Mark 4:21 And he said unto them,; And he was saying to them--NASB; He went on to say--Wey; Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel; Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel--ASV; Do you bring in the lamp to put it under the meal-tub--NEB; ...under the peck-measure--Gspd; ...under a bucket--Phi; ...under the measuring-bowl--Rieu; or under a bed?; or under the bed--NEB; or under the couch--Rhm; and not to be set on a candlestick?; and not to be put on the stand--ASV; Is it not, that it may be put on the lamp-stand--ABUV; Surely it is brought to be set...--NEB; Shouldn't it be put on a lampstand--Beck; And he was saying unto them-- Doth the lamp come, that /under the measure\ it should be put, or under the couch? Is it not that /upon the lampstand\ it may be put? And he said to them, 'Doth the lamp come that under the measure it may be put, or under the couch--not that it may be put on the lamp-stand? TRNTyeagerV235,6 - Kai elegen autois, MAti erchetai ho luchnos hina hupo ton modion tethA A hupo tAn klinAn; ouch hina epi tAn luchnian tethA; Kai (continuative conjunction). elegen (3d.per.sing.imp.act.ind.of legw, inceptive). autois (dat.pl.masc.of autos, indirect object of elegen). MAti (negative particle, adverb, in direct question which expects a negative reply). erchetai (3d.persing.pres.pass.ind.of erchomai, customary). ho (nom.sing.masc.of the article in agreement with luchnos). luchnos (nom.sing.masc.of luchnos, subject of erchetai). hina (final conjunction introducing a purpose clause). hupo (preposition with the accusative, extent). ton (acc.sing.masc.of the article in agreement with modion). modion (acc.sing.masc.of modios, extent). tethA (3d.per.sing.1st.aor.pass.subj.of tithAmi, purpose). A (disjunctive). hupo (preposition with the accusative of extent). tAn (acc.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with klinAn). klinAn (acc.sing.fem.of klinA, extent). ouch (negative particle with the indicative implied, adverbial). hina (final conjunction introducing a purpose clause). epi (preposition with the accusative of extent). tAn (acc.sing.fem.of the article in agreement with luchnian). luchnian (acc.sing.fem.of luchnia, extent). tethA (3d.per.sing.1st.aor.pass.subj.of tithAmi). Translation: "And He began to ask them, 'The candle is not brought in order that it may be placed under the bushel or under the bed, is it? Is it not that it may be placed upon the candlestick?'" COMMENT: Jesus resumed His address, this time with a rhetorical question, the answer to which is properly in the negative. The second question with ouch expects an affirmative reply. Candles shed no light under a bushel or under a bed, but they are useful if placed upon a candlestick. The candle is designed to give light and therefore should not be hidden. ... DM265 - (2) In questions mA (or mAti) implies that the expected answer is "no." ... The differences between these negatives in other sentences besides the interrogative may be summarized as follows: "The general distinction between ou and mA is that ou is objective, dealing only with facts, while mA is subjective, involving will and thought... Ear19 -Candle. The Greek word luchnos means an oil-burning lamp. These lamps were made of clay and were small enough to be hidden in the palm of one's hand. "Candlestick," as everywhere else in the Bible, should be translated "lampstand" (NASB) or simply "stand" (NIV). We are specifically told that the seven-branched golden "candlestick" (KJV) of the OT was fed by olive oil (Zech.4:2-3,12). Ear20 - Bushel. The Greek word is modion, found also in Mk.4:21 and in Lk.11:33. it literally means a "peck-measure" (NASB), one-fourth of a bushel. it was probably the "meal-tub" (NEB) found in each home. MARKitGNTwuest89,90 - "Is a candle brought?" The question includes the negative mAti which indicates that a negative answer is expected. The word for "candle" is luchnos, "a lamp." "Brought" is erchetai, the Greek word for "come." The question is, "The lamp does not come, does it," etc? Vincent says, "This impersonation or investing the lamp with motion is according to Mark's lively mode of narrative." The definite article occurs before the words "lamps," "bed," and "candlestick," showing that these were familiar articles of household furniture. The word "bed" is the translation of klinA, from klinw "to recline." It refers to the reclining couch placed at the side of the dining table. The orientals did not sit on straight-backed chairs when eating at the table, but reclined on couches. The word "candlestick" is in the Greek text luchnia, "a lampstand." "Bushel" is modios, a dry measure holding about a peck. To put the lamp under a peck measure, would put out the flame, and it would give no light. To put it uner a reclingin couch would set it on fire. Expositors says: "True to His uniform teaching that privileges are to be used for the benefit of others, Jesus tells His disciples that if they have more insight than the multitude, they must employ it for the common benefit. These sentences in Mark represent the first special instruction of the disciples." Translation: "And He was saying to them, The lamp does not come, does it, in order to be placed under the peck measure or under the reclining couch? Does it not come in order to be placed upon the lampstand?" MARKmcgarvey285 - "Is a candle brought." -- This parable, like the preceding one of the sower, treats of the means of profiting by the word of God. The word, there represented by the seed sown, is here represented by the lighted lamp (luchnos). As a lamp is brought into a room not to be covered up, but to be placed on the lampstand, so the word of God, intended for the enlightenment of men, is not to be left in obscurity, but to be held up before the world. TCGTC-MARKcranfield164,5 - Mt. omits this saying here: both Mt. and Lk. have it elsewhere (Mt.5:15; Lk.11:33). The meaning which the author of Mt. saw in the saying is indicated by the context in which he has placed it; cf. 5:16. Mark has drawn special attention to this saying and the next by his insertion after them of the challenge to hear aright ... : This is probably an indication that he regarded vs.21 and 22, not as proverbial wisdom or moral exhortation, but as containing the mystery of the kingdom of God. The fact that he has placed the saying in this general context points in the same direction. It seems likely then that for Mark the parable had reference to the ministry of Jesus. And it is intrinsically probable that this was also the original reference. (if erchetai belongs to the original form of the parable (at least the Mk form is more primitive than either of the Lk. forms), then perhaps it affords some support for this view; for its use in connection with a lamp is odd, and this suggests the possibility that we should see in its use here an indication that Jesus was thinking of himself and his mission (cf. on 2:17). If, on the other hand, erchetai is due to Mark, it might at least be a further indication that he understood the parable this way). The significant feature of the parable is clearly the contrast between hupo ton modion...A hupo tAn klinAn and epi tAn luchnian. Perhaps the most likely interpretation is: No one in his senses would carry a lighted lamp into a house simply in order to hide it; the intention would rather be to set it on the lampstand. No more must it be supposed that God's whole purpose in sending Jesus is that he should be concealed. He must indeed be rejected and killed, and even after the Resurrection his disciples will have to 'walk by faith, not by sight'; but this painful veiledness will not be for ever, for God's ultimate purpose is that he should be manifest to all. It is on this interpretation a parable of the contrast between 'now' and 'then'. If it was addressed, not just to the disciples, but to the multitude as well, as vs.23 and 33f. suggest that Mark thought, then probably he actually spoke of the kingdom of God, though the veiled reference would still be to himself. NTC-MARKhendriksen161,2,3 - 4:21-25 Various Sayings of Jesus For verse 21 cf. Matt. 5:15; Luke 8:16; 11:33. For verse 22 cf. Matt. 10:26; Luke 8:17; 12:2; For verse 23 cf. Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8, 18a; 14:35. For verse 24a see above, on verse 23. For verse 24b cf. Matt. 7:2; Luke 6:38. For verse 25 cf. Matt. 13:12; 25:29; Luke 8:18b; 19:26 In this paragraph are found several sayings of Jesus that, as shown above, are recroded also elsewhere. It is natural to believe that Jesus repeated some of his famous words. The connection between verse 21 and the preceding is not clear. This holds also for the relation between the verses of the new paragraph (21-25). This does not mean that the sayings are here grouped artificially. But though an attempt will be made to show inner coherence - the thought connections between the several verses - , it must be admitted at the very outset that certainty in such matters in unobtainable. And he said to them, The lamp is not brought in to be put under the peck-measure, is it, or under the bed? Is it not (brought in) to be put on the lampstand? "And he said to them." To whom? Probably to the same group as in verse 10; hence, not to the gneral public. Contrast "And he said to them" of verses 21 and 24 with "And he said" of verses 26 and 30. In the latter case Mark returns to the time when from the boat the Master was addressing the crowds. Jesus, in the parable of The Sower, had emphasized the necessity of fruitbearing, the result of seed falling upon good soil, that is, of the word entering well-prepared hearts. Fertile hearts resemble shining lamps. If this