Mark 4:21-25, A Lamp Under a Basket

21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” [The ultimate purpose of a parable is to reveal truth, not to conceal it. To those who learn and then pass on to others what they have learned, more will be given. To those who hear and keep it to themselves, they will lose what they once had. If Jesus is referring to the “messianic secret,” the secret is only to be a secret temporarily.]