Jesus And Youth Series

Lesson 15

Mark 10:17-23 Jesus and Youth in Mark

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Someone needs to remind them to remember. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (Psalm 119:9). “It is good for a man that he bears the yoke in his youth.” (Lamentations 3:27).

Young Man Mark:

St. Mark was one of the seventy apostles appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 10:10). St. Mark is the founder of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He visited Alexandria, in 61 AD and succeeded in founding the See of Alexandria. He is regarded as the first pope of an unbroken chain of 118 patriarchs. St. Mark was of Jewish descent from the tribe of Levi. He was called John Mark. He lived in Pentapolis west of Egypt. After an attack by Barbarians, his family migrated to Jerusalem. John Mark was educated and fluent in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Barnabas was his cousin, and his father's cousin was St. Peter. St. He was the man who was carrying the jar when the two disciples went to prepare a place for the celebration of the Passover (Mark 14:13) (H.G. Bishop Youssef, Coptic Orthodox Diocese). The name of Mark is mentioned in Acts 12:12, 13:5,13, and in Colossians 4:10, where he is identified as a cousin of Barnabas, and in 1 Peter 5:13. Papias of Hierapolis (A.D. 60-130) and Irenaeus (A.D. 130-200) both identified this gospel as having been written by Mark, a disciple of Peter.

A Rich Young Man:

The Rich Young Man and Attitudes to Wealth and Status are found in Mark 10:17-31. Jesus’ encounter with a rich man speaks directly to economic activity. The young man’s question leads Jesus to list the six most socially oriented commandments in the Decalogue. The young man was emotionally disturbed and had an openness to truth. His emotional attachment to his wealth and status overruled his willingness to heed the words of Jesus. Jesus loved this young man. We suffer when we let wealth or work cut us off from other people and remove us from our relationship with God (Theology of Work).

Naked Young Man:

The guards who came to arrest Jesus also tried to arrest the youth, but he escaped. “A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind” (Mark 14:51–52). Most scholars believe that, like an artist painting himself in a corner of his picture, Mark included a cameo of himself in his Gospel. The history of identifying this character with the author himself began with a thirteenth-century Coptic manuscript in which a footnote identified the young man as Mark the Evangelist (or as James, son of Joseph). But Papias, the early second-century bishop of Hierapolis, declared that “Mark neither heard the Lord nor followed him” (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.39.15) during Jesus’s lifetime. Others have speculated that the naked runaway was Lazarus. (Dallas Theological Seminary).

A Young Man at Tomb:(Clean Youth)

"And when they went into the tomb, they saw a young man (neaniskon) sitting on the right, wearing a white robe (Mark 16:5). This ‘young man’ is an Immortal youth, with all of the buoyant energy and fresh power which that attribute suggests, belongs to those beings whom Scripture faintly shows as our elder brethren (Maclaren). The angel appearing in the form of a young man indicates the vigor, beauty, and strength of angels. The good angels always appear in beauty and comeliness of form. There will be no deformity in heaven (Pulpit). This is the hope of humanity after death.

Conclusion:

Working among Youth is hard. Leaders find heartaches, disappointments, and difficulties. They expect more fun and less seriousness. More cracking of Jokes fewer teachings on spirituality. Great leaders are often formed when they are young. King David served God from a young age. Daniel followed God from his youth. Timothy was taught about God from his youth. When God saves young people, he uses their youth to form them, mold their character and attitudes, and shape a person who will follow Jesus for the rest of their life. The effectiveness of evangelism is greater with young people and students than at any other time in their lives. It is called as “4-14 window” among mission strategist.

(For further Studies in Mark, please refer this site).