view of the connection is right, then by means of a different figure Jesus is stressing the same basic truth, namely, that hearts and lives should be fruitful, that they should shine so as to benefit others, to God's glory. Nevertheless, in the light of the then prevailing conditions, as set forth in the Gospels, the conclusion would seem to be warranted that the basic thought is taking a slightly different turn here. What is it that causes hearts and lives to shine? Answer: the word of God asserting its influence within these hearts and lives. That word is symbolized by the seed (Matt. 13:19; Mark 4:14; Luke 8:11); also by the lamp (Ps. 119:105). It was that word and that lamp which the rabbis were hiding under an elaborate load of human traditions (Matt. 15:3; ch. 23) and hypocritical actions (Matt. 6:1-18; 23:15). That word must reveal its power once more. That lamp must shine forth again in all the pristine purity of its light, in order to be a blessing to men. See Matt. 5:15, 16; Luke 8:16b. This interpretation sheds light on what Jesus says about the absurdity of putting the lamp under the peck-measure or the bed, instead of on the lampstand. Note the articles ("the") before the name of each piece of furtniture here mentioned. This is not strange, for : a. lamp, peck-measure, bed, and lampstand were familiar pieces in a typical Galilean home; b. in the homes of the poor there may have been only one lamp, one one peck-measure, etc. As to the lamp, picture a terra cotta saucer-shaped object with handle on one end;on the other end a nozzle- shaped extension with hole for a wick. As to the two holes in the lamp's upper surface, one is for adding oil, the other for air. Of course, not all lamps were similar. For the different types consult encyclopaedias; better still, visit the museum. The question Jesus asks is a double one. It is immediately evident not only from the Greek but from the translation as here proposed, that the first part looks forward to the answer "No"; the second expects "Yes." Who would ever think of first lighting the lamp and then putting it under the peck-measure? [150] Or under the "bed," a kind of mattress which, when not in use was rolled up. Doing this with the lamp would be absurd. A lit lamp belongs on the lampstand! Such a lampstand was generally a very simple object. It might be a shelf extending from the pillar in the center of the room (the pillar that supported the large cross-beam of the flat roof), or a single stone projecting inward from the wall, or a piece of metal conspicuously placed and used similarly. The point is, of course, that believers, too, should let their light shine. They should permit the word of God to be in full control over their own lives; their inner self, dispositions, thoughts, words, teachings, writings, deeds. And they should never hold back but should testify. See Ps. 66:16; 107:2; Matt. 5:16; II Tim. 4:2; I John 2:12- 14. God intended that the mystery given to his children should be disclosed. It is hidden only from those who continue to harden themselves against its appeal. Thus, while the teaching of Mark 4:11,12 is not refuted, the emphasis now is rather on that which must happen first of all: the sower must sow the seed; the lamp must be placed where it can shine; the mystery must be disclosed, not concealed. But whether revealed or concealed, whatever is done with it will not go unnoticed: MARKj&d124,5,6 - COMMENT TIME - Autumn A.D. 28. At the same time as the first parable. PLACE - In a boat in the Sea of Galilee, the crown on the shore. PARALLEL ACCOUNT - Luke 8:16,17. OUTLINE - 1. The purpose of the lamp, vs. 21. 2. Items are hidden for the purpose of later being revealed, vs. 22,a. 3. Secrets are made to be told, vs. 22b. 4. Those who can should understand, vs. 23. ANALYSIS I. THE PURPOSE OF THE LAMP. VS. 21. 1. Not under the bushel. 2. Not under the bed. 3. On the Stand. II. ITEMS ARE HIDDEN TO BE REVEALED. 22a. III. SECRETS ARE MADE TO BE TOLD. 22b. IV. THOSE WHO CAN SHOULD UNDERSTAND. vs. 23. EXPLANATORY NOTES I. THE PURPOSE OF THE LAMP, VS. 21. "And he said unto them, Is a (or the ) candle brought to be put under, etc. 22. "For there is nothing hid which shall not be manifested" (or, save that it should be manifested). These verses must be taken together, and their meaning seems to be something of this sort. The Lord had for certain wise, and, we believe, merciful reasons, adopted a new role of teaching, in which He veiled His meaning from the multitude under parables, but this was not because He intended their meaning to be permanently hidden from the world, but because He intended that it might be the better known to the world when the fitting time was come. To his end He made known the interpretation to His Apostles, not for themselves, but for the world. His truth - the truth of the Gospel - was the lamp; this lamp of truth He intended not for a corner of the world, or for a select few, but for all men of all nations, who would turn their faces towards it and receive it, and so He gave it now to the Apostles, who, after Pentecost, were to make it known to all nations for the obedience of faith. MARKbarclay95,6,7,8 - Verses 21-25 are interesting because they show the problems that confronted the writers of the gospels. These verses give us four different sayings of Jesus. In verse 21 there is the saying about the lamp. In verse 22 there is the saying about the revealing of secret things. In verse 24 there is the saying which lays it down that we shall receive back with the same measure as we have given. In verse 25 there is the saying that says that to him who has still more will be given. Now in Mark these verses come one after another in immediate succession. But verse 21 is repeated in Matthew 5: 15; verse 22 is repeated in Matthew 10: 26; verse 24 is repeated in Matthew 7: 2; and verse 25 is repeated in Matthew 13:12 and also in Matthew 25:29. That is to say that four consecutive verses in Mark's gospel are scattered all over Matthew's gospel. One practical thing emerges for our study of them. We must not try to find any connection between them, for clearly there is none. They are quite disconnected and we must take them one by one. How did this happen? How did it come about that these sayings of Jesus are given by Mark one after another and scattered by Matthew all over his gospel? The reason is just this. Jesus had a unique command of language. He could say the most vivid and pithy things. He could say things that stuck in the memory and refused to be forgotten. Further, He must have said many of these things far more than once. He was moving from place to place and from audience to audience; and He must have repeated much of His teaching wherever He went. The consequence was that men remembered the things that Jesus said--they were said with such vividness that they could not be forgotten--but they forgot the occasion on which they were said. The result was that there are a great many of what one might call "orphan" sayings of Jesus. The saying itself is embedded in men's minds and remembered for ever, but the context of it, the occasion of it is forgotten. So then we have to take these vivid sayings by themselves individually and examine them. One of Jesus' memorable sayings was that men do not light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, which would be like putting a bowl on the top of it, nor do they put it under a bed. A lamp is meant to be seen and to make men able to see; and it is put in a place where all men can see it. From this saying we may learn two things. (i) Truth is meant to be seen. The trust is not meant to be concealed; it is meant to be displayed. There may be times when it is dangerous to tell the truth; there may be times when to tell the truth is the quickest way to persecution and to trouble. But the true man and the true Christian stands by the truth in face of all men. When Luther decided to take up his stand against the Roman Catholic Church he decided first of all to attack indulgences. Indulgences were to all intents and purposes remissions of sins which a man could buy from a priest at a price. He drew up ninety-five theses against these indulgences. And what did he do with his ninety-five theses? There was a church in Wittenberg called the Church of All Saints. It was closely connected with the University; on its door University notices were posted, and the subject of academic debates displayed. There was no more public notice-board in the town. To that door Luther affixed his theses. When did he do it? The day when the largest congregation came to the church and the town was All Saints' Day, the first of November. It happened to be the anniversary of the founding of that church and many services were held and crowds came. It was on All Saints' Day that Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the church door. If Luther had been a prudent and a cautious man he would not have drawn up his ninety-five theses at all. If he had been a man with an eye on safety he would never have nailed them to the church door. And, if he must nail them to the door, if he had had any thought of personal safety he would never have chosen All Saints' Day to make his declaration. But Luther felt that he had discovered the truth; and his one thought was to display the truth and to align his life with it. In every walk of life there are times when we know quite well what the truth demands, what the right thing to do is, what a Christian man ought to do. In every walk of life there are times when we fail to do it, because to do it would be to court unpopularity and perhaps worse. We ought to remember that the lamp of