Tag Archives: bowl

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – WHAT MEASURE DO YOU USE?

June 8, 2020Bible Studybed, bowl, its stand, lampLuella Campbell

WHAT MEASURE DO YOU USE?

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? ²² For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

²⁴ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. ²⁵ Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Mark 4:21-25

Reality and truth are not interchangeable but they are aspects of the same thing. Jesus declared Himself to be the truth – He represented the Father and revealed the Father in every facet of His life – His words, His ways, His character, His attitudes, and His interaction with people. He was the true God in a body and living a human life on earth.

He also declared Himself to be light – the Light that came from God into the world to reveal what the Father and the domain of the Father is really like. Light exposes and reveals; light dispels darkness. Where there is no light, darkness is the atmosphere in which everything that is afraid of exposure flourishes.

Therefore, Jesus said that light is meant to be on display, not covered up because if it is hidden, it serves no purpose. To conceal truth is counter-productive. Truth automatically exposes lies and deception. It is not meant to be kept secret but brought out into the open so that everyone can see.

What is the truth that Jesus is constantly revealing? Darkness is about selfishness, greed and wickedness. Light is about righteousness, generosity and unselfish service to others. These are the two opposing forces in the world and they underlie the ongoing power struggle that is tearing the world apart.

Light is the enriching and unifying power of righteousness, doing the right thing in every situation and for every person, no matter what it costs. “Generosity begets generosity”. It’s like ripples in a pond. Generosity is the “pay it forward” principle that has the power to change society. It’s the “creating a current” policy that gets resources moving into areas of need and suffering.

This is reality – living the kingdom way that dispels darkness and exposes God’s character to those who have been deceived by the lies that put us in the centre of our universe and insist that we must be number one.

The truth is that we determine the measure of light or darkness we live in and display to the world. We also determine the outcome of the way we chose to live. Yes, stuff does happen but we alone choose what we do with it. Jesus’ principle is “Walk in the light and let your light shine…”

Exposed!

August 29, 2015Bible Studybetray, bowl, bread, Son of ManLuella Campbell

EXPOSED!

When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating, He said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.’ They were saddened, and one by one they said to Him, ‘Surely you don’t mean me?’ ‘It is one of the Twelve,’ He replied, ‘one who dips bread in the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better if he had not been born.’ (Mark 14: 17-21)

Why did Jesus not say outright who the traitor was? He obviously knew what would happen and who would be responsible for selling Him out to the Jewish hierarchy. Was He giving Judas an opportunity to change his mind without divulging his identity? And yet it had to be because it was the will of the Father that He die as an offering for sin. How does one reconcile the sovereignty of God and the free will of man? We cannot!

Judas knew what he was about to do, but the other eleven disciples were mystified. It was impossible that the guilty one did not to know that he would be a traitor. They were also not aware that they would all desert Him, but that was to be a spur-of-the-moment action prompted by fear. On the other hand, betrayal was a premeditated decision, and Judas was well aware that it was he who was planning the evil deed. No way would he own up at that moment! The rest of the disciples would have dealt with him if they knew who it was.

Jesus used a sign to indicate that He knew the identity of the traitor, more for Judas’ sake than for the other disciples. Even then they did not pick up the clue. They were not aware of what Judas was planning in his heart. Betrayal? What would he do? They let the moment pass without understanding its significance.

Jesus has shown Judas, through various gestures that, in spite of what he was planning, He held nothing against him. It was Judas who had the place of honour at the table. He reclined on Jesus’ left, close enough for Jesus to hold a conversation with him. John sat on His right and leaned against Him while the other disciples were arranged around the table. It was Judas who received the bread dipped in the bowl of sauce which was a sign of special friendship – and Judas received it without protest! What more could Jesus do to convey His message of love. Even at that moment He did not judge him.

But He did warn him. ”Judas, you are in great peril. The decision you have made and the action you take tonight will decide your destiny.” But Judas was unmoved. His mind was made up, his intention already conveyed to the chief priests, and there was no going back.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’ Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ He said to them. ‘Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’ (Mark 14: 22-25)

A familiar ceremony for the disciples, but strange words! Never before had anyone hosting the Passover Feast spoken words like His. They were familiar with every step in the process of celebrating the exodus from Egypt and they knew the meaning of all the symbolism, but what was He talking about? His body? His blood? On the many occasions He had tried to get them used to the idea that He was going to die a violent death at the hands of the religious leaders, they dismissed His words without another thought. As much as He kept at it, so much they forgot because it made no sense to them.

