Themes and Messages in The Gospel of Mark Relevant to Young People Today

The theme for the reflection day is ‘make a difference’. A reflection day it is time where your whole cohort gets to reflect on how the year is going and experiences a wide range of performances and activities from the Youth Mission Team about the impact that the bible has on young people in today’s society. Through the Gospel of Mark there are a wide range of underlying themes and messages that enable a broad audience to engage with what he has written. On the day of the year 9 Reflection Day I want to engage the audience as much as possible to ensure they get the most out of the day. This can be achieved by creating a play using volunteers from year 9 to help depict the ‘Parable of the Sower’ which is from my chosen scripture passage (​Mark 3:7 – 6:6a). After the play has finished, year 9 will break off into small groups to discuss and create an artwork that portrays the Parable of the Sower that is unique to them. The play that I create will try to display my chosen theme or message in a way that is not obvious. The Parable of the Sower is a story about a sower who scatters seeds that fall on four different types of ground. The hard ground prevented the seeds from growing and the seeds become bird seed. The stony ground provides enough soil for the seeds to grow, however, the plants do not take root and are withered in the sun. The thorny ground allows the seed to grow, but the thorns choke the life out of the plants. Finally, the good ground receives the seed and produces fruit. To engage Year 9 students in this parable it is important to realise that everyone receives the Word of God differently and it is how they interpret the good news that determines their relationship with God. I will be engaging them in activities that will aim to encourage greater development of their faith.    

The Gospel according to Mark is the second book in the New Testament. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest book out of the four gospels and was probably the oldest gospel written and it is thought to have been composed shortly before the destruction of the Temple of Jesus in 70 AD. The Gospel of Mark is divided into three acts (sections). Act 1 is set in the town of Galilee and has a key focus on who Jesus is as well as Jesus’ power as he brings God’s kingdom on Earth. Jesus did this by healing people who were sick or oppressed whilst also forgiving people’s sins. Act 2 is called “on the way” and focuses on the disciples struggle to understand what it meant for Jesus to be the messiah. Finally, Act 3 focuses on how Jesus became the Messianic King and depicts Holy Week and Jesus’ crucifixion. Some believe that Mark’s gospel was never finished as he wanted to emphasise to the reader the shocking claim that the crucified and risen Jesus was the Messiah. ​The four authors of the gospels that are found in the New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and they are known as the Evangelists. An Evangelist is a person who wants to seek out people to convert them to the Christian faith. The four authors are often represented according to their given attributes. For example, the Angel for Saint Matthew, the Lion for Saint Mark, the Ox for Saint Luke and the Eagle for Saint John. In some cases, these symbols are given to stand in for the Evangelists. In particular St Mark is represented as a winged lion but can also been shown with a book which represents his gospel. The winged lion is seen as a patron of Venice and is used as a symbol that displays a unique sign of identity and power. Saint Mark’s symbol does not have any official or political meaning but rather a popular and religious origin. The winged lion represents that as a parish family we are alive and vibrant, strong and are on the move which is similar to Jesus within the gospel of Mark.    

The scripture passage that I chose was Mark 3:7 – 6:6a with a specific focus on the Parable of the Sower (4:1-20). Through the Parable of the Sower a wide range of themes and messages are displayed. The main themes that can be drawn out from my chosen scripture reference include; God’s unfailing love for us as well as the truths about God’s kingdom. Throughout the Parable of the Sower it simply represents the seed of the good news of Jesus told by his disciples. The farmer in the story sows four different seeds in many different places, just as Christians tell God’s news in a wide range of places. Depending on the place where the seeds are sowed, can depend on how well the seed physically grows. This is the same with Christians in regard to the good news of Jesus, for some people it is a good result whilst other may have a bad result. The Parable of the Sower has a wide range of messages that are relevant to year 9 students in today’s society. The parable can teach us about ourselves. This means that God will bless those followers (disciples) who love and trust him. From this parable we uncover very similar truths that are found in the beatitudes.    

