Covering a lamp with a pot extinguished it without fumes getting into the air; to hide it under a bed was to keep the light from the room, though that is more dangerous because it might set the bed on fire. The only real purpose for a lamp is to place it on a lampstand, which puts it high enough to bathe the room with light. There are three possible understandings of this image: it could refer to discipleship and evangelism, to the fruitfulness of the proclaimed word, or to Jesus’ teaching that illuminates