But now it was the central focus of His words and actions and they could not ignore this addition to the familiar things that happened at the Passover meal. The bread and the wine would become the central focus of a new “Passover” supper that would be celebrated throughout the world by every believer in every country throughout every generation – until He comes, as Paul recorded in 1 Cor. 11, to remember the new “exodus” from the dominion of darkness and slavery to sin.

As uncomprehending as the disciples were then, it would take the reality of His death and the horror of what they had to witness, the astonishing event of His resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to bring all these event together into one great “lightbulb moment” for the eleven men who were left after Judas took his life.

Sometimes it takes a similar moment for the things in our lives that are incomprehensible at the time, to fall into place and make sense when everything seems to be spinning out of control. If we wait and trust, God will reveal His purpose.

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The Light Of Truth

June 21, 2015Bible Studybowl, hidden disclosed, lamp, standLuella Campbell

THE LIGHT OF TRUTH

He said to them, ‘Do you bring a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.’

‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ He continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’ (Mark 4: 21-25).

Some important principles for life which Jesus wove into His teaching over and over again.

Who and what was He talking about when He used the illustration of the lamp? In context, I think He was talking about the reason for speaking in parables. God’s word is the light. Jesus brought the light to them as He taught and preached God’s word and showed them how to live in the light in their daily lives. What would be the use of coming to earth if He did not shine that light for people to see what was in their own hearts? People are afraid of the light because it exposes the darkness in their hearts. It was Jesus’ role to bring the light so that the sin in the human heart could be brought out into the light.

“It is inevitable,” said Jesus, “that everything hidden in the heart will eventually be brought into the light. No one can hide from God. He is inescapable. How much better that you respond to my word now so that your hidden sins be dealt with before Judgement Day.”

One of the reasons for speaking in parables, Jesus had explained to them, was to confirm the hardness of people’s hearts. If they had no intention of receiving His word, every time He taught them, their hearts would become harder. The sun that melts wax hardens clay. It was up to them, His disciples, therefore to listen and respond to His teaching with all their hearts because the measure of their hearing would be the measure of their receiving.

It seems harsh, doesn’t it, that those who have will receive more and those who do not have will lose the little that they have. But that is just how it works. God has offered us forgiveness for our sin and grace to live a new life. The measure of our response to His mercy to us will determine the measure of our experience of His grace to live.

God is absolutely fair. His judgment is not arbitrary. He has set the standard but He has also given us the choice to obey or not to obey. The outcome will depend on our response to His truth. He does not force us to obey but He will judge us by our response to His requirements. We will, in the end, be our own judges when we stand in the light of His revealed truth.

Imagine a bride dressed in her dazzling white bridal gown. In the centre of her bodice is a stain which does not show up in ordinary light. However, when she steps outside into the brilliant sunlight, there it is, visible to everyone and spoiling the beauty of her garment. Imagine her walking down the aisle to meet her bridegroom with the awareness that a stain spoils the purity of her gown.

It is the pure light of the Son that shows up the stains of sin on our hearts. We can either pretend they are not there, try to hide our sin from Him, or come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing so that the stains are washed clean and removed forever from us.

Why did Jesus keep on preaching to those who were hardened in their unbelief? The religious leaders and Pharisees, the very ones to whom had been entrusted the responsibility of teaching the people the word of God, were the ones who refused to receive the light. Every time they heard the word, they were given another opportunity to believe but also another reason for God’s judgment to fall on them when they rejected the word.

How important for us to heed Jesus’s warning. “Be careful how you hear. Don’t be like the footpath or the rocky or thorny soil because, if you lose the word of God, you have nothing to guide you on the path towards the Father. We are all on a journey. Our destination is determined by our response to the truth of God’s word. If we choose to ignore or reject His word, there will be consequences. We will have no one to blame but ourselves if we arrive at a destination which we did not plan.

Jesus said that His way leads to life. He is the way to the Father. Anyone who follows Him will never walk in darkness. God’s word is the light on our path. Without His light we will find ourselves off the path and lost in the wilderness.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path (Psa. 119: 105).