Out of the basket

by Anita Foster

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… Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket or under the bed and not on the lampstand? (Mark 4:21)

Read Mark 4:21–25

I have a basket in my house. A rather large one, perhaps even the size of a bushel basket – I’m not sure! This basket is the place where I quickly hide clutter in our house when I want the place to look tidy. It’s where things go when I don’t have time to sort them out yet or put them in their proper place, but when I also don’t want the contents of the basket on display. My children sometimes do the same thing when I ask them to tidy their room, hiding things away under their beds.

This passage about light and hearing is found amid Jesus’ use of parables to teach about the kingdom of God. It follows the Parable of the Sower and Jesus’ explanation of both the parable and his use of parables with the disciples.

Jesus asks whether you would hide away a lamp under the bed or under a basket. It’s a bit like the ultimate rhetorical question or appeal to our common sense. Would we? Of course not! Because the purpose of a lamp is to shed light, not to be hidden.

I wonder then, what that looks like for the purpose of God’s word in our own lives? Is the Living Word shining and on display in our homes and lives? Is it an active and lived part of us, listening to God and seeking to understand more about the kingdom of God?

Or perhaps there are times when it is more convenient for God’s word or our faith life to stay hidden away in the basket, the shelf or under the bed. Shoved away or compartmentalised. Applied in certain situations but not others.

Can people see Christ through our actions? Do we seek to bring God’s word to life in ways that others can understand, as Jesus does through these parables? I wonder what simple, faithful words and actions could allow God’s goodness to shine through you today?

Lord, help us not to hide our faith, but to live it openly and faithfully each day. Give us courage and strength to let your light be seen. Amen.

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