Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

March 14

Mark records several statements that seem a little unrelated in chapter four. We’ll look at each of them and see how they relate to each other.

In verses 21–22, Jesus talks about things being revealed by the light. The purpose of a lamp is to reveal things that are hidden in the dark. Houses in New Testament times were unlike ours; they didn’t have windows. Residents needed to use candles and lamps to let them see. As you know, when we lose power, candles don’t provide much light. Their lamps were nowhere near as bright as the 60-100w bulbs we use today. We’ll read Luke 15 on April 20, where a woman lost a coin, so she brought out a lamp to be able to find it.

In verses 23–25, Jesus tells us to practice discernment in what we hear. Wow! What a much-needed trait today, especially among believers! It seems that we frequently hear of church leadership scandals and bad theology. Whenever these leaders fall or preach things contrary to Scripture, we often hear responses from other believers such as, “Don’t touch the Lord’s anointed,” a misapplication of 1 Chronicles 16:22.

Some have alleged that exposing such a leader is waging “spiritual warfare” against him or his church. Others have accused those who expose these things of having a “critical spirit.” But the first allegation does not align in any way with the Bible’s definition of spiritual warfare, and the accusation of a “critical spirit” because someone employs critical thinking is deflecting and imputing motive instead of addressing the real issue. (We’ll look at spiritual warfare when we get to Ephesians 6 on September 25, and 2 Corinthians 10 on August 1.)

The point here, though, is that Jesus promises further illumination and discernment for those who pay attention to what they see and hear. God gives us signs in His Word and in our life experiences. If we are vigilant, He will give us eyes to see and ears to hear what He is unveiling. Most of all, He will continue to give us more insight as we remain sensitive and obedient to His leading.

But, we must always remain alert. Always.

Application

Mark 4:22 (or one of its parallel passages) has been my prayer for several political election cycles. I pray, regardless of political party and regardless of elected office, that God will reveal hidden agendas, alliances, and partnerships. God continues to answer this prayer and, clearly, much more needs to be exposed—so much so that media pundits cannot ignore it. Please join me in praying for voluntary transparency or otherwise.

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman