In a song by Bruce Cockburn,* there’s a line that says: ‘Gotta kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight.’ So, we might say, it is with the kingdom of God. 

As we see, all through Mark’s Gospel, the kingdom of God is kicking against the darkness of sin, of indifference, of religious and spiritual opposition and hostility, and the cracks are beginning to show: ‘Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed’ (v 22). And the promise of this kingdom is that it’s never going to stop until the whole world is lit up with the glory of the Lord (Revelation 21:23; Habakkuk 2:14). 

Do you long for that? When sin and death are no more? When justice and righteousness reign? When there are no more tears and no more pain, when everything is under the rule and reign of Jesus, the Prince of Peace? If not, the truth is that those people who try to hold on to their lives will lose them (Matthew 16:25), but if you do long for that day then you will be satisfied more than you could ever imagine (v 25).

*‘Lovers in a Dangerous Time’, 1984

Read again a favourite passage of Scripture and thank God for the truths it contains.

Some of Jesus’ sayings in this passage are particularly difficult to understand. What, for instance, is the meaning of ‘Those who have will be given more; as for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them’ (v 25, TNIV)? Is this justification for the adage that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? On a similar front, sociologist Robert K Merton was inspired by Matthew’s version of this verse¹ to coin the phrase ‘the Matthew effect’. This describes the tendency for established scientists to get the credit for discoveries younger scientists have also made, simply because they are better known.²

Jesus, however, is not saying that he supports the ‘haves’ over the ‘have-nots’. His words are a continuation of his teaching on parables begun in the parable of the sower. He is exhorting people to put effort into growing in their understanding of his teaching by stating the principle true of all learning – that the more effort we put in, the more we will understand. His warning that those ‘who do not have’ will lose even what they do have, rings true for anyone who has tried to learn a language. Neglect practising your new language skills for too long and you quickly forget what you once knew. This is true of our spiritual growth too. We need to keep putting effort in to understanding and applying God’s Word, so we don’t go backwards but keep on growing.

How can we do that? We can dig deeper. When we do not understand a passage, or if an explanation of a Bible reading doesn’t answer our questions, we can try and find out more for ourselves: read commentaries, search the internet, ask others. It’s easy to settle for what we already know, but standing still isn’t really an option in God’s kingdom.

What do you think you can do to ensure that you continue to grow in your understanding and application of God’s Word? 

¹ Matt 13:12  ² http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/merton/matthew1.pdf