Articles
Jesus Makes Us Think
“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8:16-18, ESV)
Sometimes it sounds like Jesus is speaking in riddles. Take the passage above for example. To what, exactly, does the lamp refer? What is hidden that Jesus says will be made known? Perhaps even more perplexing, what does he mean by “to the one who has, more will be given”? The one who has what will be given what?
It is never very insightful to try to understand any passage by ripping it out of its original context. A cut-and-paste Bible study approach does not help. This is where we have to read what comes before and after. Just previously in Luke 8 Jesus told the parable of the sower. Jesus explained how this parable is like an x-ray of our souls, illustrating how the way we hear Jesus’ words reveals the kind of hearts we have – just like how a seed grows reveals the quality of the ground in which it was planted.
Then comes the riddle. And this is what it means: Jesus’ teachings are like a lamp to reveal what is in our hearts. We can hide our thoughts and intentions from other people fairly easily, but not from the light of Jesus’ truth. What we may hide for a while will eventually come to light and be known by how we respond to the gospel. To the one who has faith to hear and do, more faith will be given as he seeks more understanding and continues to bear fruit like the good ground. To the one who does not have faith, even though he thinks he is “ok with God,” faith will be taken away as his heart is further hardened by what he hears.
This makes a lot of sense when you think about it, but why didn’t Jesus just spell out what he meant in the first place? Why all this talk of lamps under jars, things being hidden and manifested, and taking things from people who have nothing in the first place?
The disciples wondered the same thing when they asked the Teacher, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (Matt. 13:10). Jesus replied with a quotation from Isaiah 6:9-10: “You will keep on hearing but will not understand; you will keep on seeing but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them” (Matt. 13:14-15). Jesus taught in parables, illustrations, metaphors, symbols, stories, and riddles because they expose the condition of our hearts.
This is illustrated in many different situations in Jesus’ ministry. Sometimes he responded to people in very unexpected ways, like when he first refused to help the Canaanite woman whose daughter was demon-possessed (Matt. 15:21-28). Other times he used startling, even disgusting, symbols to convey his message; remember how the thought of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking Jesus’ blood was so repulsive to the Jews that they stopped following him (John 6)? On several occasions Jesus presented a Scriptural riddle to his opponents, most famously the puzzling question regarding Psalm 110 and how David could call his son, the Christ, “Lord” (Matt. 22:41-46).
Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. The various responses to his teachings revealed precisely what was in people’s minds. Some mocked, calling him demon-possessed and insane (John 10:20). Others were impressed with Jesus’ authority but too afraid of the religious powers to make it publicly known (John 12:42-43). A special few, like the disciples, wanted to know more, to seek deeper understanding (Luke 8:9). These are the ones to whom more would be given, because they saw the wisdom and truth of Jesus’ words even when they could not fully grasp it in the moment.
Jesus’ teachings are just as powerful 2,000 years later. Even today he makes us think. Thinking requires us to pause and do a double-take when we do not understand something we read. This leads to us asking questions to seek Jesus’ meaning. Done honestly, asking questions of the text naturally leads to asking questions of our own hearts – “Am I hearing Jesus’ will? Is my heart right with God? Where do I need to repent, grow, serve?”
If there is one thing we learn from Jesus’ ministry, however, it is that most will not put this kind of time and effort into hearing what Jesus is saying. Most of the world believes Jesus was a good teacher, but not one worth spending a lifetime learning from and following after.
But it’s not just the world – it’s us too. Laziness, distraction, busyness, and our generation’s preference for a more shallow, non-committal form of spirituality – all of these get in the way of us pausing to listen to Jesus. The world tells us faith is blind, absent from reason, that we just put our brains in neutral when we read the Bible. Sadly, sometimes we do. But this is not what Jesus taught.
Jesus does not hide truth so that we cannot find it; he hides it so we can. The work of digging, discovering, and delighting in the treasure is what Jesus says characterizes a disciple of the kingdom (Matt. 13:44,51-52). The results are invaluable – greater wisdom, deeper trust, reverent worship, and wholehearted love. If only we will take the time to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen.
