Studies in the Gospel of Mark
It's Better To Light A Candle Than Curse The Darkness
Text: Mark 4:21-25
Introduction: A young boy went with his parents touring around Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited cathedral after cathedral he was impressed the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and of other saints as he stood in their great empty halls looking through the beautiful stained glass windows.
Upon returning home, he was asked by his Sunday School teacher about holiday on the continent, and what he liked the most. He thought for a moment of those great churches and their grand windows and he said, “I loved the sense of awe and the hugeness of who God must be, and I loved the stained glass windows with their images of the saints.”
“And what is a saint?” his teacher asked. His mind went back to those beautiful windows and he said, “A saint is a person the light shines through.”
That is a good definition of what a saint of God is supposed to be. We have no light of our own, but like the moon, we are to reflect the light of Jesus to a lost and dying world.
This evening I want to think about the Light of God, and to consider whether or not the Lord shines us through and if we are really allowing His Word to penetrate our hearts.
In Mark 4 the Lord began speaking in parables. The purpose for this in part was to hide the truth from those who had committed the unpardonable sin, whilst revealing truth those whose hearts were tender in following Him.
The first parable was the parable of the sower, and the second, the subject of our thoughts tonight, is the parable of the candle.
I. The Reason for A Candle – vs 21
A. Jesus said, “Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?.”
1. Well, we have all sung or heard that little chorus, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…” and then we get to that part that goes “Hide it under a bushel? No, I’m gonna let it shine.”
2. Well, I wonder how many of us know what a “bushel” is exactly?
3. It is a measuring bowl – a common household utensil that was used for measuring grains, in fact under the old imperial system it was a familiar term, but thanks to the E.U and the metric system we speak of cubic millimeters – which doesn’t seem to have the same feel to it.
4. Just to clarify further, when the Lord spoke about a candle he was not speaking of the long elegant wax cylinder with a central wick that is lit to produce light as it burns.
5. No the ancient people used little clay pots, (think Aladdin’s lamp) in which they put some olive oil and dipped in a wick and lit the end, drawing on the oil to sustain light.
B. So now we know what a candle was and what a bushel was, we are ready to think about verse 21, and Jesus paints a picture of someone going to get a lamp as dusk is falling, lighting the wick, illuminating the room, and then, for some inexplicable reason placing the little pot beneath a bowl, so as to hide its light from the room.
1. Obviously the question arises, why do that? Surely it is defeating the purpose. The reason for lighting a candle is to brighten the room and chase away the darkness.
2. And yet that is exactly what we do when we shy away from sharing Christ with those around us.
C. In Scripture light is associated with the truth of God.
1. “God is light”, wrote John, “and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1John 1:5).
2. James declares God to be the “Father of lights”. (Jas 1:17)
4. The Psalmist portrays God as One, “Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment.” (Psalm 104:2a) and;
5. Paul portrays Him as, “…dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto…” (1Tim 6:16)
6. The Word of God is, “…a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
6. And Jesus is seen as the Light of the World, and the Light of men.
7. So light is always associated with God’s truth, holiness and purity.
D. Now the churches in general and the Christian in particular is to be reflective of that light.
1. In Rev 1-3 the churches of Asia Minor are portrayed as candlesticks, and in Matthew’s gospel we are told, “Ye are the light of the world.”
2. Paul wrote in Eph 5:8, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”
E. A candle exists for one primary purpose – to shed light, and that is our purpose also.
1. You and I are here to reflect the light of Christ across a world of darkness.
2. But how often are we embarrassed by our faith, ashamed to mention His name, cowered by the mockery and comments of others, we are exactly like the person who steps into a darkened room with a light in hand only to place under a bowl, and to smother the light we have been given.
II. The Revelation By A Candle – vs 22
A. There is a reason the world wants to extinguish our light – see John 3:20
1. Illus: Emptying a pond – on the surface all looks well, attractive even, but beneath lies al kinds of nasties that only the stark intrusion of daylight reveals.
2. So it is with men, we feel like we can dress up our sins, cover over them engage in secret and hidden sins and never be discovered, but it just isn’t so.