truth is something to be held aloft and not concealed in the interests of a cowardly safety. Our Christianity is meant to be seen. In the early Church sometimes to show one's Christianity meant death. The Roman Empire was as vast as the world. In order to get some sort of binding unity into that vast empire Emperor worship was started. The Emperor was the embodiment and the impersonation of the state and he was worshipped as a god. On certain stated days it was demanded that everyone should come and sacrifice to the godhead of the Emperor. It was really a test of political loyalty. After a man had done so he got a certificate to say he had done so; and having got that certificate, he could go away and worship any god he liked. We still have many of these certificates. They run like this: To those who have been put in charge of the sacri- fices from Inareus Akeus from the village of Theoxenis, together with his children Aias and Hera, who stay in the village of Theadelpheia. We sacrifice regularly to the gods and now in your presence, as the regulations demand, we have sacrificed and poured our libation and have tasted the offerings, and we ask you to give us the required certificate. May you fare well. Then there follows the attestation. We, Serenas and Hermas, have witnessed your sacrificing. All a Christian had to do was to go through that formal act, receive that certificate, and he was safe. And the fact of history is that thousands of Christians died rather than do so. They could have concealed the fact that they were Christians with the greatest of ease; they could have gone on being Christians, as it were, privately, with no trouble at all. But to them their Christianity was something which had to be attested and witnessed to in presence of all men. They were proud that all should know where they stood. To such we owe our Christian faith today. It is often easier to keep quiet the fact that we belong to Christ and His Church; but our Christianity must always be like the lamp that can be seen of all men. Mark 4:22 For there is nothing hid,; For nothing is hidden--ABUV; For no one hides anything--Gspd; which shall not be manifested;; except that it should be manifested--ABUV; except for the purpose of sometime bringing it to light again--Gspd; neither was any thing kept secret,; nothing concealed--Mof; and people do not keep secrets--Wms; but that it should come abroad.; but that it should come to light--ASV; except to be revealed--Mof; except to tell them--Wms; For it is not hidden, save that it may be made visible; neither did it get hidden away, but that it might come into a place where it could be seen. for there is not anything hid that may not be manifested, nor was anything kept hid but that it may come to light. TRNTyeagerV236,7 - ou gar estin krupton ean mA hina phanerwthA, oude egeneto apogruphon all' hina elthA eis phaneron. ou (negative conjunction with the indicative). gar (causal conjunction). estin (3d.per.sing.pres.ind.of eimi, aoristic). krupton (nom.sing.neut.ofkruptos, predicate nominative). ean (conditional particle in a third-class condition). mA (negative conjunction with the subjunctive, in a third-class condition). hina (final conjunction in a purpose clause). phanerwthA (3d.per.sing.aor.pass.subj.of phanerow, purpose). oude (disjunctive particle). egeneto (3d.per.sing.aor.ind.of ginomai, constative). apokruphon (nom.sing.neut.of apokruphos, predicate adjective). all' (alternative conjunction). hina (final conjunction introducing a purpose clause). elthA (3d.per.sing.aor.pass.subj.of erchomai, purpose). eis (preposition with the accusative of extent). phaneron (acc.sing.neut.of phaneros, extent). Translation: "Because nothing is hidden except for the purpose of future manifestation, nor was anything kept secret except that it may be brought to light." COMMENT: Candles are for the production of light. Light is for shining. Hence, candles should be placed on candlesticks, not under bushels or beds. All light is going to shine somewhere. There is not one thing now hidden, but that in God's eternal purpose is destined for revelation. The second sentence says essentially the same thing and is repeated only for emphasis. apokruphon is a stronger word than krupton. It means "hidden away from" not simply "hidden." The phrase hina elthA eis phaneron indicates a definite purpose on God's part. Hidden things are going to be brought to light. When we note in Col.2:3 that these hidden things include all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge which are now hidden in Christ, it is indeed a wonderful promise. All of these things shall be included in the curriculum in God's eternal university. Not one treasure will be forever hidden. R999 - Hina is used here like hwste and the infinitive (consecutive; cf. BD382[1]), "that." R1185 - Oude has a continuative sense, carrying on the negative with no idea of contrast. T330 - alla has the meaning of "except" (cf. BD448[8] and H468). DM240 - alla. This is a strong adversative conjunction. It usually has the meaning but,... It may fittingly be translated except in Mk.4:22, ... "for there is noting hid except that it should be made manifest, nor does it become hidden except that it should come into manifestation. ... Ear127 - Hid...Secret. The first adjective is cruptos (cf. "cryptic"). It coms from the verb cruptw, which means "hide" or "conceal." Rather than "hid," today we would say "hidden" (NASB, NIV). The second adjective is apocruphos, which comes from apocruptw, "conceal" or "keep secret." The so-called Apocryphal Books were considered to be "secret" writings, and so they were excluded from the Hebrew canon, though they were included in the Greek Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, and the early editions of the King James Version. Protestants agree with the Jews in rejecting them. Ear127,8 - Be Manifested...Come Abroad. The first expression translates the verb phanerow, in the passive, which means "become visible or known, be revealed" (AG). The second is the verb for "come" (erchomai) with eis phaneron, "come into the open." What Jesus is saying is that things are hidden or kept secret so that at the proper time and place they may be "brought out into the open" (NIV). Swete gives an excellent explanation of what Jesus meant: "If the Gospel was for the moment treated as a secret, it was so only because this temporary secrecy was essential to its successful proclamation after the Ascension". MARKitGNTwuest90 - "There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested." Vincent comments "The A.V., makes Christ say that every hidden thing shall be revealed. This is wrong." He says that things are hidden in order that they may be manifested. Concealment is a means to revelation. Robertson quotes Swete as saying that it is stated that the temporary concealment is for final manifestation and a means to an end. Those who are charged with the secret at this time, are given the set responsibility of proclaiming it on the housetops after Ascension. The word "manifested" is the translation of phanerow "to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown." Translation: "For there is not anything which is hidden, except it be in order that it might be made known, nor has anything become hidden but in order that it might come into full view." MARKmcgarvey285 - "nothing hid."--Nothing in the counsel and purpose of God concerning man. To some extent these had hitherto been hid and kept secret, but now all that had been hid was to be made manifest, and all that had been kept secret was to come abroad. TCGTC-MARKcranfield165 - It is best to read ou gar estin krupton, and to explain the variants ou gar estin ti krupton and ouden gar estin krupton as stylistic improvements. The meaning must anyway be 'for there is nothing hid'. That Mark intended vs.22 to be understood closely with vs.21 is indicated by gar. So, if we were right about the meaning he saw in vs.21, the way he interpreted this saying is clear enough. It repeats the idea of vs.21, but with the significant difference that, whereas it was not actually indicated there that the lamp is for a while hidden, in this saying thereis explicit reference to a period of hiddenness. So this verse serves to correct a possible false impression and to make easier the application of the parable of the lamp to Jesus himself. For a while the kingdom of God is a mystery, concealed under apparent weakness, and this hiddenness (or indirectness of revelation) must not be laid aside before the time. But the present costly hiddenness is for the express purpose of the kingdom's future glorious manifestation. Note Mark's emphasis on the idea of purpose here--hina four times in two verses, while in Lk.8:16f. it only occurs once. What looks like the same saying is also given in two other contexts and with two different meanings in Mt.10:26 and Lk.12:2. NTC-MARKhendriksen163 - For there is nothing concealed except to be disclosed, nor is anything covered up except to come to light. Men may try to cover up things, but in this they will always be unsuccessful, for God brings everything out into the open. One day whatever is now concealed will be revealed. See Eccl. 12:14; Matt. 12:36; 13:43; 16:27; Luke 8:17; 12:2; Rom. 2:6; Col. 3:3,4; Rev. 2:23; 20:12,13. Now this a a fact that is often ignored. Men think they can get away with their evil thoughts, plans, words, and actions. God, however, will expose all this. it is therefore not surprising that, as reported by Mark, Jesus continues: II. ITEMS ARE HIDDEN TO BE REVEALED. 