Mark 4:21

And he said unto them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the bushel, or under the bed, and not to be put on the stand?

This verse and through Mark 4:25 make up a paragraph of disconnected sayings of Christ, brought together here in a remarkable application in a new context, indicating that the sacred Scriptures have a vitality and meaning of their own, even out of context. Jesus did here exactly what Paul did in Romans 10:8, where he quoted Deuteronomy 30:11-14 with an application not found in Deuteronomy. Both Richard A. Batey[17] and John Locke[18] have commented on this, which is actually one of the most important prerequisites for truly understanding Scripture. It is precisely the lack of the insight into this phenomenon which cripples much of the exegesis coming out of the critical schools.

The truth of Mark 4:21 has a double meaning: (a) that which is inherent in it, and (b) that which it denotes in context. Is such a characteristic of the word of God what is meant by its being "a two-edged sword"? (Hebrews 4:12). It is obvious that Jesus used "the same sayings in different contexts,"[19] saying "the same things over and over";[20] and "It is evident that he repeated his sayings, and used them sometimes in a different connection."[21] To this evident, obvious truth should be added the equally evident fact that he did not repeat sayings verbatim, but varied his terminology. Therefore, we shall study this verse both ways, inherently, and in context.

In (this) context: Jesus had just emphasized the concealment of his teachings through the use of parables; but this reference to the lamp shows that the concealment will end. As Cranfield interpreted it:

No one in his right senses would carry a lighted lamp into a house simply in order to hide it ... No more must it be supposed that God's whole purpose in sending Jesus is that he should be concealed.[22]

Inherently: Christ warned against hiding the lighted lamp (a) under a vessel (Luke 8:16), (b) under a bushel (Mark 4:21), (c) under a bed (Mark 4:21; Matthew 5:15), or (d) in a cellar (that is, "in a secret place")[23] (Luke 11:33). Notice the remarkable correspondence between these things which hide the light and the thorns which choke out the word (Mark 4:19): (a) stands for cares (the vessel), (b) stands for riches (the bushel), with (c) and (d) standing for wicked pleasures associated with both the bed and the sacred place. The proximity of this verse to Mark 4:19 strongly suggests that the thought connects there rather than with Mark 4:12 as suggested by Cranfield.

On the stand ... In all the references in the above paragraph, the "stand" is conspicuously mentioned as the place for the lighted lamp. An apostle made this to be a congregation of the Lord's church (Revelation 1:20), indicating still another application of this mighty one-sentence parable. In this application, the lighted lamp is the Christian, and his lamp should be displayed on the stand, that is in the church or congregation.

[17] Richard A. Batey, The Letter of Paul to the Romans (Austin: R. B. Sweet Co., 1969), p. 134.

[18] John Locke, Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul (Boston, 1832), p. 347.

[19] W. N. Clarke, op. cit., p. 62.

[20] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 95.

[21] E. Bickersteth, op. cit., p. 158.

[22] C. E. B. Cranfield, op. cit., p. 164.

[23] Nestle Greek Text (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972).