Two Parables in the Gospel of Mark - Book Report/Review Example

Two parables in the book of Mark If one takes a look at the civilization which was formed by the human beings, it becomes rather clear that it features a considerable number of peculiarities. While some people might point out that the ability to generate verbal interaction should be considered to be characteristic to our kind, there is no doubt that it reflects only superficial differences. On a much deeper level the humans are unique because they have a highly developed spiritual world. Indeed, the notions such as God, morals or ethical behavior are not found anywhere beyond boundaries of the human society. That it is extremely important to analyze different aspects of religion as it provides a valuable insight into the very nature of the mankind. This paper will examine two parables which are found in the Gospel of Mark in great detail and show the connection between their content and the message which was conveyed by this saint. The first parable which will be interpreted is usually referred to as The Parable of the Sower. It is found in chapter 4, verses three to eight. The overall structure of the parable is simple: a man scattered seed over different types of soil and the latter treated the seed accordingly. The first instance which is described in the parable is when the seed “fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up” (Mark 2: 4). As one can easily see on this example, Jesus refers to people who were not able to hear the word of wisdom of Christianity. The image of birds is explained as Satan, taking away the possibility of salvation of such people. The next type of soil which is discussed in the parable is referred to as the rocky place. The wisdom was accepted by the people, but since they did not have enough faith or as it was put figuratively “they had no root” (Mark 4:6), they were not able to become good Christians. This might be the image of the early Christians who may have genuinely believed in the message of Jesus, but could not defend their faith against the society and ultimately betrayed what they respected. In this case root is the metaphor for have a solid base in Christian Church. Jesus continues His parable saying that “other seed fell among thorn” (Mark 4:7). The outcome of it was rather unfortunate: in spite of the fact that the seed grew, it was not able to bring any grain as the above mentioned thorns chocked it. This is a clear analogy to the people who become believers, but their daily routine does not allow them to live their lives according to the principles that their Church preaches. As on can easily see, in this case the planting of the seed was successful, but the environment appeared to be too hostile for it to grow. Thus, unlike the previous example, people who are implied in the third type of soil are not considered to be true believers. Finally, the parable is ended with description of a seed that “fell on good soil” (Mark 4:8). It is quite obvious that since the conditions were quite favorable, it was able to grow fast and give a grain. In the text it is said that a single seed was able to produce thirty, sixty or even hundred times more seeds. These numbers should not be regarded as some kind of a strict mathematical progression: they simply show that in good circumstances the faith is able to have infinite number of positive consequences. Now, it would be rather important to analyze the two images which are repeated in the description of every kind of soil. To begin with, one should argue that the seed referrers to faith. Indeed, according to the Christian tradition God gave people free will so that they could love and praise Him because they want to and not because they have to. That is why, it is essential to understand that what the Christian Church is preaching is only a seed which people may or may not adopt. This is a rather good analogy as it shows a peculiar aspect: just like a person is not able to use the seed as food, since it is too small and can not feed one; the mere faith in Jesus Christ is not enough for the people to save their souls. In other words, a seed is planted that that it would give a fruit or a crop which would feed the people while the original seed is forgotten; similarly to that, faith is important as it urges people to behave correctly, make good deeds and help each other. All this leads to the explanation of the second image which is used in the parable: the crop. As it has already been shown, the crop refers to the consequences of faith. This means that unlike other religious systems which encourage people to look inside their spiritual world and find personal enlightenment, Christianity is a religion which is oriented at achieving positive results. This means that true believers are not simply expected to devote their love to God, but they are encouraged to glorify Him in various deeds on a daily basis. That is why the central image of this parable is the crop that the original man wanted to harvest and the different kinds of soil. This parable is significant since it is closely related to the message which was send by the Gospel of Mark. Being one of the shortest ones, this particular Gospel tried to encourage people to accept the truth of Christianity and follow its guidelines. One would make not mistake, pointing out that the parable in question was designed in such a way that people who hear about the different kinds of soil and compare themselves with them. As the first three are shown in the negative manner, the public would want to genuinely embrace