Last week we left Mark sailing east with the south shore of Asia Minor sinking into the horizon. It may have been the lowest point of his young life.
THE DESERTION. It happened early on Paul and Barnabas’ first mission trip. “Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia (south Asia Minor—today’s Turkey). And John (also known as Mark, Barnabas’ younger cousin) left them and returned to Jerusalem” (Acts 13:13). “Left” was a kind word.
Some time after that mission trip ended Paul suggested to Barnabas they return to the newly-planted churches. “Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn (the Greek word implies “deserted”) from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other” (Acts 13:37-39a). Imagine two early church leaders so provoked they openly argue and split! Mark’s “leaving” must have been desertion. That’s why (together with Mark likely belonging to a well-to-do family) I see him as a somewhat-spoiled, direction-less young man.
THE DECADE. Ten years pass. The apostle Paul has been imprisoned in Rome. He ends a letter to the Colossian church: “Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me” (Colossians 4:10,11). Mark has become a commended fellow worker with Paul! About the same time Paul ends a letter to a friend named Philemon: “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers (Philemon 23).
Apparently Paul soon was freed from imprisonment in Rome and resumed his missionary ministry. Then he was re-arrested and imprisoned and sentenced to death. In his final letter Paul gave closing instructions to his young associate Timothy: “Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica, Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:9-11). A decade earlier Paul had sharply argued against Mark’s presence on a mission trip. Now he wanted Mark with him in Rome, because “he is very useful to me for ministry”
THE DIFFERENCE. What changed Mark? The transforming power of God the Holy Spirit. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we “behold the glory of the Lord” in his Word and in our new nature, the Spirit progressively makes us corrupted sinners into image-bearers of the Lord. But the Spirit also works through the influence of other believers. For Mark, they were probably . . .
Cousin Barnabas. After Paul and Barnabas split, “Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus” (Acts 15:39b). It was a mission trip on which Barnabas the Encourager certainly mentored Mark in faithful, courageous ministry.
The Apostle Paul. Before Mark had deserted he, Paul and Barnabas had evangelized the island of Cyprus and spent days traveling on board ship. It’s not unlikely that a bit of Paul “rubbed off” on Mark.
The Apostle Peter. About the same time Paul wrote his “prison letters” from Rome, Peter wrote letters to the churches. He ended the first with these greetings: “She (the church) who is at Babylon (a “code” reference to Rome), who is likewise chosen, send you greetings, as does Mark, my son” (1 Peter 5:13). Peter’s relationship with Mark had grown so close Peter called him “my son.” From this relationship came the Gospel according to Mark! According to Eusebius, an early 4th century church leader, “In the same reign of [Roman Emperor] Claudius (died 54 A.D.) the Providence of the universe . . . guided to Rome the great and mighty Peter . . . preaching the Gospel . . . But . . . the hearers of Peter . . . were not satisfied with a single hearing . . . but with every kind of exhortation besought Mark . . . seeing that he was Peter’s follower, to leave them a written statement of the teaching given them verbally, nor did they cease until they had persuaded him, and so became the cause of the Scripture called the Gospel of Mark” (ESV Study Bible). Mark, once rejected by Paul, was chosen and inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Gospel—in part because as “Peter’s follower” he had learned it from the apostle.
WHAT MEETING MARK MEANS FOR US. Assuming my supposition that early on Mark was direction-less, we might ask, “Is there a “Mark” in my life? A young man with no clue about what to do with his life? An old, lonely widow who thinks she’s of little use to anyone?” If so, maybe we can be Barnabas or Paul or Peter to them. Maybe we can speak encouragement or “rub off” or teach. Maybe we can pray the Holy Spirit will work through us to transform that young man or older woman into an image-bearer of Christ at this point in his or her life. Our young person or senior citizen won’t write a gospel. But if he or she hears and responds to God’s call in Christ, then the Spirit will have done a “Mark” again—this time, at least in part, through us!
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