“ ^{Mark 4:21} And He said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? ²² For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. ²³ If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus has just explained the parable of the Sower, giving His disciples insight into the nature of the Kingdom of God, which was the general theme of His preaching (Matt 4:17; Lk 4:43; 9:2,60). This is a kingdom of purpose in which the objective and working of the Lord are being made known. Nothing is haphazard or by accident. In an environment like this, responsibility is brought to the forefront. All abilities, from speaking to hearing, are to be employed for the glory of God. That is the way in which an orderly kingdom functions. Where there is a lack of responsibility, everything tends to break down – whether in nature, Law, or grace. This being true, it deals a devastating blow to all passive religion, where entertainment and merely maintaining a party line is fundamental. Whatever may be said of an approach to religion that leaves the people ignorant, uninvolved, and disinterested, God is not in such an environment. This is not how God works, and therefore where such conditions are found, it is only proof of His absence. Jesus will make this clear in this text. He will affirm that even thinking men do not set out to do something that is meaningless and yields no benefit. If some kind of improvement is not realized by an activity, it is really vain and pointless. It ought to be apparent that our religion must not be something that merely fills up time. It cannot be a lifeless ritual, or a tedious routine. Those are containers that cannot be filled with Divine influence. He neither lives nor works in such domains.

“ ^4:21 And He said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?”

Matthew informs us that Jesus also said these words in, what is called, “the sermon on the mount” (Matt 5:15). Both Mark and Luke present Jesus as also saying this following His exposition of the parable of the Sower. Luke also affirms that Jesus said it again to a crowd following the words of a certain woman who said, “Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked.” On that occasion Jesus said, “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light” (Luke 11:27-33). This, then, is a saying that Jesus delivered on sundry occasions. In Matthew 5:15, Jesus applied it to men letting their light shine (Matt 5:16). In Luke 11:33 He applied it to men focusing on the light, and being filled with the illumination (Lk 11:34-36). Here, Jesus is going to apply the same saying to something entirely different.

This exposes us to the proper use of the truth of God. All sayings do not have static definitions. There are great Kingdom principles that can be applied to many different situations – like the words of this text. That is why the person who delivers the Word is admonished to handle it correctly, or aright (2 Tim 2:15). It is why a wise scribe can bring out of the treasure of his heart “things new and old” (Matt 13:52).

This is especially difficult for some to grasp because of the kind of learning that is being promoted in our time. I prefer to call it mechanical learning, where only the intellect is involved. The heart, including the will and the emotion, is not being brought into much of the learning promoted in the contemporary church. Therefore, a generation is being cultured that is not “skillful in the word of righteousness” – a condition, we are told, that describes, in the most favorable case, spiritual “babes” (Heb 5:13).

THE QUESTION ITSELF. In Matthew 5, Jesus makes a statement about the purpose of lighting a candle. In Luke 8 and 11, He also makes a statement. In Mark, however, He asks a question: “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?” ^NKJVThat is, this is something that is very apparent and really does not require an extensive explanation. Meaningless activity of any sort does not make sense to thinking people. Much less does it make sense in the realm of the Spirit.

APPLIED TO HIMSELF. Jesus is actually applying this saying to Himself. He is the One bringing in the candle and placing it on a stand so all can see the light. Here, He is not telling His disciples to let their light shine, but explaining to them why He has declared and expounded the parable. Although He spoke in parables to hide the truth from the disinterested, His primary purpose for speaking was not to obscure the truth. Just as surely as the sower sowed seed to ultimately gain a harvest, so Jesus brought the lamp of truth among men to illuminate, not to obscure. That is, He was not content to let the truth remain unknown. In Him, the truth was placed on the ultimate “candlestick,” or “lampstand.” That light did, in fact, blind some men – but that was not its primary purpose, just as the primary purpose of the sower was not to scatter seed by the wayside, on rocky ground, or where the seeds of thorns and thistles existed.

Jesus spoke the parable to the multitudes, and they went away. The higher reason for the saying, however, was to provoke His disciples to make further inquiry into the matter. Now, as he was explaining the parable, a higher and eternal purpose was being served. In other words, Jesus intended for this parable to be understood – that is why He brought its light forward. However, He first excused those who could not bear the light in order that He might get to the business of expounding the truth.