22A. God does not conceal any mystery, any religious truth, merely for the sake of concealing it. If He conceals any truth it is that He may ultimately make it better known. This very parable is an illustration of this. If any truth ever shone forth upon the lamp-stand of the Church it is that which is taught us by this parable, that the word of the Gospel is efficacious or not, according to the state of heart of the recipients; so that men must in very deed "take heed" as to "how" they hear and "what" they hear. This meaning is still more clearly enforced by the true reading of the first clause of verse 22. There is nothing hidden, save that it should be manifested. So we have this parable given in full in three out of the four Gospels, and we may safely say that, with the exception of that of the returning prodigal, there is none which has been more expounded and enforced by preachers in all ages. The meaning, however, of verse 21, is much obscured by deficiency of translation. We lose much of the significance if we think of the modern candle and candlestick carried about in the hand. On the contrary, it is the lamp of the house put upon the lamp-stand, or candelabrum, which is so elevated that any lamp upon it can lighten up all the interior. Mark 4:23 If any man have ears to hear,; If any one has ears to hear-- ABUV; If you have ears to hear--NEB; If a man has ears--Phi; let him hear.; let him listen!--Wms; then hear--NEB; he should use them--Phi; let him hear. If any hath ears to hear--let him hear.' TRNTyeagerV237 - ei tis echei hwta akouein akouetw. ei (conditional particle in a first-class condition). tis (nom.sing.masc.of tis, subject of echei). echei (3d.per.sing.pres.act.ind.of echw, first-class condition). hwta (acc.pl.neut.of ous, direct object of echei). akouein (pres.act.inf.of akouw, epexegetical). akouetw (3d.per.sing.pres.act.impv.of akouw, command). Translation: "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." COMMENT: This statement which occurs frequently (Mt.11:15; 13:9,43; Mk.4:9,23; 7:16; Lk.8:8; 14:35; Rev.2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22; 13:9) along with other related statements, seems always to be a divine invitation for man to probe as deeply into what has been said as possible. In Mk.4:23 it follows the statement that no wisdom and knowledge will be permanently hidden from everyone. The depths of God's wisdom can be plumbed by those willing to have the ears that are able to hear. It is indeed a challenge. The next verses are to the point. DM247 - Ei. ...But a special use of ei with indefinite pronouns, which is not recognized in translations of the NT or in lexicons (Robertson discusses it on pg.956), needs explanation. Ei ti or ei tis is equivalent to ho ti or hos tis .... Notice the improvement in the translation of Phs.4:8, "Whatsoever things are of good report; whatever is excellent and whatever is praise worthy, think on these things." Paul first particularizes and then generalizes. And Zacchaeus' statement in Lk.19:8 should read, "Whatever I have wrongfully exacted from anyone I will repay four-fold". Also here in Mk.4:23, "whoever has ears to hear, let him hear." BW163 - Conditional Clauses. First Class Condition. In the first class condition the speaker assumes that the condition stated in the protasis (the if clause) is a reality. Because of this assumption, the speaker uses ei plus the indicative mood in the protasis. The apodosis (the main clause) may use the indicative, subjunctive, or the imperative mood. It may be a direct statement, a question, an exhortation, a command, or a request. The verb in the apodosis may be in any tense. (here). MARKitGNTwuest90 - The "if" here is not the conditional particle ean which introduces a future, unfulfilled, hypothetical condition, but ei, the particle of a fulfilled condition. The point is, they had ears with which to hear. Therefore, they ought to use them. Robertson suggests that perhaps some inattention was noted. Both the infinitive and the verb here are present in tense and emphasize durative action. Translation: "Since a person has ears to be hearing, let him be hearing. MARKmcgarvey285,6 - "let him hear."--This admonition is appropriate. Dropping the figure of the lamp, and returning to the word which it represented, those who have ears to hear are advised to hear it. If it was to make manifest what had hitherto been hidden, and to bring abroad what had hitherto been kept secret in the mind of God, it was becoming in every man who had ears, to use them in hearing it. Nothing that ever struck the human ear is so worthy of being heard as the word of God. TCGTC-MARKcranfield165,6 - ... In this context it points to the connection between the indirectness of revelation and the fact that faith is only possible where room is left for personal decision. The kingdom is concealed, the revelation indirect, in order to give this room and to make faith possible. This saying seeks to elicit faith. As the same time it presupposes that the possession of the hearing ear is a divine gift. NTC-MARKhendriksen163 - If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Essentially verse 23 is the same as verse 9, though the form differs slightly (verse 9: "He who has" verse 23: "If anyone has"). therefore see on verse 9. Another but closely connected thought is now added: TNICot-MARKlane164,5,6,7 - The aphorisms from which this section has been constructed are traditional in character and occur elsewhere unrelated to each other. The evangelist has brought them together because of their relevance to Jesus' teaching through parables. Ch. 4:21-25 consists of two trilogies of sayings, which Mark appears to have understood as "the parable of the lamp: and "the parable of the measure." By inserting this block of material into the discourse on parables he sheds light on his distinctive understanding of these words of Jesus. It is not clear whether in his intention these words are to be understood as part of the private address to the disciples or as parabolic address to the multitude. The call to true hearing in verses 23-24, however, recalls Ch. 4:3 and 9, which suggests that the multitude is once agan in view. This is clearly the case in Ch. 4:26, where the parable of the growth of the seed is introduced. The parable of the lamp, which is not intended to be placed under a measure [50] or a bed [51] but upon a stand where it may illumine the whole room, has stimulated the imagination of modern interpreters. It is necessary for the interpreter of Mark, however, to give special attention to the distinctively Marcan formulation of the logion and to the context in which it has been placed. The more interesting features of Mark's formulation are the use of the definite article before "lamp" and the choice of the verb "come": "Does the lamp comefor the purpose of being placed under the measure or under the couch? Does it not come for the purpose of being placed on the lampstand?" [53] The use of "come" [54] is intriguing, precisely because lamps do not come but "are brought," and this more usual understanding is reflected in the rendering of the ASV and RSV. Mark's term at this point is wholly intelligible, however, if Jesus was speaking of himself as the lamp that has been kindled and that has come, in keeping with the mission pronouncements of Jesus which stress the purpose for his coming. [55] It seems reasonable that Mark understood the simile in this way. Assuming this to be the correct understanding, the use of the article with "lamp" indicates to those who have eyes to see "the lamp whose identity is known." Mark's placement of this parable after Ch. 4:11-20 suggests further that he has in view the secret of the Kingdom of God which is present in the person of Jesus, whose mission remains for many a veiled enigma. The reference throughout is to the mission of Jesus. The contrast that is drawn in verse 21 is between hiddenness - "under the bushel" or "under the couch" - and open manifestation - "upon the stand." Verse 22, with its "secrecy" language, sustains this contrast and implies that there is something hidden now which shall later be unveiled; there is a secret which shall become known. In the context of Jesus' mission the parable means that just as a man would not kindle a clay lamp to conceal its light under a bushel-measure or under a dining couch, it should not be thought that God has brought near the Kingdom in the person of Jesus for the ultimate purpose of concealing his dignity. No, there will come a day when the veil is taken away and He will be known as the Bearer of the Kingdom in a disclosure which all will see. The reference is to the parousia, when the one whose mission came the way of a sower scattering seed will appear in the dignity of the Harvester whose sovereign authority will be demonstrated to all. The solemn call to hear and perceive the deeper significance in the parable is a call to faith and to hope for the disciples to whom it is given to perceive the secret even in its veiledness. To those outside, it is a warning that there is a deeper significance to the enigma presented by the mission of Jesus. It is as unnatural as kindling a lamp and concealing its light under a bushel. The day will surely come when its deeper purposes will be disclosed to all. The period of hiddenness is merely a prelude to the period of manifestation, when apparent obscurity and weakness will be exchanged for messianic glory and power. Like the parable of the sower, the parable of the lamp views the mission of Jesus in comprehensive terms and has a distinctly eschatological perspective from which the disciples were to find reassurance and insight concernng the nature of the coming of the Kingdom of God. III.THOSE WHO CAN SHOULD