3. Someday everything will be revealed by the light of God’s presence.
a. For unbelievers that occurs at the Great White Throne
b. For believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but either way, mark it down; the Light of His Presence and all searching eye will uncover every hidden and secret sin.
c. One of the oldest principles of Scripture is, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” (Num 32:23)
(i) Reuben – Genesis 49:3-4 (cp. Gen 35:22)
(ii) Achan – Josh 7
(iii) Ananias & Sapphira – Acts 5.
B. It’s all going to come out someday, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the DAY shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by FIRE; and the FIRE shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” (1Cor 3:13)
1. God knows what we do - Hebrews 4:13
2. God Cares about what we do - Hebrews 12:6
3. What we do will be known – Mark 4:22
4. When will it be known?
a. You will know, it and it will rob your peace – Psalm 51:3
b. Others may find out, and it will hurt your testimony -
c. God knows it and will hold us accountable - Ecclesiastes 12:14
5. Are you listening? “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Pay attention. Listen up. Take heed. Your sin and mine, if we don’t deal with it, if we don’t confess it and forsake it is going to catch up with us and we are going to be staring it in the face someday, and having to give an answer for it.
6. You see, the light reveals the real you and the real me, “For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.”
III. The Reaping from a Candle- vs 24
A. In every area of life we reap what we sow – and that’s true as much for the light of God’s Word as it is anything else.
B. Firstly the Lord gives us a word of warning – “Take heed what ye hear.”
1. What we listen to is just as important as what we watch.
2. I have often heard believers admonished about what they watch on TV, what they see in books and magazines, and of course the internet, but what you listen to is also important.
3. Some listen to the counsel of the ungodly – they follow the advice of TV guru’s and worldly-wise friends.
4. Some listen to the worldly messages of secular music – now I am not saying every non-Christian song is a bad song, but you don’t have to travel far in the world of rock or country music to discover messages that are anti-Christian and contrary to God’s Word. Take heed what you hear!!
C. Secondly the Lord hives us a word of wisdom – “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”
1. It is a fact that the more of God’s light you gives out, the more you will receive.
2. Any diligent Sunday School teacher would tell you this: that they go more out of teaching than the people being taught.
3. Certainly I learn far more in my preparation for sermons than time permits me to convey.
4. The same is true in evangelism – those who engage the lost grapple with tough questions to which God often supplies the Biblical answers.
D. As we receive light, God gives us more light – watch this at work in the story of the woman at the well – John 4.
1. First she calls Jesus “a Jew” – vs 9
2. Then she calls Him, “Sir” – vs 11 – she is showing him respect (bear in mind she is a Samaritan)
3. Then she sees He is “a prophet” – vs 19
4. Finally she recognises Him as Messiah – vs 29
5. As she responded to the light, more light was given.
IV. The Retraction of the Candle – vs 25
A. Now we find the opposite is true – if we withdraw from the light, the light is withdrawn from us.
1. That’s exactly what happened with the Pharisees.
2. They had heard the Lord preach, they had witnessed Him exorcise demoniacs, heal lepers, the palsied, a man with a withered hand and more, yet they refused to believe, and ultimately they accused Him of being energised and possessed of Satan – and the Lord’s response to that was to speak in parables to hide the truth from them – the light was withdrawn.
B. You see it is possible for a person to overstep the line, to come to that place where, in the words of Paul, God gives, “them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” (Romans 1:28)
1. Light is withdrawn, the conscience becomes seared, the spirit no longer responsive to the things of God, until at last the light is put out altogether and the soul cast into outer darkness.
Conclusion: Don’t let that happen to you!
There is an old saying that states, “It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” I think that is what Jesus was saying.” That it’s better to come to the light, to come to Him, than to sit in the darkness of our sinful hearts and minds, it is better to respond to truth than reject it.
The story is told of Dr. Earl S. Taylor was in Calcutta during an eclipse of the sun. For days before that event he saw the city’s streets crowded with pilgrims on their way to various sacred places, where they hoped to worship and bathe in the Ganges during the time of the eclipse, expecting thereby to ward off evil.
When at last the fateful hour of darkness arrived hundreds of thousands of people thronged the sacred waters, but terrorised by the eclipse there was great uproar as they feared a great power of evil in the form of a snake was about to swallow the sun-god.
As Dr. Taylor, looked on from the and witnessed this the fear of the Hindu worshippers, he heard group of Christians singing in their meeting:
The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin;
The Light of the World is Jesus
Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in.
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!
I wonder will you come to the light this evening?
