Y9: KS3 CATHOLIC RED: Galilee to Jerusalem - L2: What is the story of the Rich Young Man?
This fully resourced Year 9 lesson on the Rich Young Man (Mark 10:17–22) explores why the Gospel of Mark would have been essential for early Christians, particularly those facing fear, pressure, and persecution. Aligned with the KS3 Religious Education Directory (RED) and carefully sequenced to support progression towards GCSE Religious Studies, the lesson focuses on discipleship, sacrifice, and faithfulness as key themes in Mark’s writing.
Pupils study the encounter between Jesus and the Rich Young Man through clear, simplified Scripture, examining why the man struggles to follow Jesus when asked to give up his wealth. The lesson helps pupils understand how this story shows the cost of discipleship, challenging believers to place God above comfort, security, and possessions.
Strong links are made to Mark’s historical context, showing how this message would have encouraged early Christians living under Roman persecution to persevere in faith, even when following Jesus was difficult. Pupils explore how Mark presents disciples as imperfect and fearful, yet still called to trust Jesus, making the Gospel both realistic and hopeful for its original audience.
Designed for reading ages 8–12, the resource includes visual clipart summaries, one-sentence keyword definitions, common misconceptions for pupils to correct, and differentiated comprehension questions to support accessibility and literacy. Clear links to prior learning help pupils build a coherent understanding of Mark’s Gospel.
Scaffolded PEEL paragraphs support pupils in evaluating the key question:
“Many people work hard to be wealthy; the expectation to give all this away is unfair? Explain how a Catholic might respond to this statement and give a reason why someone might disagree with them. Which argument do you think is more persuasive?"
Engaging, accessible, and GCSE-ready, this lesson provides Catholic RE teachers with a ready-to-teach, doctrinally sound resource that deepens understanding of discipleship, Scripture, and early Christian faith while developing confident evaluative writing.




















