Carefully Consider

Read Mark 4:21-25

“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.” –Mark 4:24

The second half of this verse appears in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). However, its meaning can shift according to its context. For instance, Matthew contains this saying within his Sermon on the Mount. The full passage reads: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt 7:1-2) The measure in this context refers to the standards by which we measure others. Jesus warned us against focusing too much on the “speck” in another person’s eye—we may miss the “log” in our own!

The same lesson applies to forgiveness. Within that same sermon, Jesus taught: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt 6:14-15) We can see the same lesson in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant. (Matt 18:21-35)

Or, just to take one more example, in Luke’s Gospel Jesus used this saying in regard to generosity: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) The “measure” here comes from the image of a vendor in a market. There were many tricks for a vendor to give you less than what you paid for. They might give you a “measure” of grain, leaving it as loose as possible to take up as much space as possible. But if they “shook” and “pressed” the measure, more grain could be added. So Jesus was saying: When we are generous to others in the way we measure our time and money, that same measure will be returned to us in abundance! The apostle Paul echoed this wisdom in his letters: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Cor 9:6) 

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus did not use this phrase in reference to judgment, forgiveness, or generosity. Rather, he was talking about our attention. “Consider carefully,” he said, “what you hear.” There are two ways to interpret this statement. The first way focuses on the last three words—what you hear. In other words, guard your heart. To quote one devotion I’ve read:

“What you plant in your mind and soul becomes the garden of your life. If you let random seeds get blown into your mind by the things you carelessly watch and listen to, your soul will soon resemble a tangled bed of weeds. The end result will be mental and moral confusion… If you want your circumstances to change, pay closer attention to the seed being sown in your heart, soul, and mind. They will come out in your life!” [Source: Go Serv Global]

But if we place the emphasis on the first two words of Jesus’ statement—Consider carefully—we arrive at a different interpretation. Jesus had just given the disciples a series of teachings about the “seed” of God’s word and the “light” placed on a stand. He closed these teachings with a common formula: “He who has ears, let him hear!” So Jesus was admonishing the disciples to listen carefully to the words he had just spoken. So in this context, the “measure” is the attention we give to God. The amount of careful listening we give to God equals the amount of understanding we receive from God. The more we read, seek, puzzle, and pray, the more understanding God gives us. The less we do these things, the less we perceive and receive.

And finally, I draw your attention to the final three words of this verse: “…and even more.” Here’s the blessing of Jesus’ Gospel, the abundance of God that we dare not miss. God is able to do “abundantly above all” we could ever think or imagine. (Ephesians 3:21) So we don’t just receive what we put in. No, for those who faithfully seek God’s truth and follow in His ways, even more than we can hold will be poured in our laps.

Help me, O Lord, to become more generous with the time I give to listening. Make me slow to speak and slow to judge. Help me to “consider carefully” what You are speaking into my Spirit. Amen.