Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 5 Study # 1
June 23, 2020
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Because "The Lamp" is critical for "seeing" the hidden things, disciples should be absolutely fixated upon "The Lamp" as the Source of their pursuit of "fruitfulness" by means of "understanding".
Introduction: In our last study, we saw that
the point of the parable of The Lamp is that Jesus always comes to enlighten unto fruitfulness. However, as contrary as it is to common sense for men to accept a lamp into their darkness and then put some kind of cover over it to frustrate its very identity and function, men
actually do that and the outcome is continuing ignorance of the hidden things.
Since, therefore, Jesus is deliberately "teaching His disciples many things by parable", He must address this foolish action by men. And this He does with His next words, and it is to them that we turn for our study this evening.
- I. First, Again, Is The Flow of Thought Through The Parables.
- A. The first parable is all about the ubiquitous presence of The Word of God and the question of why men respond to it in the ways that they do.
- B. The second parable is all about the universal practice of all men to use lamps to illumine their darkness except when it comes to their dread of the lamp's indiscriminate illumination.
- C. The third parable is all about the specific danger of making a false standard of measure their guide to understanding the mystery so that they can be fruitful.
- D. And the fourth parable is all about how fruitfulness occurs even when the sower is ignorant of how the process actually works.
- E. Thus, this third parable must be seen in view of the major thesis of "fruitfulness by the combination of The Word and the condition of the hearts of men" along with the anomaly of men deliberately attempting to frustrate the identity and function of The Lamp.
- II. The Details...
- A. "And He was saying to them..."
- 1. The "was saying" falls into the pattern established by 4:2, 9, 11, 21, 24, 26, and 30.
- a. In this "pattern", the "saying" is "lego", the Greek word for speaking "truth".
- b. In this "pattern", the "saying" is on-going, past tense, activity.
- c. But there is a break in this "pattern" in 4:13 where "lego" is deliberately altered so that it is on-going, present tense, activity (ridiculously translated "said" in the NASB) with the result that verse thirteen makes the first parable paramount to understanding the hidden things.
- 2. The "them" refers to those men Jesus was training to go forth and sow the seed.
- a. Judas was among them.
- b. There is a critical need to reveal what makes a "Judas" (3:19, a betrayer) and what makes a faithful disciple.
- B. "Take care..."
- 1. The root of this word is the function of the eyes; it generally means "See", as in "Use your eyes".
- 2. The first use by Mark is Jesus' declaration in 4:12 that those "outside" will "see" but not "get it".
- 3. The next use by Mark is in the verse under our current consideration.
- 4. The point is presented by the previous parable (receiving The Lamp and then trying to control His identity and function): Be alert to the problem involved in "abuse of The Lamp".
- C. "You are hearing what?"
- 1. The "what" is a translation of what is called "an interrogative, neuter, accusative" and it points to the fact that Jesus is asking a question; He is addressing a "what", not a "who"; and He is asking about hearing specific content: "You are hearing what?"
- 2. The mixing of "see" and "hearing" is deliberate in light of 4:12.
- a. "Eyes" are for reading words when "content" is in view.
- b. "Ears" are for hearing words when "content" is in view.
- c. The impact of eyes and ears in combination is supposed to be both specific and comprehensive...see all there is to see and listen to every word.
- 3. In this follow-up parable Jesus is doing two things.
- a. In the light of the last, preceding, parable, "The Lamp" is to be the primary source of illumination.
- b. But, in the light of the first, paramount, parable, "the sower" is a down-line source of audible content.
- c. The point is: the "be alert" means that one must hold "The Lamp" and "the sower" in the proper tension: One is absolutely authoritative and the other is only authoritative when he is in harmony with the Former.
- 1) The "content" can be easily distorted when "the sower" has not been alert and "The Lamp" has been frustrated in terms of identity and function.
- 2) The "content" is plain when "The Lamp" is allowed to shine into the darkness without "other" (non-inspired) input that is brought into that content.
- 4. Thus, the "what?" is "inspired content".
- D. "By what measure you are measuring it shall be measured to you and it shall be added to you."
- 1. The major point is that Jesus is insisting upon the only legitimate "standard of measure" to be applied to the "What?" that is being seen and/or heard.
- a. It goes without saying that once a "standard of measure" has been selected, everything will be "understood" by that measure and "nothing" will be understood that stands outside of that measure.
- b. That means that we must adopt that "only legitimate standard of measure".
- 1) Illegitimate standards.
- a) Previously constructed "theological" determinations (biggest error here is to disallow a meaning to stand because it does not harmonize with a theological "system" of understanding).
- b) Learned "definitions" of words that do not reflect the actual meanings of those words (biggest error here is to go to a lexicon and "select" a definition).
- c) Assumptions about "meaning" because of wide-spread exposure.
- 2) The only legitimate standard: "What does this mean?"
- c. "Added understanding" is a growth in legitimate "connections" between various elements of truth so that "depth of understanding" grows.
- 2. The major danger is that a "false" standard will increase error so that even what was once, perhaps, understood to a degree will be altered by the standard so that eventually even what was once understood properly will no longer be understood.