UNDERSTAND. VS 23 - If any man have ears to hear, etc. If this was said not in the hearing of the multitude, but to the Apostles, or to those select ones to whom He had just expounded the parable, then it implies that there are still deeper mysteries of grace which require, for their apprehension, a more effectual opening of the soul's ears, and a deeper preparation of heart. Men have ears to hear certain fundamental, or practical truths, who still have not as yet ears to hear certain deep mysteries." (M.F. Sadler). FoSUitBbullinger267,8,9 - POLYPTOTON; OR, MANY INFLECTIONS. The Repetition of the same Part of Speech in different Inflections. Po-lyp'-to-ton. Greek poluptwton; from polus, many, and ptwsis, a falling: in grammar, a case (from an assumed form ptow, to fall). Hence, Polyptoton means with many cases, i.e., a repetition of the same noun in several cases, or of the same verb in several moods or tenses. With many inflections is a definition which covers both nouns and verbs. It is called also METAGOGE (met-a-go-gee). Greek metagwgA, from meta, a change, and agw, to lead. It means a change of course; a different arrangement of the same word, a leading of the same word through different inflections. In Latin it is called CASUUM VARIETAS, a variety of cases. This figure, therefore, is a repetition of the same word in the same sense, but not in the same form: from the same root, but in some other termination; as that of case, mood, tense, person, degree, number, gender, etc. By "case," etc, is to be understood not merely the case of nouns, but inflections of all kinds. We have arranged the different forms of Polyptoton, as follows:-- I. VERBS. 1. Verbs repeated in different moods and tenses. 2. Verbs with their imperatives, or participles (HOMOGENE). (a) In strong affirmation. (b) In strong negation. 3. Verbs with cognate noun. 4. Verbs with other parts of speech (combined Polyptoton). II. NOUNS AND PRONOUNS. 1. Nouns repeated in different cases. 2. Nouns repeated in different numbers. (a) In singular and plural. (b) In singular and dependent genitive plural. III. ADJECTIVES. I. VERBS. 1. Verbs repeated in different moods and tenses. ... Matt. 11:15.--"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear," wta akouein, akouetw. On fourteen occasions in the NT does the Lord use this expression (thus, or in similar words), and we place them all together here under the first occurence so that we may see the fulness of the cumulative effect. In the English we have a Paronomasia (q.v.) as well, "ears to hear," but not in the Greek, except in the case of the eight in Revelations, where we have ous akousatw. The real figure lies in the emphatic polyptoton in each case. This solemn injunction was never used by mere human lips. No mortal man could demand the attention to which this emphatic command lays claim. None but the Lord ever used these words. They are (unlike many other of the examples) translated literally, but they mean: He whose ears are opened, let him surely hear, or let him take heed to give the most earnest attention! MARKbarclay98,9,100 - It was Jesus' certain conviction that the truth cannot ultimately be hidden. This saying applies in two directions. It applies to truth itself. There is something about the truth which is indestructible. Men may refuse to face the truth; they may try to suppress the truth; they may even try to obliterate the truth; they may refuse to accept the truth, but "great is the truth and in the end it will prevail." In the early sixteenth century there was an astronomer called Copernicus who made the discovery that the earth is not the centre of the universe, that in fact the earth goes round the sun and not the sun round the earth. He was a cautious man and for thirty years he kept this discovery to himself. Then in 1543, when death's breath was on him, he persuaded a terrified printer to print his great work, Revolutions of Heavenly Bodies. Soon Copernicus died but others inherited the storm. In the early seventeenth century Galileo accepted the theory of Copernicus and stated publicly his belief in it. In 1616 he was summoned to the inquisition in Rome and his beliefs were condemned. Judgment was passed. "The first proposition that the sun is the centre and does not revolve about the earth, is foolish, absurd, false in theology, and heretical because contrary to Holy Scripture.... The second proposition, that the earth is not the centre, but revolves about the sun, is absurd, false in philosophy, and from a theological point of view at least, opposed to the true faith." Galileo gave in. It was easier to conform than to die; and for years he remained silent. A new pope came to the papal throne and Galileo thought that Urban the Eighth was a man of wider sympathy and greater culture than his predecessor, so once again he came out into the open with his theory. He was mistaken in his hopes. This time he had to sign a recantation or undergo torture. He signed. "I, Galileo, being in my seventieth year, being a prisoner and on my knees, and before your Eminences, having before my eyes the Holy Gospel, which I touch with my hands, abjure, curse and detest the error and the heresy of the movement of the earth." His recantation saved him from death but not from prison. And in the end he was even denied burial in the family tomb. It was not only the Roman Catholic Church which tried to avoid the truth. Luther wrote: "People gave ear to an upstart astrologer (he meant Copernicus) who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon.... This fool wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred Scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth." But time goes on You can threaten to torture a man for discovering the truth; you can call him a fool and try to laugh him out of court; but that does not alter the truth. "It lies not in your power," said Andrew Melville, "to hang or exile the truth." Truth may be attacked, delayed, suppressed, mocked at; but time brings in its revenges and in the end truth prevails. A man must have a care that he is not fighting against the truth. It applies to ourselves and to our own life and to our own life and conduct. When a man does a wrong thing his first instinct is to hide. That is what Adam and Eve did when they broke the commandment of God (Genesis 3:8). But truth has a way of emerging. In the last analysis no man can hide the truth from himself, and the man with a secret is never a happy man. The web of deception is never a permanent concealment. And, when it comes to ultimate things, no man can have any secrets from God. In the end it is literally true that there is nothing secret which will not be revealed in the presence of God. When we remember that we are bound to be filled with the desire to make life such that all men may look on it and God survey it, without shame to ourselves. Mark 4:24 And he said unto them,; He also said--NEB; Then He added--Nor; Take heed what ye hear:; Take care what you listen to--NASB; Take note of what you hear--NEB; Be careful how you listen-- Phi; Give your minds to what you hear--Rieu; with what measure ye mete,; the measure you give--RSV; the measure you deal out to others--Mof; it shall be measured to you:; will be the measure you get--RSV; will be dealt out to yourselves--Mof; and unto you that hear shall more be given.; and more shall be given unto you--ASV; and more will be added to you--ABUV; and still more will be given you--RSV; and you will receive extra--Mof; And he was saying unto them-- Be taking heed, what ye are hearing:-- it shall be measured unto you, and added unto you; And he said to them, 'Take heed what ye hear; in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you; and to you who hear it shall be added; TRNTyeagerV238 - Kai elegen autois, Blepete ti akouete. en hw metrw metreite metrAthAsetai humin kai prostethAsetai humin. Kai (continuative conjunction). elegen (3d.per.sing.imp.act.ind.of legw, progressive duration). autois (dat.pl.masc.of autos, indirect object of elegen). Blepete (2d.per.pl.pres.act.impv.of blepw, command). ti (acc.sing.neut.of tis, direct object of akouete). akouete (2d.per.pl.pres.act.ind.of akouw, progressive). en (preposition with the instrumental of means) [Ed. S. - More probably locative of sphere]. hw (instru.sing.neut.of hos, relative pronoun). [locative of sphere]. metrw (instru.sing.neut.of metron, means) [sphere]. metreite (2d.per.pl.pres.act.ind.of akouw, progressive). metrAthAsetai (3d.per.sing.fut.pass.ind.of metrew, predictive). humin (dat.pl.masc.of su, personal interest). kai (adjunctive conjunction joining verbs). prostethAsetai (3d.per.sing.fut.pass.ind.of prostithAmi, predictive). humin (dat.pl.masc.of su, personal interest). Translation: "And He continued to speak to them, 'Be careful what you listen to: with what measure you use to measure it shall be measured for you and it shall be even more for you." COMMENT: Mark says, "Be careful what you hear." Luke says, "Be careful therefore how you hear." If everything among the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ (Col.2:3) is to be revealed to those with ears to hear (Mk.4:23), how much the Christian grows in grace will depend upon what the hears (Mk.4:23) and how he hears it (Lk.8:18). Both ideas - what and how are important to the thought. Many Christians attend worship services where the what is settled satisfactorily, but the how is lacking. A recent comment: "Pastor's Bible preaching would help this church, if they would listen to him." When one gives attention to a parable, the benefit we derive from it will depend upon how we hear. The Christian who fills his ears with the drivel from Madison Avenue should take heed. The rest of the verse lays down the pinciple that the measure of faith and grace which we bring to the Lord and His Word, determines the measure of what we receive. Further, that if we get some of our Lord's meaning, more will be added, since the supernatural Word of God is so vital that a little divine light stimulates reflection until an exponential growth can be expected. M33 - En occurs with the dative of judgment here, "with which measure." Ear128 - Measure...Mete...Measure. The Greek metrw...metreite...metrAthAsetai: "With the measure (by which) you measure, it will be measured to you." This is a proverbial saying and expresses a significant law of life. A&G give the sense well: "The measure you give will be the measure you get". And Swete offers a helpful application. He writes: "Here the sense is: 'your attention to the teaching will be the measure of the profit you will receive from it'". In the last clause of this verse the modification "that hear" is not found in the earliest and best manuscripts. The Greek simply says, "and it will be added to you." MARKmcgarvey286 - "Take heed what ye hear."