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A
Second Chance
John
Mark - An Appreciation
By Shirley McDonald He
was a quitter and a deserter, and his early actions would never indicate that he
would one day be a key evangelist in the New Testament church, or (probably) the
first writer of an account of Jesus' ministry. Could
God really use a man who fled in panic when Jesus was arrested? Could he really
write a book depicting Jesus as the powerful, dramatic Savior of the world? The
answer is yes. The
life of Mark (also called John Mark and Marcus) can be a great comfort to those
who desperately need another chance to prove themselves to God. Who
was Mark?
The
first mention of Mark by name is in the book of Acts. Upon being freed from
prison, Peter went to "the house of
Mary the mother of John whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered
together praying" (Acts 12:12). Most likely Mary was a widow, or the
scripture would've called it her husband's house. It is also likely that Mary
was affluent, given that a servant answered the door at a house large enough to
accommodate many praying people. Because Peter went straight to Mary's house, we
can presume that this was a regular meeting place for the early Christians. Mark
was privileged to have been a part of the early Christian church. It
also appears Peter converted Mark since he called Mark his son. ("The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you;
and so doth Marcus my son" I Peter 5:13.) Scripture records that Peter
proved to be an important influence in Mark's life. Not
only was Mark a close friend of Peter's, but he was also related to Barnabas.
Paul stated that "My fellow prisoner
Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas"
(Colossians 4:10). Had it not been for Barnabas, Mark may not have gotten a
second chance to prove that he really could be a committed minister/missionary
of the gospel. Barnabas
was willing to take the risk that Mark had learned his lesson and would not
again flee when things got tough. The
Young Man
Tradition
tells us that the house of Mark's mother was probably the place where Jesus and
the 12 disciples dined together for what we know as the Last Supper, so Mark
probably knew Jesus personally. Tradition also tells us that Mark might have
been the "certain young man" mentioned in the fourteenth chapter of
Mark. After "they [those with Jesus]
all forsook him and fled" (Mark 14:50), this young man also panicked
and fled when the "young men laid
hold on him" (Mark
14:51-52). Even though he was not alone in leaving Jesus to face the soldiers,
Mark must have felt a profound sense of failure as he left the scene. The
Fledgling Missionary
Time
passed as Jesus was crucified, resurrected and the Holy Ghost was poured out on
the Day of Pentecost. When John Mark had an opportunity to join Paul
and Barnabas on their mission after they had returned to Antioch (Acts 12:25),
Mark felt ready to enter the ministry. "And
when [Paul and Barnabas] were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the
synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John [Mark] to their minister" (Acts
13:5). I feel sure that Mark began his journey with enthusiasm and optimism,
thankful for the privilege to learn from these great men of faith as they
ministered. The
Deserter
Mark
traveled with Paul and Barnabas from Cyprus to Paphos and then to Perga. Mark
didn't seem to have a problem becoming involved in the work of Christ
once he had felt the call of God to begin the missionary endeavor. Mark's
difficulty was in remaining faithful to his mission. At Perga, characteristics
of the old Mark in the garden reappeared as he fled the scene once again.
"...And John [Mark] departing from
them returned to Jerusalem" (Acts 13:13). The
Bible doesn't explain why Mark chose to leave Paul and Barnabas. Perhaps Mark's
youthful affluence hadn't prepared him for physical hardships, or maybe he
didn't agree with Paul that the Gentiles should be included in the message of
salvation. Whatever the reason, Mark's desertion revealed such a weakness to
Paul that he refused to let Barnabas include Mark on their next journey. The
conflict over Mark caused Paul and Barnabas to go their separate ways after
having preached together for many years. Barnabas chose to take Mark to Cyprus
with him. Did Mark feel a sense of failure as he left the scene once again? The
Profitable Minister
Because
Luke did not record the missionary journey of Barnabas and Mark, we do not know
exactly when Mark became valuable to the ministry. What we do know is that Mark
did not let his failure ruin the rest of his life. Some years later, Paul showed
that he had a different opinion of Mark than when he had refused to allow Mark
to accompany him on his second missionary journey. Paul asked Timothy to "Take
Mark and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry"
(II Timothy 4:11). Mark had proved to Paul and to God that he had learned
commitment during his redeeming journey to Cyprus with Barnabas. Paul again
showed his support of Mark when he stated to the Colossians that "...if
[Mark] come unto you, receive him" (Colossians 4:10). As further proof
that Mark did overcome his weaknesses to become an important leader of the early
church, church historians tell us that Mark founded the church at Alexandria,
Egypt and later died a martyr's death. Gospel
Author
Accepting
the strong evidence that John Mark is the author of the Gospel of St. Mark, we
could certainly question how this man, a deserter and an instigator of conflict
in the early church, could have been chosen to write the biography of Christ.
The answer is simple¾God
can use us when we allow Him to help us overcome our weaknesses. Mark
must have felt so unworthy. Of the later biographers, Matthew and John were
members of the elite twelve while Luke was the intellectual historian, the
beloved physician. Mark was simply a young man who'd been given a second chance.
But what a legacy he left us! Mark's
account is not just a biography, but Christ revealed in action. As we read
through this gospel, we can detect that Mark learned much from his failures,
which he did not hide. Probably written for a Gentile, Roman audience, his
gospel emphasizes discipleship and suffering. Mark learned to live¾and
later die¾by Jesus' instructions: "Whosoever
will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his
life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it" (Mark 8:34,
35). I
can relate to Mark. I, too, sometimes panic and flee after I have answered the
call of God for a particular work. In fact, sometimes I do not even answer the
call. The life of Mark teaches me that it is never too late to do the right
thing. Mistakes can be effective teachers; if we learn from our mistakes, we
develop wisdom. Failure
need not be final with God. He will make you profitable for Him in spite of your
failures and fears. ninetyandnine.com (c)
2001, Shirley McDonald -------- Shirley McDonald lives in Louisiana. She hopes that she can prove herself to be
profitable for God's kingdom.
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