Consider carefully what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you––and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him (Mark 4:24-25).

These words, Jesus spoke along with the parable of the sower. Its conclusion is: “Consider carefully what you hear,” or “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” In an attempt to elaborate and emphasize his point, he brought in another parable, a short saying: “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” What was it that Jesus wanted to say?

The same saying is mentioned two more times in gospels:

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).

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Mat 7:2).

It can be easily observed that though the same saying is used in these passages, the context of each passage is quite different; hence the meaning of the saying is not the same. The ones in Luke and Matthew are somewhat similar to each other because both are talking about a person’s attitude toward others: how you treat others will determine how you come to be treated by God. But the one in Mark is very different from the other two because it is not talking about the measure you use in the relationships with others, but rather about the measure you use within yourself in understanding the words of Jesus. Since we are more familiar with those two uses of the saying in Matthew and Luke, we tend to look for the similar meaning in the one in Mark as well, and that is a mistake. This assumption tricks us, and we stumble. The important thing to realize is that here nothing of the relationship with others is at stake. And the following statement by Mark gives a big clue:

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand (v. 33).

Jesus taught the people according to their capacity of understanding his words. To those who had more of this capacity like his disciples, he taught them more by explaining the meaning of his words to them. The “measure” that Jesus talked about was this capacity.

Consider carefully what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you––and even more (v. 24).

God’s gifts and blessings are given according to the measure you use—the capacity of understanding his word. God’s word you hear remains in you when you understand it, and we have the following promise:

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you (John 15:7).

In order for his words to remain in you, you must understand them. Hearing God’s word without understanding its meaning is like memorizing phone numbers by reading a phone book. How long do those numbers remain in you? Not a long time. But those things you have come to understand, they remain in you forever. With the word remaining in you, you come to bear fruit.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (v. 5).