Where Do You Stand?

Subsequent to His teaching on watching, Yeshua says in Mark 4:25: "For to him who has, it shall be given. And for him who has not, also that is to be taken from him." It should be noted that the words "given" and "taken" are both in the future tense, passive voice, and indicative mood. The future tense corresponds to the English future, and indicates the contemplated or certain occurrence of an event which has not yet occurred. The passive voice represents the subject as being the recipient of the action, e.g., in the sentence, "The boy was hit by the ball," the boy receives the action. The indicative mood is a simple statement of fact. If an action really occurs or has occurred or will occur, it will be rendered in the indicative mood. Yeshua is teaching as a matter of fact, that your actions will result in your receiving more from G_d or less from Him. This is very Hebraic; it is about what you do, not just what you think.

The word "has" is the Greek word echo and it means to have in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have possession of the mind, to hold fast, keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as. It is in the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility and potentiality. The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances. Yeshua is teaching that you have choices and those choices will dictate what you passively receive from G_d. If you hear and obey, more will be given. If you don't hear and obey, what you have will be taken away from you.

How do you respond to this teaching by Yeshua? Do you find it difficult or unfair? Notice that Yeshua's teaching does not "grade on a curve." The issue is hearing that impacts actions. You are either obedient or disobedient. There is no middle ground. The question for us is, "Where do we stand (based on what we do, not just what we say)?"