ENTERING IN. Luke adds this insightful sentence to the report of Jesus’ saying: “but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light” (Luke 8:16). By asking Jesus about this parable, the disciples were “entering in” that they might “see the light.” The purpose of God is not fully served by the obscuring of the Gospel light. This is why Paul, having the mind of Christ, declared His mission as “to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery” (Eph 3:9). He did not minister primarily to obscure the truth, but to make it known. The “room” in which the truth is placed is the Person of Christ Himself. In Him all “the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hid (Col 2:3). That is, the truth that sanctifies (John 17:17) and makes free (John 8:32) is made accessible to us in Christ. Jesus WILL teach those who forsake all and come to Him (Luke 14:33). Those who leave Jesus, like the multitudes who left following the parable, have not entered the room, and therefore will not see the light. While it is true that the parable was designed to send them away, it is also true that its ultimate design was to bring the disciples in!

“²² For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.”

ANOTHER COMMON SAYING. This is another one of our Lord’s common sayings. In Luke 12:2, Jesus applies it to the uncovering of the hearts of men. “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetop” (Luke 12:1-3). Matthew 10:26 contains the same use of this saying – namely that of uncovering the inner corruption of men that is presently hidden from view.

Here, however, the saying is applied quite differently, yet in perfect accord with the truth and purpose of God. The general principle is that there is nothing that is presently hidden that will not eventually, and in a timely manner, be made known. What men hide will be made known, and what God has hidden will also be made known. Every secret counsel of the heart is scheduled to be manifested, or revealed. As it is written, God will “both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts” (1 Cor 4:5). For men, the ultimate thing being hidden is their hypocrisy. For God, the ultimate One being hidden is the Lord Jesus, whom He will “show” in due time (1 Tim 6:15). You may rest assured that there is NOTHING presently hidden – be it good or evil – that will not eventually be made known.

AS USED HERE. As Jesus uses the saying here, it applies to the truth He declared among men. He was saying truth that is presently hidden is not intended to remain hidden. This being the case, those who inquire into the truth, seeking to know its meaning, are in the center of the will of God. Truth is meant to be known! That is why Jesus said to His disciples, “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops” (Matt 10:27). The truth of the Gospel, though hidden at the time would eventually “come abroad,” being made known throughout the world. Therefore, before Jesus ascended back into heaven, He said to His disciples, “shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

PAUL’S WORD. Knowing this Divine principle – namely that what is hidden is intended to be made manifest – Paul defined his ministry as making “all men see” (Eph 3:9), making the preaching “fully known” (2 Tim 4:17), and declaring “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Those who withhold the truth from people who desire it are the enemies of God. They, like the teachers of the Law of old, “have taken away the key of knowledge,” and thus “hindered” those who “were entering” (Lk 11:52).

A CONTEMPORARY ISSUE. Here we are made to confront one of the great transgressions of our time. When men who are charged with feeding “the flock of God” major in the personal, domestic, and social issues of the day, they have abandoned declaring the message God has placed in their hands. Their activities, however religious they may appear, have left the truth hidden, and shined the light upon the transitory. Thus the candle of truth has been covered up in order that the lesser things might be given prominence. There is no way to adequately describe the seriousness of this transgression.

JESUS SPOKE ACCORDING TO DIVINE PURPOSE. By opening this parable to His disciples, Jesus was speaking in harmony with the purpose of God. What God declares to men is intended to be understood! What has been said to men is not intended to remain obscure, or in the dark. If the truth sanctifies – and God’s Word “is truth” (John 17:17) – then it ought to be clear that it is to be understood. In times past, the intricacies of salvation were “kept secret.” Now, however, we are living in the time of “the revelation of the mystery” (Rom 16:25). In “other ages” this mystery was not made known. Now, however, it has been “revealed unto His holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Eph 3:5). The candle has been placed on a candlestick so that all who enter in may see, or understand! The saints of God are presently experiencing on a larger scale what the disciples experienced when Jesus expounded the parable of the sower unto them. All of this is according to the purpose of God, who intends that what is spoken to men be understood by them.

