People in Paul's Life
5 - John Mark
Although we think of Mark as the writer of the second gospel, his full name was John Mark. His mother was Mary who, as a believer, allowed her home in Jerusalem to be used as a meeting place for prayer.
We read in Acts chapter 12 of one special prayer meeting being held there. I think we can assume from this passage that this meeting had been called to pray for Peter who was in prison at the time for his faith. Mark might have been at this meeting, or at least in the house while the meeting was taking place, although we are not told this. We are not told that he was a believer at this time, but he would have come to know something of the Scriptures through his mother. Being brought up in a Christian home does not make someone a Christian, although it can have a profound influence on a person's life and any decisions that may have to be made in the future.
His mother was probably converted through the preaching of the Apostles. She may have been one of the three thousand who were added to the church that we read about in an earlier chapter of Acts. He would have seen the effect on her life and how being a believer affected people. He would have seen how James had been put to death because of his beliefs. He would have seen how Peter had been put in prison for the same reason with the hope of having him killed also. He would also have seen how the prayers of the believers had been answered in releasing Peter from prison.
After hearing the testimony of Peter on the day of his release, when he told the disciples in Mary's house that day how the Lord brought him out of the prison, Mark would have come to realise that the power of God was (and still is) far greater than the power of the most influential man in the country.
Of course, he might have already been a believer and taken an active part in the prayer meeting at his mother's house. When he actually became a believer is not really important. What is important is that he did.
It appears that while all this was going on, Paul and Barnabas were in Jerusalem. We read this in Acts chapter 11 and verse 30, although we are not told that they were at the prayer meeting. When we come to verse 25 in Acts chapter 12, we read that Saul and Barnabas took him with them when they returned to Antioch after completing their duties in Jerusalem. Why did they take him?
It means that Mark had become a believer by then and Paul and Barnabas had seen something in him that could be used in the spread of the gospel, and he was also a close relative of Barnabas. We read in Colossians chapter 4 and verse 10 that they were cousins. Taking Mark with them would also give him some first-hand knowledge of how another fellowship of believers operated.
The church at Antioch would be considerably different than what he had experienced in Jerusalem, as the meeting in Jerusalem would have consisted mostly of Jewish believers. On the other hand, there were Gentile believers in the church at Antioch who had never converted to Judaism. By going with Barnabas to Antioch, Mark would possibly see spiritual gifts being used which he had not seen in Jerusalem. So it was a time of preparation for future service.
When we come to Acts chapter 13 we read of Paul and Barnabas being commissioned by the church at Antioch to go out as missionaries, and they took Mark with them as their assistant. This was to be the start of his service for the Lord. He was there to help the evangelists in whatever way was needed and also to gain even more experience.
When Paul and Barnabas left Cyprus we find that Mark leaves them and returns to Jerusalem. We are not told why he left them. In Acts 15 and verse 38 we are given the impression that Mark just decided he couldn't go on. One or two reasons come to mind as to why he decided to leave: He was related to Barnabas who was from Cyprus, so Barnabas might have introduced him to people there that he knew, and who would make Mark feel welcome. When the time came for them to move on from Cyprus, Mark might have become reluctant to leave what you might call his comfort zone.
He was a Jew, and like many others at the time might not have been happy with the gospel being spread to the Gentiles. As a close relative of Barnabas, he might not have liked Paul taking over the leadership of the work. After all, Barnabas had been a believer longer than Paul and had been in the church at Antioch longer than Paul. It was he who went to Tarsus to bring Paul to help him in the work at Antioch. When we read of the two men in connection with the church at Antioch, it is always Barnabas' name which appears first when reference is made to them. This seems to indicate that Barnabas took the lead in all aspects of the mission. When you come to verse 13 in Acts 13, it is Paul who appears to have taken over the leadership role, because from reading, “Barnabas and Saul ...”� we now read, “Paul and his party...”
However, when we read of Paul preparing to go on a second missionary journey to Asia, we find Barnabas wanting to take Mark with them again (Acts 15:37). Paul did not think this was a good idea because he hadn't remained with them long enough to see the first mission to its end. He possibly saw in Mark someone who, because he had once deserted them, was not yet reliable enough, nor mature enough for the gruelling schedule that lay ahead. The Lord's work is important and can be very demanding. It requires people who are not just prepared to begin a work and carry it out so far. It requires people who are prepared to see it to the end.
This caused a rift between Paul and Barnabas and they went their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark with him and returned to Cyprus. Obviously through the encouragement of Barnabas, Mark did become a worker for the Lord who could be trusted and went on to write the second Gospel which bears his name.
Whatever way we look at Mark's departure, it appears that Paul felt let down by it. When you read Acts chapter 13 and verses 38 and 39 it is easy to be critical of Mark's behaviour or failings. What we should be doing is looking at ourselves and our own failings, and try to overcome them and learn from them. Mark obviously did learn from his. When we turn to Paul's letter to the Colossians we see one of the reasons why Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them. The relationship between Barnabas and Mark could be the reason Mark was chosen to go with them on their visit to Cyprus. It could also be the reason for Mark's mother's house being chosen as a place where Christians could meet.
As Mark grew spiritually he became more a more reliable worker for the Lord. The church at Colosse was told to welcome him into their midst if he ever came to visit them, because he had become “useful” to Paul in his ministry.
In Peter’s first epistle, chapter 5, verse 13 Peter looked upon Mark as a son. As we don’t read of him being Peter’s son by birth, we can assume that he came to know the Lord through the preaching of Peter that we read about in the early chapters of the book of Acts.
Can you see a natural progression (or growth) in your spiritual life? In Mark's case his spiritual journey began through the influence of a godly mother and others who visited her house for fellowship and through the influence of Peter's preaching. Can you look back on your life and give thanks for godly people who introduced you to the Christian message?
Has there come a time when you came to know the Lord personally as your Saviour by being ‘born again’? Can you say that you have been faithful to God's calling at all times? I can think of many times when I have let the Lord down, but praise God, He is willing to forgive us and bring us back into fellowship with Him when we admit our failings.