What Is a Bushel?
The bushel (Greek: modios) was a common unit of measurement in first-century Palestine, used primarily for measuring dry goods like grain, seeds, and other produce. Based on archaeological evidence and ancient texts, a bushel held approximately eight liters or roughly a peck in modern measurements. It was a practical container that farmers, merchants, and households would have used daily in their agricultural economy. When Jesus and the Gospel writers reference the bushel, they were drawing on something His audience would have immediately understood—a familiar aspect of their material world.
In the cultural context of Jesus's ministry, the bushel represented both economic necessity and agricultural abundance. Families depended on these measurements for storing food, paying taxes, and conducting trade. The bushel appears in the Gospels not as an abstract concept but as a tangible reality that connected people to the rhythms of planting, harvest, and provision.
The Bushel in Scripture
Perhaps the most memorable reference to the bushel comes in Jesus's teaching about light. In Mark 4:21, Jesus asks, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand?" (NIV). Matthew 5:15 records a similar saying: "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." The Greek word here indicates that hiding a lamp under a bushel would be foolish and counterproductive—the very purpose of light is to illuminate.
Jesus uses this image of the bushel to teach about the nature of discipleship and witness. Just as it would be absurd to measure grain in a bushel only to hide the bushel away, it would be contrary to the Kingdom of God for His followers to conceal their faith and the light of the Gospel. The bushel, in this context, becomes a metaphor for anything that might hide or diminish our testimony for Christ.
A Practical Word for Modern Disciples
What does the bushel teach us today? Jesus's message remains powerfully relevant: we are called to let our light shine openly. Whether we're hesitant about sharing our faith at work, uncomfortable expressing our beliefs in our neighborhoods, or tempted to keep our Christian convictions private, Jesus reminds us that such hiding is fundamentally at odds with our purpose. We are not meant to be secret disciples or silent witnesses. The Gospel is meant to spread, to illuminate, to transform communities.
This doesn't mean being obnoxious or pushy in our faith. Rather, it means living authentically as followers of Jesus, allowing our transformed lives to be visible, and being ready to speak about our hope when opportunities arise. Our families, workplaces, and communities need the light of Christ. God hasn't called us to hide under a bushel but to let our light shine before others so they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Let us be faithful to that calling today.
"Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." — Matthew 5:15 (NIV)