That is one teaching. Now the other. In verses 24-25, the Lord Jesus links another little parable to that one. In that parable, he warns that his disciples should “take heed.” And he says that the same measure you give out will be given to you, and to you who hear, m ore will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Well, what does that mean? It is the same thing that Luke records:
“ . . . For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:48b).
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And that Matthew records:
“ Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (Matthew 13:12).
The first story in verses 21-23 was about the disciples’ discouragement and Jesus was saying that “the Kingdom will most certainly come” but in verses 24 and 25 we see the second teaching:
The second teaching of Jesus is intended to deal with the disciple’s response to the Light: Jesus is saying that the Kingdom will come personally. (vv. 24-25)
The context here is the Light of Jesus Christ that exists sometimes in difficult times. How will you res-pond? The religious leaders rejected Him. Some were apathetic and were healed but didn’t follow Him all the way. Some, like the disciples, heard, but didn’t completely understand, but they were there and they followed and more would be given.
This past week a dear man in our congregation who had heard my last message from Mark 4:10-12, a very difficult passage, came to me to say he was struggling with the text. We spent about an hour together of going through the Word of God, examining what the Bible teaches about the mysterious truths that Jesus was teaching. At the end, he said, “I am going to keep reading, keep studying, keep praying.” We prayed, and before he left I put my arm around him and said, “Come back again. Let’s journey together through this.” This is a man who is being given a measure, he is holding it, struggling with the light in the context of some past pain, but I know that Jesus’ Word is true: more will be given. How about you? How are you receiving the Light? You see the Kingdom will come. The Light is intended to shine. How are you following Christ through it all? What is your response to Jesus?