--They were inclined, like ourselves, to hear only so much as was agreeable to their feelings and preconceived notions: hence this admonition. "with what measure you mete." -- This was a proverbial expression, and applies to our dealings with God as well as to our dealings with one another. if we give him good measure by taking heed to hear all that he says, we have the promise of good measure from him: "To you that hear shall more be given." TCGTC-MARKcranfield166 - The next saying--blepete ti akouete--is also an appeal for spiritual perception. Perhaps a challenge to penetrate beyond the outward forms of what Jesus says-- e.g. parables as mere stories--to the message they are meant to impart? (To substitute pws for ti, as Lk.8:18 does, does not materially alter the sense; for the right way to hear Jesus' teaching is to hear what he means to say.) And, if one hears the Word and recognizes it as such, then one's hearing cannot stop short at hearing, but must become a response of faith and obedience and gratitude. The next saying (the rest of v.24) is omitted in the Lk. parallel, but is given both in Mt. and Lk. elsewhere. In its Mk context it is natural to understand it in connection with hearing. So perhaps: According to the measure of your response to the Word, so will be the blessing which you will receive from God--or rather God in his generosity will give you a blessing disproportionately large (cf. Lk.6:38 and kai perisseuthAsetai in Mt.13:12; 25:29). The first part of the saying occurs also in Mt.7:2; Lk.6:38; and the significance it has in Mt. and Lk. is perhaps more probably its original significance: i.e. that in the Judgmement God will deal with us according to the way that we have dealt with our fellow men. NTC-MARKhendriksen 163,4 - And he said to them, Be careful what you hear. With respect to men's - here in verses 21-25 expecially Christ's followers' - duty and responsibility in the matter of hearing, three things are stressed in the Gospels: a. That they should here or listen (Mark 4:9,23), the emphasis being on hearing over against refusing to hear; b What they should hear (verse 24), what to hear over against what not to hear; and c How they should hear (Luke 8:18), attentively, judiciously, over against how not to hear. As to "Be careful," "Take heed," or "Be on your guard," see also Mark 13:33; Luke 8:18. When a person is constantly listening to what he should not be hearing - for example, malicious gossip-, he will be inclined to judge rashly and condemn. He will be wrongly measuring people, condemning them. Let him then bear in mind: In accordance with the measure whereby you measure it shall be measured back to you...If the one who does the measuring is kind, he will judge favorably, will take delight in giving credit where credit is due, in bestowing favors (see Luke 6:38). On the other hand, if he is of the opposite disposition, he will easily fall into the habit of judging severly, unkindly (See Matt. 7:1-5; expecially verse 2). Whatever it be, the measure he gives will be the measure he gets. If he gives generously he will receive even more generously; and more besides shall be given to you. This reminds one of Matt. 6:33, where the original uses the same verb, [151] and similarly in a favorable sense: "all these things shall be added to you." that is, "shall be granted to you as an extra gift." God's gifts are always most generous. He is forever adding gift to gift, favor to favor, blessing to blessing. He gives not only "of" his riches - as a billionaire might do when he gives a dollar to charity - , but "according to" his riches, the riches of his grace (Eph. 1:7), He imparts "grace upon grace" (John 1:16). He not only pardons but pardons abundantly (Isa. 55:7). He delights in lovingkindness (Mic. 7:18). "Before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking I will hear" (Isa. 65:24; cf. Dan. 9:20-23). When he loves, he loves the world; and when he gives, he gives his only begotten Son (John 3:16). That Son, moreover, not only intercedes for his people but "ever lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). Truly, "He giveth and giveth and giveth again." "More besides shall be given to you." When Abraham's servant asks Rebekah for a drink, she not only quenches his thirst but in addition also that of the camels. (Gen. 24:13,14, 18-20, 42-46). This is only a faint reflection of what God in Christ is doing constantly: He not only grants Solomon's wish for wisdom, but in addition promises him riches and length of days (I Kings 3:9-15). He not only accedes to the centurion's request to heal the latter's servant, but in addition pronounces a blessing upon the centurion (Matt. 8:5-13). He not only answers the plea of Jairus, restoring to life his daughter, but in addition sees to it that the child gets something to eat (Mark 5:21-24,43). He, the resurrected Christ, not only fulfils his promise to meet the disciples in Galilee (Matt. 26:32; 28:7, 16-20), but in addition meets and blesses them even earlier, in Jerusalem (Luke 24:33-48). He not only pardons the sinner - as a governor might grant pardon - but, in addition, adopts him and grants him peace, holiness, joy, assurance, freedom of access, super- invincibility (Rom. chapters 5-8). This interpretation of the final clause of verse 24 is supported by what immediately follows in verse 25. MARKj&d126,7,8 COMMENT The four parables of Mark were all given at the same time and place. The parallel accounts are in Matt. 13:18-32 and Luke 8:11-19. 19. This warning for the bearers is also found in Luke 8:18. OUTLINE - 1. Measure determines measuring, 24a. 2. He who has, 25a. 3. He who has not, 25b. ANALYSIS I. MEASURE DETERMINES MEASURING, VS. 24. 1. What amount are you giving of what I have given to you? 2. What you have given determines what you shall receive. II. HE WHO HAS, VS. 25A. l. The one or ones to whom Jesus has given. 2. If this one gives of what he has received he shall receive more. III. HE WHO HAS NOT, VS. 25B. 1. He refuses to give what he has. 2. What he had is lost. EXPLANATORY NOTES I. MEASURE DETERMINES MEASURING, VS. 24. Thus far the duty of using the truth as light has been grounded in the nature of truth and the purpose of the Teacher; now it is grounded in the law of human life itself. The words, And he saith unto them, repeated here, probably indicate, not a new beginning with a change of time and place, but rather the narrator's remembrance of this special emphasis with which all this was spoken, very likely after a solemn pause. - Take heed what ye hear. Luke, "how ye hear." Not, "Be careful what you listen to," as if he would warnagainst dangerous teachers, but, "Carefully consider what you are hearing; observe how important it is; remember how necessary that you make the right use of it." It is almost, "Take heed to what you hear." The reason assigned for this caution is that, according to the universal law, what one does will return to him. - The words that hear are to be omitted, and the omission considerable changes the structure of the sentence: "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you, and added to you." - This saying, With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you, proverbial in form, is applied in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:2) to the retribution that must come upon uncharitableness and self-willed judgment. Here our Lord gives it a quite different application; it is a law of life, and may be applied in many ways. In this case its lesson is, "You will be dealt with, as to truth, as you deal with others. Hide it, and it will be hidden from you; impart it, and it will be imparted to you." How many souls, in dealing with trust as God has given it to them, have found it even so - that concealment was loss, while giving was gain! If the apostles had kept their truth as a private trust, how their souls would have shrivelled! Shall more be given is a promise of a return, which shall be not merely as the gift, but greater. So Luke 6:38. (Compare 2 Cor. 9:8-14). MARKbarclay100,1,2 - In life there is always a balance. A man's getting will in every case be determined by his giving. This is true of study. The more study a man is prepared to give to any subject, the more he will get from it. It is told that the ancient nation of the Parthians would never give their young men a meal until they had broken sweat. They had to work before they ate. All subjects of study are like that. They give pleasure and satisfaction in proportion