He said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ (Mark 4: 21-23)

Luke places this parable in a similar context and sequence. Matthew has it as part of the Sermon on the Mount.

In his fourth chapter Mark offers four parables and a couple aphorisms in rapid succession. The lack of setting or narrative is a bit jarring to most modern readers. But his contemporary readers were unlikely to notice. Collections of wise sayings - as in the Book of Proverbs or the Gospel of Thomas - were common.

I wonder if the author of Mark did not see himself as a popularizer of such wisdom literature. This gospel is distinquished by its focus on miracles, fast pace, secrecy, and lack of attention to much of what Jesus said. It is as if Mark was seeking to present Jesus as an action hero.

About the same time that Mark is supposed to have been written, the most popular literary form was the Greek "romance novel." These usually short fantasies and adventures provided a narrative structure that Mark could have used to fuse wisdom sayings, oral traditions, and other sources into something that would have been well-received by a wide reading audience.

The four gospels - and especially Matthew, Mark, and Luke - share a great deal. But they each have a unique perspective, tone, and somewhat different purpose.

A synoposis Chaireas and Callirhoe, perhaps the oldest surviving Greek Romance, is available from Montclair State University.