Greetings, friends,
Today, let’s learn about the exhortation by Christ to His disciples not to hide the gospel message but to proclaim it:
And He was saying to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.”
— Mark 4:21-22
In teaching His disciples, Jesus makes a very interesting statement about how a lamp is never supposed to be put under the bed. At first glance, this statement seems absurd and maybe even too obvious. No one would practically light a lamp and then put it under the bed or even put it under a basket. It is well-known to His listeners that if one lights a lamp, the lamp needs to be put in a place where it can be seen.
This statement then begs the question: why would Jesus make such an obvious statement? This question becomes even more interesting when we know that it is referenced by other gospels as well:
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”
— Matthew 5:14-15“Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it with a container or puts it under a bed, but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.”
— Luke 8:16
In these verses, we see Jesus making the same statement. The repetition of this account is meant to help us understand that this is a very important statement that Jesus is making. Through the providence of God, the Holy Spirit saw fit to emphasize this story over and over again.
It turns out that what Jesus is trying to get His disciples to understand is that they have been exposed to the light, that is, to the Messiah, and thus they have a responsibility to point the world to this light.
In the book of Mark, this statement by Jesus is followed by the parable of the sower.
And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil.”
— Mark 4:26
In that parable, He explains that while it is the seed that grows into a tree — that is, the gospel that, when cast into the soil (the heart of the unbeliever) — would behave differently based on the soil, still the sower had a very specific role to cast this seed into the ground.
Jesus was telling His disciples to make sure that they go out and point the world to the light, that they need to put that light on a lampstand for everyone to see. Just like the sower, here the believer is urged to put the gospel message on display.
Despite this illustration by Jesus being so obvious, it is staggering how we constantly fail to apply it in our lives. Just like the absurd illustration, we too have the light that is the gospel, and yet we so often put that lamp under a basket and under the bed. In doing so, when people look at us, they don’t see the light that we carry, because the gospel message remains hidden within us instead of shining out to all who see, so that they too can have that seed planted in their hearts.
We need to remember that we have a responsibility, having been shown this amazing grace of salvation by God, to ensure that our lives are illustrations of the gospel message and ultimately go out and proclaim the gospel message to people.
The second part of this statement says, “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.” Such is the gospel message. It was never meant to be hidden but rather to be revealed, and it was never meant to remain secret but rather to be brought out to the light so as to be seen by everyone.
Let’s think about one person in our lives and consider these questions:
- Who can I share the gospel with in my life?
- What’s preventing me from sharing the gospel message with them?
- How can I go ahead and share the gospel with them?
I hope this word encourages you to go and share the gospel.
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
— Matthew 5:16
Blessings,
Paul
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