to the effort that we are prepared to spend upon them. It is specially so in regard to the study of the Bible. We sometimes feel that there are certain parts of the Bible with which we are out of sympathy; if we study these parts they are often the very parts which end by giving us the richest harvest. A superficial study of any subject will often leave us quite uninterested; a really intensive study of any subject will leave us thrilled and fascinated. It is true of worship. The more we bring to the worship of God's house the more we will get from it. When we come to worship in the house of God, there are three wrong ways in which we may come. (a) We may come entirely to get. If we come in such a way the likelihood is that we will criticize the organist and the choir and find fault with the minister's preaching. We will regard the whole service as a performance laid on for our special entertainment. We must com prepared to give; we must remember that worship is a corporate act, and that each of us can contribute something to it. If we ask, not, "What can I get out of this service?"but, "What can I contribute to this service?"we will in the end get far more out of it than if we simply came to take. (b) We may come without expectation. Our coming may be the result of habit and routine. Our coming may be simply part of the time-table into which we have divided the week. But, after all, we come to meet God, and when we meet God anything may happen. (c) We may come without preparation. It is so easy to leave for the worship of God's house with no preparation of mind or heart at all. It is easy to do that for often it is a rush to get there at all. But it would make all the difference in the world,if, before we came, we were for a moment or two still and silent and quiet, and, if, before we came, we companied for a moment or two with God in prayer. As the Jewish Rabbis told their disciples: "They pray best together who first pray alone." It is true of personal relationships. One of the great facts of life is that we see our own reflection in other people. If we are cross and irritable and bad-tempered, we will find other people equally unpleasant. If we are critical and fault-finding, the chances are that we will find other people the same. If we are suspicious and distrustful, the likelihood is that others will be so to us. If we wish others to love us, we must first love them. The man who would have friends must show himself friendly. It was because Jesus believed in men that men believed in Him. Mark 4:25 For he that hath,; For the man who has--NEB; For he who holds-- Mon; to him shall be given:; will be given more--NEB; and he that hath not; and the man who has not--NEB; but to him who does not have much--Nor; and he who holds not--Mon; from him shall be taken even that which he hath.; shall be deprived of what he has--Ber; will forfeit even what he has--NEB; even the little he has will be taken from him--Nor; from him will be taken even what the holds--Mon; For /he that hath\ it shall be given //unto him\\, And /he that hath not\ //even what he hath\\ shall be taken from him. for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.' TRNTyeagerV239 - hos gar echei, dothAsetai autw, kai hos ouk echei, kai ho echei arthAsetai ap' autou, hos (nom.sing.masc.of hos, relative pronoun, subject of echei). gar (causal conjunction). echei (3d.per.sing.pres.act.ind.of echw, aoristic). dothAsetai (3d.per.sing.fut.pass.ind.of didwmi, predictive). autw (dat.sing.masc.of autos, indirect object of dothAsetai). kai (adversative conjunction). hos (nom.sing.masc.of the relative pronoun hos, subject of echei). ouk (negative conjunction with the indicative). [Ed. adverb]. echei (3d.per.sing.pres.act.ind.of echw, aoristic). kai (ascensive conjunction). ho (nom.sing.neut.of hos, subject of arthAsetai). echei (3d.pers.sing.pres.act.ind.of echw, aoristic). arthAsetai (3d.per.sing.fut.pass.ind.of airw, predictive). ap' (preposition with the ablative of separation). autou (abl.sing.masc.of autos, separation). Translation: "Because to him who has shall be given, but from him who does not have shall be taken even that which he has." COMMENT: Our translation says essentially what the Greek says, but we have smoothed out the English. Literally, with full attention given to the relative pronouns, it reads, "Because whoever has, to him shall be given, but whoever does not have, even that which he has shall be taken from him." This verse must be interpreted in the light of the entire context beginning at vs.1. Jesus taught the multitudes by parables and the disciples asked Him why He used the parabolic method (Mt.13:12) and what the parable of the sower meant (Mk.4:10). These questions elicited from our Lord His reply in Mk.4:11,12. Then, after explaining the parable of the sower (Mk.4:14-20) He adds that light is for shining, not for being hidden (Mk.4:21), and that all the light shall be manifested somewhere, sometime, to someone, but that it all depends upon what we hear and how we listen. He holds out the promise that if we listen with some spiritual discernment, we shall have some light and be able even to receive more light (vs.24). But vs.24 also contains the veiled threat that if we listen from sinful motives and receive only darkness and confusion from the very parable that would have given us light and faith, had we listened from purer motives, we shall then go on to greater darkness and confusion. Vs.25 adds that the one who has some of God's light is going to get more, but that the one who has only intellectual light to understand the outer symbols of the parable is going to lose even that light. These things being true, there is no place for the Christian to stop growing until there is not one thing yet kept secret. Christian growth and illumination goes on until we reach the fulfillment of Paul's prayer in Eph.3:14-19. MARKitGNTwuest91 - "Unto you that hear shall more be given." The Nestle text does not include the words "Unto you that hear." The words "shall more be given" are the translation of prostithAmi, which Expositors says "implies that the reward will be out of proportion to the virtue, the knowledge acquired, to the study devoted to the subject." The prefixed preposition pros means "toward." The idea is that more will be added to that which is your due. "There shall be given over and above, not to those who hear, but to those who think on what they hear:...the more a man thinks, the more he will understand, and the less a man thinks, the less his power of understanding will become." Euthy is quoted as follows; "Whoso hath attention, knowledge will be given him, and from him who hath not, the seed of knowledge will be taken. For as diligence causes the seed to grow, negligence destroys it." Translation: "And He was saying to them, Keep ever a watchful eye on what you are hearing. in the measure by which you are measuring, it will be measured to you; and it will be measured to you not only according to that measure, but there will be some added on top of that. For he who has, it shall be given to him. And he who does not have, even that which he has, shall be taken away from him." MARKmcgarvey286 - "For he that hath."--This proverb is quoted in a different connection from that which it has in the parallel part of Matthew, being here applied especially to the disciples, and there to the unbelievers. The meaning, however, is the same in both instances. (Comp. Mt.13:12). TCGTC-MARKcranfield166,7 - Given in the same context in Lk.8:18. In Mt.13:12 it is placed immediately after the Mt. parallel to 4:11. It also occurs again in Mt.25:29; Lk.19:26. The fact that it is thus present in both of what seem to be different versions of the same parable perhaps indicates at least that it was connected with this parable at an early stage. That may well be its original contest, though it might easily have been spoken by Jesus on more than one occasion. Here in Mk its meaning seems to be that to the man who hears the Word, and lets it into his heart and life, an ever-increasing knowledge of the secret of the kingdom will be given; but the man who fails thus to lay hold on the Word will one day lose it altogether. With the first half of the verse cf. v.20, with the latter half vs.15-19. NTC-MARKhendricksen164,5 - For he who has, to him shall be given, and he who does not have, from him shall be taken away even what he has. In matters spiritual, standing still is impossible. A person either gains or loses; he either advances or declines. Whoever has, to him shall be given. The disciples (exception Judas Iscariot) had "accepted Jesus." With reference to them he was later on going to say to the Father, "They have kept thy word" (John 17:6) and "They are not of the world" (17:16). To be sure, this faith was accompanied by many a weakness, error, and flaw. But the beginning had been made. Therefore, according to heaven's rule, further progress was assured, an advance in knowledge, love, holiness, joy, etc., in all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven, for salvation is an ever deepening stream (Ezek. 47:1-5). Every blessing is a guarantee of further blessings to come (John 1:16). "He shall have abundantly." The theory according to which Jesus (or Mark) was referring only to an increase of knowledge or even insight is improbable. Such discernment is, to be sure, included, but there is nothing in the context that would limit so rigidly the blessing here promised. On the other hand, whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even that semblance of knowledge, that susperficial acquaintance with matters spiritual, which he once had. Is there