The first parable, the parable of the Lamp, is a familiar one to readers of the Bible. In Matthew 5, this lamp refers to the responsibility of hearers to share what they have with others. For Mark, though, the parable follows the Sower parable and the teaching about the mystery of the Kingdom. Here the parable means that despite the present mystery, the seeming concealment of the Kingdom, it has always been intended to shine, to go forth, to be fully disclosed to the whole world.
The Kingdom will begin to shine in the life and earthly ministry of our Lord
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For now, the Lord would speak in parables to outsiders and explain these things to the insiders. But the time would soon come when even a Samaritan woman would come to know the truth that God has broken into the world. Her life, in John chapter 4, would be radically transformed and a revival would break out in her hometown of Sychar. Soon, masses would gather at the Temple to hear clear teaching of our Lord. Soon, Jesus would even stand before an earthly ruler, Pilate, and there affirm that He is in fact the King, but His kingdom is not of this world.
The Kingdom will shine forth on Calvary
Soon, Jesus would hang on a cross and one of those who hung with him would hear His teaching and be saved. After Jesus died, one of the Roman soldiers would receive the Light of the Kingdom and say, “Surely this was the Son of God.” Soon, the disciples who misunderstood would begin to see.
The Kingdom will shine forth in an empty tomb
Soon, Mary would announce, “He is risen!” Soon the resurrected Jesus would walk through the locked-down doors of their lives and breathe on them the breath of heaven. Soon, Pentecostal power would come down on the disciples and the long-prayed for, long-prophesied worldwide movement would be inaugurated with tongues of fire.
The Kingdom will shine forth to the whole world
Soon, even one of those who had opposed Christ would become the greatest ambassador of them all. When the Holy Spirit refused to allow Paul to go to Asia and gave him a dream of a Macedonian call, God led Paul to Lydia and with the conversion of that woman and the baptism of her household, Europe, the Western nations and then the world would be forever changed.
But it all looked so dismal at the beginning. It was all in mystery, it was small, but Christ was saying there is more to come. “This lamp has got to shine!”
The Kingdom will shine forth in your life
Sometimes the light breaks through in mysterious ways. Some of you have heard my testimony before and know that as a young man I was a prodigal son, left home, and some of you have heard about my testimony of hardship and trial and sin and shame. Out of those years came three little children. The oldest girl’s name was Jessica. She was the most beautiful little creature I had ever seen. But soon, I learned she was deaf, totally deaf. After that, Heather was born and then Matthew. They were all deaf.