Mark 4:11​ - He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables.” This scripture reference means that there are a lot of things that people are concerned about and want to learn more about. However, if these people can not understand the truths and messages of the Gospels, how would they be able to learn something more difficult. This reference helps us understand the privileges we have as followers of Christ. This reference uncovers the truths about God’s kingdom which was one of my key themes.    

Mark 4:20​ - “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop — some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” This scripture reference refers to the seeds that were sown in the good ground. The good ground throughout the Parable refers to Christ followers hearts that receive the Word of God. If the Word of God was received than these followers will do anything in their power to show God there unfailing love for them and vice versa.    

Mark 12:29-31​ - “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.​ ​Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.” This scripture reference refers Christian followers loving God with all their heart which will enable them to engage with everything that he could be pleased of. The reference is asking us to balance the two greatest commandments which is loving God and loving your neighbour. These two commandments are the basis of the Christian faith and must be abided by to uncover the truths about the kingdom of God and receive God’s unfailing love for us.    

Throughout the research process I had to create a research question that was relevant to the unit of study which was the Gospel of Mark with a focus on the relevance to young people. I had to use a wide range of sources that enabled me to answer my research question precisely. In this task I felt like there was a lot of variety and options to choose from to be able to enjoy the task whilst also answering the research question that I created. In this task I also enjoyed taking the initiative of choosing what my research was based on. Overall I enjoyed completing the research task about the Gospel of Mark with a focus on its relevant to young people in today’s society. I was able to create a fun and interactive activity (play + creation of artwork) for the year 9 students on their reflection day. The Gospel of Mark is divided into three acts that go into detail about Jesus’ life and ministry. As an author of one of the Gospels, Mark is given a symbol based on his given attributes. I was able to determine that Mark’s symbol is a winged lion which represents power and authority. At the beginning of the task a scripture passage needed to be chosen. The scripture passage I chose was Mark 3:7 – 6:6a with a specific focus on the Parable of the Sower. In this parable it tells the reader about how the good news of God is spread in a wide range of places and the impact that the Gospel may have on a Christian. Through my research question and research I was successfully able to find results that enabled me to learn more about the Gospel of Mark.    

The Parable of the Sower demonstrates a wide range of underlying themes and messages including; God’s unfailing love for us as well as the truths of God’s kingdom. The reason why I chose the Parable of the Sower instead of focusing on the whole scripture passage was because I believed that this Parable enabled year 9 students to relate to more as it has key ideas that could possibly relate to them. Throughout this Parable, Jesus explains in detail that the seed that is described is a symbol of the Word of God that is sown or preached throughout the whole world by Christian followers. Faith and religion can be a difficult topic for a teenager to fully grasp at the concept. However, the parable is stating that if you put your faith and trust in God he will bless you for your underlying love for him. By displaying your love for God, his followers will uncover many truths about God’s kingdom as well as his unfailing love for us. The lesson within the parable is based on the large diversity of people we have on earth globally. As the Gospel is preached around the world, there will always be a different reaction from people. It truly depends on how these people interpret the Gospel that God will display his unfailing love for us​. 

Bibliography

• Arte 2000, 2018, ‘The Lion of Saint Mark’, viewed 17th August 2019
• Bible Gateway, 2011, ‘The Parable of the Sower’, viewed 13th August 2019
• Bible Hub, n.d., ‘Mark 4:11’, viewed 19th August 2019
• Bible Hub, n.d., ‘Mark 4:20’, viewed 19th August 2019
• Bible Study Tools, n.d., ‘Mark 12:29-31’, viewed 19th August
• Ditzel, P, 2010, ‘The Parable of Jesus’, viewed 13th August 2019
• Encyclopedia.com, n.d., ‘Mark, Gospel according to’, viewed 14th August 2019
• Got questions, 2019, ‘What is the meaning of the Parable of the Sower?’, viewed 13th August 2019
• Jesus Film Project, 2018, ‘What is the Parable of the Sower about?’, viewed 14th August 2019
• Saint Mark Parish, n.d., ‘Meaning of our winged lion’, viewed 15th August 2019
• Study guide, n.d., ‘The Four Evangelists’, viewed 13th August 2019
• Wycliffe Associates, 2005, ‘Jesus teaches with stories’, viewed 13th August 2019