This was the first time that I have actually sat down and read an entire gospel in the bible. Usually I just examine sections or certain parables, but this time I was required to read the gospel in its entirety and it was an interesting experience. The Gospel of Mark was originally the least popular gospel of the synoptic gospels due to its simple Greek and lack of certain parts that Matthew and Luke contained. Once it was found to the most “original gospel, meaning that it is the earliest in date and was discovered that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a sort of starting point, scholars began to examine the gospel and discovered once you see through the dirt, the Gospel of Mark is very metaphorical.
The most distinct example of use of metaphor is in chapter 4 of the Gospel of Mark. As Jesus Christ teaches by the sea side to a vast number of people, he taught them in parables with common usage of metaphors. When Jesus says, "The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word…Others like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they they only last a short time. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop."[1], he is explaining to the confused people that the sower is sowing the message of God, but when they hear it, Satan will come and take away the message that lies in their hearts, unless like seeds in good soil they take good root in what they believe and produce a crop many times what was sown. By usage of metaphors, Jesus is teaching the people about the message of god, by using a sower and his seeds as an example.
Later, when Jesus continues on and says "is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick?"[2], he is speaking of the message of god and how it should be told and spread among the people, instead of being kept to themselves and hidden away. Lastly, when Jesus says "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?" he responds "it is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade"[3] proves to be another instance of the usage of metaphorical language in the Gospel According to Mark. Here the main point of the parable is that the kingdom of God seemingly had insignificant beginnings, but the day will come when its true greatness and power will be seen by the whole world.
Bibliography
Barker, Kenneth L., John H. Stek, Walter W. Wessel, and Ronald F. Youngblood. "Mark 4:15-20,21-25,30-32." NIV Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 2002. Print.
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