How, then, do we account for the staggering ignorance of the things of God that exists within the professed church? It is certainly not because the candle of truth has not been placed within the reach of men! It is not because God has no desire to reveal the truth. It is not because we are not living in the appropriate time. Rather, this ignorance exists because of the condition of men’s hearts. We are being faced with wayside, rocky ground, and thorny ground hearers. God will not allow such hearts to take hold of the truth! But where there is good ground, He will not allow the person to remain in darkness.

THE RESPONSIBILITY TO HEAR

“²³ If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” When Jesus first spoke this parable to the multitudes, He said these very same words: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9). Now He says them again to the inner circle of His followers – the ones to whom it was “given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God” (Mk 4:11). Those, therefore, who are exposed to the truth in the embryo must hear, and those who hear it in fullness must hear as well. Both the novice and the mature must hear with earnestness and commitment.

EARS TO HEAR. Men are not naturally born with “ears to hear.” Such ears were lost in the fall of man. That is why Moses said to wayward Israel, “Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day” (Deut 29:4). Without these “ears,” men hear, “but understand not” (Isa 6:9). This is why Jesus said to the criticizing Jews, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear My word” (John 8:43). It is true in both nature and in the spirit, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them” (Prov 20:12).

An ear that can “hear” is an inward trait of the heart. Such a person can “understand with their heart” (John 12:40). They are able to tune in to the heavenly frequency. They can make a conscious association of the word of God with God Himself. For those with ears to hear, there is nothing as important as what God has to say. There is nothing more satisfying than the words of His mouth. Even in Israel, God had given a certain capacity to hear what He was saying to them. In comparison to the new creation, it was very elementary, yet it was enough for them to draw sound conclusions concerning their sinnerhood and their need for a Savior. That is why the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house” (Ezek 12:2). They had been tutored by the overthrow of their central city Jerusalem, and the Babylonian captivity. They should have ceased their rebellion and listened to the Lord, but they did not.

Now, in Christ Jesus, our spiritual hearing capacity has been raised to an even higher level. Hearing is now more acute than the hearing of Noah. It is of a more lofty order than the hearing of Moses, with whom God spoke mouth to mouth. It is superior to the hearing of David, who got the message of the Law. It is even higher-ranking than the hearing of the disciples who heard the parable of the sower expounded. Now, faith “cometh by hearing” (Rom 10:17). In this time we have “the hearing of faith” (Gal 3:2,5), which enables us to hear Him who is speaking from heaven (Heb 12:25). Now, those who are born again have “heard Him, and been taught by Him, the truth as it is in Jesus” (Eph 4:21).

LET HIM HEAR. Whether those lesser “ears” provided under the Law, or the marvelous hearing capacity of the “new creation,” those who possess these “ears” are admonished to “hear.” Seven times the message is given to the churches – “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev 2:7). One of the last things Jesus has to say to us is, “If any man have an ear, let him hear” (Rev 13:9).

An “ear,” or “an ear to hear,” is the capacity to perceive the relevance of the Word of God. In includes an ability to rejoice in it, delight in it, and have a desire to hear more of it. Like all spiritual aptitudes, such an “ear” is actually a stewardship. If it is not used, or is buried in the ground of earthly interests, it will be withdrawn – like talent and pound were taken from the unfaithful stewards (Matt 25:28; Lk 19:24). Thus Luke presents Jesus as saying this to those with ears to hear: “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have” (Luke 8:18).

I have known people who took delight in hearing God’s Word, and have possessed a capacity to receive and discern it. However, with the passage of time, their interests were turned elsewhere, and they soon lost an appetite for the Word, as well as the ability to profit from it. They stopped hearing, no longer exposing themselves to the “sound” of truth.

We are living in a realm where a diversity of “sounds” are being directed toward us. Some of them are exceedingly loud, and extremely distracting. In order to avoid their influence we must move away from the world and closer to the Lord’s Christ. When Jesus says, “let him ear,” He means the person with ears to hear must come to Him, as the disciples did who inquired concerning the parable. They must expose themselves to the fullest measure of truth available to them. If Jesus is present, they must not sit at the feet of Gamaliel! If an insightful prophet is present, they must not submit their ears to lesser men with little or no spiritual insight. The true hearer must choose to listen to the best message. To do anything else is to have ears to hear, yet not really use them to hear!