Thoughts for the Day

A Lamp under a Bushel Basket

He said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Charles Spurgeon once said: “The Bible is not the light of the world, it is the light of the Church. But the world does not read the Bible, the world reads Christians! You are the light of the world.”

Today's little parable comes straight after the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4.1-20) where Jesus has warned his disciples the need to be open to hear God's words - they are to be fruitful ground. This Parable of the Lamp continues with the theme. The lamp would have been the kind found in many homes, consisting of a small clay pitcher with a handle on one end. It would be filled with oil, and a wick would be placed on the oil. To increase the light, the lamp was set on a lampstand or a shelf so the light could spread throughout the room. For obvious reasons, no one would place a lamp under a basket because it would hide the light and the lamp couldn't do its job.

Jesus is saying, if we have a hunger to learn from Him, and follow Him, it shows we are good fertile soil, and are capable of producing a good harvest. He uses the illustration of a lamp to show us the effect we can have on those around us and upon our world. Jesus’ point is clear: those who have received the light of the gospel are not to conceal it; rather they are to let it shine through them for others to see, through how we live and what we say.

What a difference there would be in the world if all Christians could do this.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You warned Your disciples and us
to listen to Your words
and then to act on them.
We are to be like a lamp
that shines in our world,
shedding Your light
wherever we go and
whatever we do.
When we find this difficult
help us to turn to You for help
and resume the task again.
Amen.