the word of God and become good Christians. In addition to that, when the newly converted people heard this parable once again, they were more focused on the increasing the number of good deeds in their lives, following the analogy of the parable, produce mane crop. The next parable which will be examined closely in this paper is called The Parable of the Tenants. It is structured in the following way: a man set up a vineyard and rented it to farmers. When it was time to harvest the fruit he sent several servants, but they all were beaten by the farmers. Finally, he sent his son who also was killed. In the end, the man is to kill the farmers. Thus, even from the brief description of the parable it is clear that the original man who set up the vineyard is God. If one develops this analogy, the vineyard itself should be considered to be the material world as it was created by God. In addition to that, the farmers who are depicted in the parable are the people. However, one should make an important reservation here: the story in question omits several parts of the creation of the form, as the first people, namely Adam and Eve, were not aggressive, unlike the farmers. Therefore, the latter is the image of the modern day people or the contemporaries of Mark. There is a peculiar point which is mentioned in the parable: the man who created the vineyard is said to have “moved to another place”. One would make no mistake pointing out that this place is heavens. In other words, this very parable implies that the reality that people see is not the only reality in the Universe. This is quite an interesting point since it is somewhat similar to certain philosophical provision of the Ancient Greece, according to which God has created the Universe, but no longer took care of it. For a logical point of view setting up a vineyard and relocating does not make sense, but if it is understood through the prism of religious knowledge everything becomes clear. Later in the parable it is said that “at harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants”. This is a clear indication of the fact that throughout the history God sent different men to articulate His will and let the people follow the right path. Indeed, in the Old Testament, there is a considerable number of prophets which proclaimed the will of God and could influence the development of the contemporary society. However, just like with some of the prophets, the servants who were sent to the tenants were victims of violence. It is quite understandable that not all the society was able to embrace new religious doctrine. That is why those who were active proponents of it could suffer a lot. For example, John the Baptizer was ostracized and ultimately killed because he was preaching about the changes in the dominant religion. The image of the son that the person who set up the vineyard sent is rather easy to understand: it refers to Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible Jesus claims that He is the Son of God and that He came to suffer for the sins of the humanity. This means that His role was almost identical to the son from the parable: at the harvest time he went to gather the fruits, but he was killed. What is more important is that the parable contains a peculiar line: “They will respect my son” (Mark 12:6). Thus, it is quite obvious that Jesus Christ, being the Son of God, is largely respected by the modern people, but His contemporaries did not have as much faith in Him. That is why even His divine origin was not able to protect Him from the aggression of the people at the time. At the end of the parable, it is said that the man who set up the vineyard will kill the tenants and give the vineyard to other people. One can easily see the depiction of the Judgment day in these verses. In spite of the fact that God is not going to kill all the people, He will guide them and those who were not living a decent life will be sent to Hell. Speaking of the part of the parable which says that the man will “give the vineyard to others”, one might point out that after the end of day those who were true believers will be living in heaven. This parable is also quite relevant to the message which is sent by Mark: he wanted to give a brief explanation of the Christian faith in the Gospel and this parable might be regarded as a concise way to do so. In spite of the fact that it omits some of the provisions of the Christian faith, it presents the main sequence of events which is designed to explain the people the contemporary state of affairs: the world was created – the people became corrupted – they rejected the Son of God Who was sent to help them – the God will make His judgment accordingly. It is quite obvious that this narration is likely to heavily influence the people and encourage them to become true Christians as this will promise the salvation of their souls. As one can easily see on the example of the two parables which were examined in the paragraphs above, the Gospel by Mark is mostly dedicated to promote the basic principles of the Christian faith and heavily relies on the parables that present the Christian worldview in a concise, yet full manner. Thus, the first parable urges the people to open their heart for the message which is sent by the Church and become a good soil for this seed, figuratively speaking. The second parable shows how cruel the majority of the people became and encourages people to accept the Son of God and give Him what is His since at the harvest time, God will judge everyone and those who rejected Jesus will be sorry. Read More