Mark 4:22 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Mark 4:22

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These words may be related back to what Christ had said earlier. In verses 11 and 12 of this chapter, you read: ‘And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: ¹² That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.’ One of the reasons for the parables being explained only to the disciples but not to the crowds, was because there was a veil put over the gospel. There was a veil so that the gospel message would not, before time, infuriate the Jewish hearers. Christ was working to a timetable. He spoke to those in whose hearts there was enlightening grace; they would understand the parables. The disciples had them explained, and though repentance and remission of sins was preached, yet there was a certain amount of veiling over the message. The timetable of Christ had to be kept. He would walk today, tomorrow, the next day. He would preach, he would heal; he would show his divine power, his compassion for needy souls; he would be working in the hearts of some people, but the gospel couldn't be too plain and too clear yet, because it would cause his premature death. Christ was indeed sought – they did wish to execute him, the leaders; they tried to take him many times – but their efforts would have been all the greater, had this message been openly proclaimed from the beginning. It was too offensive to those nationalistic Jews. There had to be time for the disciples to be instructed and trained, then Christ had to go to Calvary after which everything would be made much clearer: what he had come for, what he was doing. He had to be raised from the dead to demonstrate that his work was entirely successful, and then the Spirit had to be poured out, and everything that had been veiled to some extent could be opened up and made totally public. But then Christ says, ‘There is nothing hid’. According to one interpretation of these words, he is referring to his veiling of the truth, the veiling of the parables and the message. ‘There is nothing hid that shall not be manifested. Neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad.’ The time is coming when all the wrappings will be taken off, and everything will be public, and the duty of the sower and the Lord's people will be to make it known far and wide.But there is also an eschatological meaning to these words. God’s light will ultimately prevail over the darkness of this world. Any tendency to be ashamed of the gospel, or to keep it hidden out of fear of those who oppose it, will put us on the wrong side, on the losing side, in the great battle between light and darkness. Let us take courage because the light that has been given to us will prevail, and we must be those who are of the light, and the gospel itself is an exposing message.

Application

This applies to life in this world. There are some things which are concealed from us in life. The world won’t speak about them, the world resents them, it contradicts them. Here is an obvious one: that we are sinful, that we are depraved. The world doesn’t tell you that, in fact the world works quite hard at disproving this. ‘No, nobody is an absolute sinner. Nobody is as bad as you make out.’ It wants self-confidence and self-approval. It wants to think well of itself. However, the light of the gospel uncovers things that the world covers up and it says, ‘No, we are sinners. We are depraved. We cannot please God. We cannot have his blessing.’ Now, if you are used to hearing this message as a Bible believer, as a worshipper, you say, ‘Well, that’s not so surprising.’ Actually, it is! You won’t hear a message like that in the world! You won’t hear anywhere that mankind is depraved and that we need salvation and we need total change of life. The gospel says that we are alienated from God, we are cut off from him. The world doesn’t agree with that; it tries to bury God’s truth. The world is full of phoney religions, counterfeit religions, telling us that it is comparatively easy for us to please God, if we just follow their way: religions of self-righteousness and of works. But the gospel isn’t like that. It makes manifest and shows things that the world keeps secret. It speaks of God’s absolute, perfect holiness. He cannot abide sin and he must judge us all. It speaks of God’s amazing mercy in sending a Saviour to suffer and die in our place, if we trust in him and believe in him. It speaks about the emptiness and the vanity of the world, and about hell and punishment, and the world recoils from this. ‘There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested.’ When? In the last day, when the books are opened and the deeds of every man and woman are revealed. So it has a long-term sense as well. Therefore, ‘if any man have ears to hear, let him hear.’ That is a very solemn expression which signals that something very profound and important is being said. So now is the time will come for plain speech and open preaching.

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Mark 4:22 Commentary and Bible Study