4:21–25 In these verses there is a collection of sayings that all seem to be governed by exhortations to perceive properly God’s presence in Jesus’ ministry (4:23, 24). These same sayings appear in the other Gospels at various points, indicating that Mark has probably constructed chapter 4 from various sayings of Jesus (see note). The sense of 4:21–23 has to do with the note of secrecy sounded in 4:11, where the kingdom of God is described as a secret that is not perceived by some in its present appearance in Jesus’ ministry. The point of these sayings is that this present hidden form of the manifestation of the kingdom will give way to a future openness and clarity, which is probably a reference to a promised time when God will fully manifest his truth and power and when Jesus’ ministry w…