Meet Mark.
Rather, meet his Friend, Jesus.
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark 1:1 (ESV)
Mark doesn’t tell us anything about himself. But each believer’s story really is about Jesus and what He does to transform old lives into works of His lovely grace.
Now a common misconception is that Mark was one of the twelve disciples. He was not, but he was one of the earliest members of the early church, along with his mother, Mary, whose home served as a meeting place for the church.
Mark had a great beginning as a believer.
And then, like so many believers, he had an epic failure.
But nothing about Mark’s story surprised Jesus.
We are meeting Mark and several other apostles in the book of Acts. This is a bloody and perilous time for believers.
Let’s take a look.
…Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also;
But the word of God increased and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.
When Peter realized he had been rescued by an angel, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
Acts 12:24-25 (ESV)
This is Mark’s story, not Peter’s so I’ll leave you with this link Click to read about Peter’s miraculous escape from Herod’s prison.
Mark’s still on track…
…they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had Mark to assist them.
Acts 13:5 (ESV)
At this point, Mark has been a helper. He stuck by the side of the apostles when the going was tough. This was the very first missionary journey for the new Church.
But just eight short verses later, Mark is nowhere to be found.
…And Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem,
Acts 13:13 (ESV)
At the moment when they had just begun, Mark quit. We don’t know why. But the decision to leave lasted for ten years, according to Bible scholars.
Was he frightened or depressed? The darkness had to be overwhelming.
The world around us can be dark when we take our eyes off Jesus. And most people in the free world today don’t face death.
Maybe he couldn’t endure another near miss.
We know he deserted his post at a critical time; it was sin, and his actions did not reflect godly character.
His actions were disloyal. It caused dissension between Paul and his own cousin, Barnabas. There were probably more hurtful issues caused by his actions that we are unaware of. But most of all, his sin was against God.
Mark’s sin eventually hurt himself spiritually and emotionally.
And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.
But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn 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.
Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
1 Peter 5:13
So, what do we do when we make disastrous choices? Was it too late for Mark? Is it too late for you and me?
Certainly not!
Christians go to God in humble confession and honest openhearted repentance. And we let Him restore us as only He can.
We don’t know how it all happened for Mark, but we know that God restored Mark. Scarred but restored.
Look closely at the picture below.
Do you see the pot?
I bet your eyes saw the lovely blossom first. That’s what Jesus does when He restores broken believers. His beauty is all there to see in our lives.
Just before Paul was executed in Rome, look what he says about him:
“…Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.”
2 Timothy 4:11 (ESV)
Barnabas, Mark’s cousin, was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. He had been known even then as an encourager. That is actually what his name means – “Son of Encouragement.” Barnabas never gave up on Mark.
God used Mark to win His lost sheep. All these centuries later, God still uses the Spirit-inspired Gospel of Mark to win lost souls. This briefest of the four Gospels is written with an air of urgency to impress upon its readers the need to repent and not delay, because the days are growing so short. Mark uses the Greek form of that word “immediate” throughout his Gospel, or some form of it, forty-five times.
When he went ashore, He saw a great crowd,
and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
And he began to teach them many things.
Mark 6:34 (ESV)
Now, I know you aren’t surprised that Mark’s own cousin, Barnabas stuck with him. But would you be amazed to learn that the serious-minded apostle, Paul urged the Church to welcome Mark back multiple times; Mark was in the same prison with him and considered him a valuable friend and fellow worker. There are several passages in the New Testament where Paul not only reaffirmed Mark, but he spoke with brotherly love and affection for Mark.
Also, Peter described Mark as his own son. Despite Peter’s past failures, including denying Jesus, he was restored and could help Mark back to full faith and service, knowing first-hand the experience of such failure and restoration.
Keep sharing the Gospel in your world!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
“How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of those who bring Good News!”
Isaiah 52:7
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 