God's kingdom, God will bless
them abundantly more than they expect.
So, that's all okay. So far, those who put in an
effort will get more than they expect.
Now, perhaps a more difficult sentence verse 25, for the man
who has will be given more. So, Jesus is still talking here
about understanding of the Kingdom for the man who has will
be given more. So, Jesus appears to mean, the
person who cooperates with God's grace and the understanding of
the Kingdom that they have will be given further understanding
and progress further in the Kingdom.
That's how the kingdom of God works in these early years.
That's remember what Jesus says, things like strive to enter the
kingdom. There's this element of effort
and reflecting and applying Jesus words is what's required
to get into the kingdom. Second half of verse 25.
Jesus says, from the man who has not.
Now, it doesn't mean, this second man has literally nothing
as we're about to discover. He does have something.
Even what he has will be taken away.
So the man who doesn't cooperate with the understanding he has of
God's kingdom will lose, even the understanding he has So this
is a controversial, wouldn't important principle?
If you're given some of God's grace and their suppliers is
much in our day, as it did, then in terms of learning about the
kingdom. If you hear about the kingdom,
if you're given some sort of God's grace, but you don't
apply, you don't cooperate in it, you don't act on it, then.
Even that little bit that you have will be taken away or will
eventually be lost. So Jesus, here is trying to set
up a general principle for his audience.
If you're given some light or you're given some information
about the kingdom, if you act on it and do something with it and
reflect on it, you'll be given more information.
You'll progress further in the Kingdom.
If you don't act on it, you go backwards in the Kingdom.
That's the principal. And obviously, this matches.
Well, with Catholic, teaching on salvation, in terms of you can
actually progress further in Salvation and backwards in
solvation depending on your level of cooperation.
So that's our text for today. Hopefully, you found that
interesting passage. I certainly think it's one of
the more interesting passages in telling us how God intends our
cooperation in Salvation to work.
There's one reference to this in the parrot in the catechism.
So how does the Catholic Church understand this passage does a
brief reference to it in paragraph 5 for 8 in the section
about the kingdom of God, it says the signs worked by Jesus,
a test that the father has sent him.
They invite belief in him to those who turn to him in faith,
he grants what they ask. So, Miracle strength and faith
in the one who does his father's Works, they bear That he is the
son of God. so you'll hear in that catechism, passage the bit
about those who turn to him in faith, he grants, what they ask
and that kind of matches with this passage here in Mark 4
about if you act on what you hear your progress further in
the Kingdom, Thanks again for listening.
You have any questions about this passage or any others?
You can send an email to the email address which is in the
show notes or you can even leave a voice message on the podcast
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show notes. Thanks again for listening.