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Reading Notes: The Gospel of Mark Part B

The second half of the Gospel of Mark is more almost more interesting than the first because it is like stories within stories and it makes you think about their meaning in much more depth, because the meaning might not be as obvious. After completing the reading for Part B, I think my storytelling of the week will be a parable, with some kind of hidden meaning. I am thinking about making this more simplified though, meant for the direct audience being children, yet adults could be reminded of something by it too.

Jesus teaches in parables and hidden messages. One thing I wished people would have done more back then was ask questions. It often says things like 'they were too afraid to ask what it meant.' Maybe then, today some of these messages would be more clear. One of my favorite things that Jesus teaches is "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." I think this is something he taught in the sense that the people of the time were likely to think of this literally. But, it is a good reminder that, while in today's society it is praised to be the most successful, independent, and wealthy, we must humble ourselves because none of that matters after this life. I think Jesus is referring to the position of our hearts, in the sense that if we are good and honest people, in the life after this we will be put before those who were not.

Another thing that Jesus says when he is tested by the Pharisees is "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." He says this when asked if they are to give money to CaesarI think this is important and goes back to the wealth thing because God doesn't care about our money, he cares about what is in our hearts, which is why we must render the things that are God's to him.

Bibliography: Gospel of Mark, Mark, King James Translation


Image: Jesus memes

Comments

  1. Hi Stephanie!

    Your Jesus meme was very funny! I love parables and I like your idea to write your own! I am excited to see where you go with this, for there are many directions you can take this! Parables are timeless and display a lot of culture! I find Mark's account of parables easy to read, and show a different perspective than the other gospels. This should be a fun topic to write about, and I wish the best of luck!

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