Reading Notes: Gospel of Mark, Part B

For this section of the reading unit on the Gospel of Mark, I'll be focusing on beautiful sentences and language use.

The first sentence that stuck out was a short teaching of Jesus: "And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, "Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me." I really enjoyed the way Jesus
(via Mark) frames this lesson. The idea of receiving Christ was somewhat mystical in nature, and the emphasis on children highlighted to me the value Christ is consistently placing in this Gospel on the members of society who don't have power or are most easily oppressed. I would like to use language that provokes a sense of curiosity and mysticism in my own story writing.

Shortly after, Jesus speaks again on children in another teaching: "Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." To me, this teaching seems to promote the simple sense of joy and wonder that children tend to have in contrast with the jaded, hard-hearted worldview that many adults seem to operate with. Regardless of its full and accurate meaning, the sentence worked well in the context of the reading. These teachings of Jesus sometimes buck against the prevailing attitudes of society, both then and now.

Another teaching later in the unit again suggests that Jesus was not impressed with wealth or those in society who are powerful. After a man refuses to give up his possessions to follow Jesus, Jesus laments to his disciples "How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." This metaphor is vivid and makes the point well. Perhaps if I retold some of Christ's parables and restyled some of His teachings for my storytelling exercise this week, I could incorporate modern versions of these stories and metaphors. I would aim to make the metaphors vivid and strong like the ones found in Mark, just perhaps more relevant to modern audiences.

I've really enjoyed reading the Gospel of Mark!

IMAGE: The Death of Jesus by
artist James Tissot, sometime
between 1886 and 1894.
Source: Wikimedia















Bibliography: Readings from the Gospel of Mark unit in the UN-Textbook. Story source: King James Bible (1611).