not an analogy of this in the realm of knowledge on a level below the strictly spiritual? Is it not true that the person who has learned enough music to play a few simple melodies, but not really enough to be able to say, "I have mastered this or that instrument," and then stops practicing altogether, will soon discover that the little skill which he had at one time has vanished? The man who refuses to make proper use of his one talent loses even that (Matt. 25:24-30). [150] - Greek modis, from Latin modius, a capacity measure = 16 sectarii, about 8.75 liters or almost exactly a peck. [151] - prostethAsetai, third per. sing. fut. indic. pass of prostithAmi. TNICotNT-MARKlane167,8 - The sayings which follow may have been suggested to Mark by the reference to the bushel measure in verse 21. They constitute the parable of the measure. They are introduced with the warning "take heed what you hear." If addressed to the multitude, [59] they are an appeal for spiritual perception and appropriation of the word which Jesus proclaims. Precisely because there is going to be an unveiling which unravels the enigma and reveals the mystery, hearing with true perception is important now. The reason for the urgency in the appeal is expressed through two words traditional to Judaism, but which in this context have specific reference to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. The first word indicates that hearing is now "the measure with which a man measures." If this measure is rich and profound, if the word of proclamation is appropriated with eagerness and joy, in like measure a rich share will be received in the eschatological revelation of the Kingdom, and "even more shall be given." The ultimate disclosure will result in a salvation far richer than a man can possibly anticipate even by faithful hearing and appropriation. The second word carries the thought one step further: what will ultimately be received in the Kingdom of God will depend upon that which a man possesses of it now. Present possession depends upon hearing, upon appropriation or rejection of the word of the Kingdom that has been scattered like seed. With respect to the man who through faith appropriates that word the saying shall be true which delcares "he that has, to him shall (even more) be given," where Mark's passive indicates the full thought "shall be given by God." But the man who, in hardness of heart, refuses the word shall experience that absolute loss described in the terms "and he that has not, even that (little) which he has shall be taken from him." In this sense the unity of the mission of Jesus and the unveiling of the Kingdom will be seen: what one receives from the Sower will be received from the Judge in double measure. Only those who penetrate the mystery in the present will share in the glory which is yet to be revealed. Because God enters the world through the word of the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, the matter of one's respponse to Jesus is of ultimate seriousness. For this reason Mark introduces the parable of the measure with the solemn caution, Take heed what you hear![63] [47] Both the ASV ("is...brought") and the RSV ("is...brought in") fail to represent Mark's interesting erchetai. NEB "Do you bring in the lamp" is closer, but appears still to fall short of what Mark understood by the phrase. [48] RSV "the measure you give will be the measure you get." [50] The term modios means a bushel measure, and then a measure in general........ [51] Mark's term klinA probably designates a bench for dining. Cf. A-G, pg 437. [53] The thought of purpose is stressed both in verse 21 and 22; hina (= "in order that") occurs twice in each verse. [55] Cf. Chs. 1:24, 38; 2:17; 10:45. If Jesus is here speaking of his mission in a veiled way both the strong emphasis upon purpose and the use of erchetai are intelligible. [59] F. Hauck, Das Evangelium des Markus (Leipzig, 1931), pg 57 and J. Schniewind, op. cit., pg. 77 understand these words and those which follow to be addressed to the disciples. The meaning is, Be careful to hear correctly for you must proclaim this message. If you proclaim faithfuly you will receive a rich reward. This interpretation finds some support in the Coptic Gospel of Thomas, Logion 33: "Jesus said: What thou shalt here in thine ear and in the other ear, that preach from your housetops; for no one lights a lamp and puts in under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but he sets it on the lampstand, so that all who come in and go out may see its light." If this were the correct interpretation one would expect "Take Care how (or what) you preach," rather than "Take care to what you hear." ..... [63] A. Schlatter, Die Evangelien nach Matthaus und Markus (Stuttgart, 1935), pg. 40 sees in the admonition a warning against hearing in this receptive manner other voices than Jesus'. II. HE WHO HAS, VS. 25A. Verse 25 contains what was evidently more or less a proverbial saying with our Lord. He that hath, to him shall be given, etc. (See Matt. 25:29; Luke 19:26.) Here it fits the connection far otherwise than as in the passages referred to - another illustration of our Lord's various use of single important sayings. Here, by a very striking turn of thought, he that hath is identified with him who imparts his trust of truth to others, the free giver, the true apostle, messenger of grace and truth; while he that hath not is identified with him who keeps his trust of truth to himself, content to be ever a disciple without becoming an apostle. The giver hath, the miser hath not. How true a description of men, and how true an interpretation of the law of life! - And now it is declared that for these two classes there shall be retribution. He that hath, to him shall be given. So Luke 6:38 - a passage that may serve as a link between this and Matt. 7:2 "Give, and it shall be given unto you." (See also Luke 12:48). III. HE WHO HAS NOT, VS. 25B. And he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. How is this? He "hath not," and yet he "Hath," something that he can lose. Yes; the spiritual miser possesses much in his own esteem; much truth has been entrusted to him; but if he is not a giver of truth, and so a possessor, his possession shall become no possession: what he hath shall be worthless to him. Such instruction may well have made the apostles careful what use they made of the parables. Partly to this, perhaps, it is due that they were so faithful in putting the lamp on the lampstand, not only by preaching, but also by making record of his words, especially such words as these." (W.N. Clarke). MARKbarclay102,3 - This may seem at first sight a hard saying; but the whole lesson of life is that it is inevitably and profoundly true. It is true of knowledge. The more a man knows the more he is capable of knowing. A man cannot enter into the riches of Greek literature before he has ploughed his way through Greek grammar. When he has the basic grammar still more will be given to him. A man cannot really get the best out of music until he learns something of the structure of a symphony. But when he possesses that knowledge still more and more loveliness will be given to him. It is equally true that unless a man is consistently bent on the task of increasing his knowledge such knowledge as he has will in the end be taken away from him. Many a man in his youth had a working knowledge of French at school and has now forgotten even the little that he knew because he made no attempt to develop it. In knowledge the more knowledge a man has the more he can acquire. When he has it, more will be given to him. And, if he is not always out to increase that knowledge, such knowledge as he has will soon slip from his grasp. The Jewish teachers had an oddly expressive saying. They said that the scholar should be treated like a young heifer - because every day a little heavier burden should be laid upon him. In knowledge we cannot stand still; we are gaining or losing it all the time. It is true of effort. The more physical strength a man has, the more, within the limits of his bodily frame, he can acquire. The more he trains his body, the more his body will be able to do. On the other hand, if he allows his physical frame to grow slack and flabby and soft he will end by losing even the fitness that he had. We would sometimes do well to remember that our bodies belong to God as much as our souls. Many a man has been hindered from doing the work he might do because he has made himself physically unfit to do it. It is so with any skill or craft. The more a man develops the skill of his hand, or eye, or mind, the more he is able to develop it. If he is content to drift along, never trying anything new, never adopting any new technique, he remains stuck in the one job with no progress. If he neglects his particular skill he will find in the end that he has lost it altogether. It is so with the ability to bear responsibility. The more responsibility a man shoulders the more he can shoulder; the more decisions he compels himself to take the better he is able to take them. But if a man shirks his responsibilities, if he evades his decisions and vacillates all the time, in the end he will become a flabby, spineless creature totally unfitted for responsibility and totally unable to come to any decision at all. Again and again in his parables Jesus goes on the assumption that the reward of good work is still more work to do. It is one of the essential laws of life, a law which a man forgets at his peril, that the more he has won the more he can win, and that, if he will not make the effort, he will lose even that which once he had won.