Not that it necessarily made him a better Christian, he says, but memorising Jesus’ words for two theatre-in-the round performances in Darwin in September helped him dwell in the Gospel of Mark in a way that had a real impact on him.

“Having the gospel or the Bible in your mind is always going to make you live in a way that is more in line with Christ,” he says.

“Having that familiarity with the Gospel and the life of Christ, and being able to tell that to someone, is like a mini evangelism tool in and of itself.”

The intense process of learning all of Jesus’s lines also made him examine the tone in which Jesus said different things.

Joe Parkin and friend

For example, when he rebukes his disciples, “you can say it as if Jesus is being like, ‘Oh, are you idiots? Why did you do this thing?’ I initially assumed that it was this overbearing, ‘Oh my goodness, why are you doing this thing?’ But when I sat down and looked at it and talked it through with some of the other people in the cast, it was much more that Jesus was really concerned for his disciples. And he was doing this in a much more pastoral, much more caring manner than I would’ve thought upon first read.”

“He was doing this in a much more pastoral, much more caring manner than I would’ve thought upon first read.” – Joe Parkin

It’s an insight shared by the producer of the two performances of the Mark Drama in Darwin in September, Jenny Bradshaw, who said she was also “struck by the way that Jesus never turns anyone away.”

“There are times where he’s very harsh with people who are hardhearted and unwilling even to consider that he is who is claims to be, but for anyone who comes to him, even with any kind of openness, he’s so gentle.”

Joe said the interactions Jesus had with people from the disciples to beggars to lepers and the Pharisees grounded Jesus in his mind.

“There are times where he’s very harsh with people who are hardhearted and unwilling even to consider that he is who is claims to be, but for anyone who comes to him, even with any kind of openness, he’s so gentle.” – Jenny Bradshaw

It was powerful seeing “how the bleeding woman approaches Jesus and how he cares for her, and how everyone else reacts to this interaction … and how different people engage with him.”

“Oftentimes, when you’re reading the Bible, he’s characterised in one or two ways. But, over the course of the Mark Drama, you get to see all these different aspects of the character of Jesus in one place – his patience, and his anger. Getting to see that all at the same time in one place brings it all together and solidifies it in your mind. That was probably the biggest thing that I found helpful in regards to coming to terms with the character of Jesus.”

“It can be a vast array of reactions, from ‘Oh, this is what they believe,’ or ‘Man, they are a bunch of nutters,’ or, ‘I’ve seen Jesus for the first time.’” – Joe Parkin

Joe, a Bachelor of Nursing student at Charles Darwin University, said he felt buoyed by the prayers of fellow members of the AFES (Australian Fellowship of Evangelism Students) who put on the 90-minute production over two nights, which involved eight men and seven women.

“There’s a sense of gravity you have, but also you’re supported by all these people around you and everyone’s praying for you and there’s a really encouraging atmosphere in the Mark Drama cohort. And the director [Jeanette Chin] and our producer Jenny as well caught up with me regularly to help keep me on track. So it was a very big network of people around you supporting you. So it’s an intense and big thing to take on, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed.”

“In the lead-up, my church [St Peter’s, Nightcliff] started praying for the Mark Drama and then other people’s churches as well. It’s also helpful that the focus of the Mark Drama isn’t on the performance in that you are praying people would come to it and see it – maybe for the first time – and they walk away with some great insight. It can be a vast array of reactions, from ‘Oh, this is what they believe,’ or ‘Man, they are a bunch of nutters,’ or, ‘I’ve seen Jesus for the first time.’”

Jesus performs a miracle, Mark Drama, Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin

Joe said one of the cast members had invited a woman from her workplace who called herself a Satanist but was really engaged in the drama.

“Then you also have people walking up to you with teary eyes, saying ‘Wow!’ so it is a vast array of reactions you get, even from Christians and people that are super familiar with the story already. They’re often quite surprised that they do get stuff from it, but both Christians and non-Christians are able to connect with it in different ways.”

“I was quite nervous about how to do the Garden of Gethsemane and crying and dying.” – Joe Parkin

Many audience members were particularly moved by the Garden of Gethsemane scene when Joe’s heartrending groans hammered home the reality of the anguish our Saviour went through.

“Coming into the Mark Drama, I was quite nervous about how to do the Garden of Gethsemane and crying and dying and doing that in front of people. It was something I was really worried about,” Joe says.

Thankfully, the director, Jeanette Chin, gave him a tutorial on how to cry before he had to do it in front of the cast.

“Seeing the reaction that people got from that was like, ‘Oh man, people are taking this on board. People are really connecting with it.’ And I found that a real comfort and highlight in terms of seeing this is helpful for people and people aren’t just seeing a bunch of random uni students. Actually, God’s using it.”

The first production of Mark Drama in Mandarin happened on 16 September

The two performances of the Mark Drama in Darwin were one of ten productions nationally this year which also included the first one in Mandarin at the University of Sydney.

Audience members are left with the big question, “Can it be true?” and are given the opportunity to read Mark’s Gospel with a friend or join a Christianity Explored course.

If you or your church is interested in putting on a Mark Drama, click here.