Mar 4:24 And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.
Mar 4:25 For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
NRSV
Mar 4:24 And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.
Mar 4:25 For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."
Vulgate
Mar 4:24 et dicebat illis videte quid audiatis in qua mensura mensi fueritis remetietur vobis et adicietur vobis
Mar 4:25 qui enim habet dabitur illi et qui non habet etiam quod habet auferetur ab illo
DRB
Mar 4:24 And he said to them: Take heed what you hear. In what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again, and more shall be given to you.
Mar 4:25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, that also which he hath shall be taken away from him.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William . . .
To: Donald . . .Sent: Sat, January 30, 2010 10:06:48 AM
Subject: re: Give - Get – Still More
Dear Father Donald,
I love your extract from St. Thomas Aquinas, and the R. Knox harmony of the Gospels. I have something to share on Mark 4: 24.
Walking passed a charity bookshop on Thursday, I was very curious about a paperback "Amplified Bible" in their window. The preface explained that it "attempts to go beyond the traditional 'word-for-word' concept of translation to bring out the richness of the Hebrew and Greek languages. Its purpose is to reveal, together with the single English word equivalent to each key Hebrew and Greek word, any other clarifying meanings that may be concealed by the traditional translation method". This was enough to tempt me, for I have neither Hebrew nor Greek understanding, and I might gain from having it by me. In the shop, I found the day's reading which I had read that morning:
Mark 4: 24 The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you - and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.
My bible commentary give little on this verse, whereas the [amplification] greatly enriches it for me. You may know of the Amplified Bible (perhaps you might know it), but the delight for me is how this passage has been running in my mind, with its 'interior' meaning, and lo! it features on your Blog! The Amplified Bible is online http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Amplified-Bible-AMP
. . .
Yours . . .
William
___________________________
Thank you, William,
Amplified Bible is OK.
I looked for Amplified Bible and after a third search found it was on our shelves..
Your COMMENT set me on further searching.
After ‘Measure and Measure’ and ‘Golden Rule’, I think the next heading should be ‘Give – Get –and still More’. That is the best version in both RSV and NRSV above.
On the other hand, the best backup however is the King James with Strong’s numbers (online explanations). That is from our e-Sword online Bible. Do you have that on board?
KJV+
Mar 4:24 And2532 he said3004 unto them,846 Take heed991 what5101 ye hear:191 with1722 what3739 measure3358 ye mete,3354 it shall be measured3354 to you:5213 and2532 unto you5213 that hear191 shall more be given.4369
At the back of my mind, the Thomas Aquinas Catena Aurea memory prompted me to link Jesus’ ‘Measure’ with the Eucharist/Blessed Sacrament. It suggests hearing Jesus speaking in the ‘first person’ instead of the ‘third person’; “the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more”
Meanwhile, surprise, surprise, (not yet caught up with Thomas Aquinas), this is from David Wilkerson (of The Cross and the Switchblade. Fame), taking up the perspective of:
“He said unto them…with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath” (Mark 4:24–25).
Jesus knew these words might sound strange to non-spiritual ears, so he preceded his message by saying, “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:23). Jesus was telling us, “If your heart is open to God’s Spirit, you’ll understand what I have to say to you.”
What, exactly, is Jesus saying in this passage? He’s speaking of the glory of God in our lives—that is, Christ’s manifest presence. In short, the Lord measures out his glorious presence in various amounts, whether to churches or to individuals. Some don’t receive any of his glory. Yet others receive an ever-increasing measure, emanating from their lives and churches in greater and greater amounts.
God has promised to pour out his Spirit on his people in these last days. Indeed, all of Scripture points to a triumphant, glory-filled church at the close of time. Jesus himself said the gates of hell will not prevail against his church. We won’t be limping into heaven—beaten down, depressed, whimpering, defeated, discouraged. No—our Lord is going to bring greater power to his church. This power won’t be manifested merely in signs and wonders. It will be revealed in his people—in the glorious transformation of hearts touched by God’s Spirit.
How can we obtain a greater, ever-increasing measure of Christ’s glory?
The Lord tells us very clearly: “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you” (Mark 4:24). Jesus is saying, “According to the portion of yourself you allot to me, I’ll give back to you in like portion. I’ll deal with you in the manner you deal with me. Whatever measure you mete out to me, I’ll mete out to you.”
If you mete out to God sloth and laziness—taking for granted his great work—you’ll be dealt a spirit of slumber. “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger” (Proverbs 19:15). As a result, your soul will go hungry, unable to be satisfied.
God’s love, mercy and grace toward us are boundless. The issue here isn’t obtaining his love, mercy or grace—but having the blessing of his glory in our lives.
Jesus states plainly that he measures out different amounts of his glory to us, according to how we measure out our hearts to him. Our part is simply to move ever closer to him—in our worship, obedience and diligence.
& & & & & & & & & &
And so on
Much homework still to be done.
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