Do you light a lamp to put it under a bed?

Mark 4:21-25

Have you ever been in the circumstance where you have found yourself pretending to be something you are not? Or hiding something about yourself because you were embarrassed or ashamed? In verses 21-23 of this chapter Jesus challenges his followers not to hide the truth of who they are, especially their faith, from the other people and the world around them. We are Jesus’s followers today, so this challenge is for us: in the same way that you wouldn’t hide a lamp that brings light, instead you’d put it out on display. Therefore, we shouldn’t hide the light of God’s work and love within us, instead we should let it shine through us to the world around us. This can be a real challenge in a world that is sometimes sceptical, or even hostile to faith.

However, in verses 24-25, Jesus is saying that if we give of ourselves in service of him, in other words if we shine our light for him, then we will get back more than we give out. This is quite a promise and seems counter-intuitive, but we must remember that he is talking about kingdom values so what we get back isn’t measurable by the world’s standards; it’s not status, influence, power or money. It is one of the great paradoxes of the kingdom; the more you give away the more you discover the depths of God’s goodness and peace.

Jesus said, ‘Pay attention to what you hear’ (NRSVA).