I’ve been reading the New Testament for many, many years and every once in a while, the name of Mark or John Mark or Marcus pops up. He always seems to be in the background—helping, dropping out, sending greetings, being called for, being helpful again, even becoming “a son”. Just who was this man? Here is a review of all the Biblical references to Mark, set as chronologically as possible. It doesn’t seem that he was an evangelist but, in his own way, he became a wonderful Christian testimony.
Thursday, April 2, 33: The dinner in the upper room has just ended and the women and their helpers are clearing up, as one young man, 14 or 15 years old, skips out and follows the twelve as they leave. Downhill they go to the Kidron Creek, across, and up to the garden of Gethsemane. Eight members of the party are dropped off near the entrance, and four more continue deeper in among the olive trees. He continues to hang back for an hour or more, then a crowd with torches—and swords and clubs—appears from the city. It seems he has got too close—they’re arresting one of the twelve—the rest are running! He had better run too! But they’ve got him! No, he sheds his linen robe and runs for it. And he vanishes—naked! [Mark 14:5]
….. 14 years later (AD 46-48): Mark is at his mom’s, Mary’s house in Jerusalem, where a crowd of believers has gathered to pray for their imprisoned friend and leader, Simon Peter. Suddenly a knock comes on the door and Rhoda answers. She comes back excitedly to say it’s Peter but—silly girl—she forgets to let him in! A few more knocks and in their astonishment, he is finally welcomed in. Peter shushes them all, tells quickly how an angel has brought him out of the prison, then hurries off to another place. [Acts 12:12]
A little bit later that same year (AD 46-48): Barnabas and Paul were in town (i.e., Jerusalem) to deliver a gift for the famine-stricken brothers and sisters there, from the Christians in Antioch. Mark was Barnabas’ cousin and somehow, he joined up with the two evangelists and they all headed north to Antioch on the Orontes. There were other great prophets and teachers in Antioch and, as “they were worshiping the Lord and fasting”, the Holy Spirit singled out Barnabas and Paul for mission work. With the blessing of the church, they were sent off. [Acts 12:25]
These two, with John Mark as their helper, “went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues”, and carried on to Paphos. Here, Mark saw what was really an amazing confrontation between the Spirit-filled apostle Paul and a demon-worshipper. Elymas, the sorcerer, tried to turn Sergius Paulus, the proconsul, from the faith, but Paul rebuked him and blinded him for a time. The proconsul believed!
This is where Mark’s story now gets sticky—“Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John (Mark) left them to return to Jerusalem.” Why did he leave? Was he homesick? Did he feel a duty to visit his mother again? After the events in Cyprus, he had no reason to lose faith. But Paul (or is it Luke?) uses the word “deserted”! [Acts 13:5-13]
Two or three years later still (AD 49-52): “Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.” There was a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, so “Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.” Remember that Barnabas was from Cyprus so he was returning to territory that he already knew. [Acts 15:37-39]
Ten or eleven years further on (AD 60-62): Sometime in these years Paul has been reconciled to Mark. Mark now visits Paul in Rome and even sends greetings via Paul’s letter, to the Colossian Christians. Paul’s comment even intimates that Mark might be coming to Colossae: “You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.” This was also about the time (~AD 63) when Luke was writing up the Acts, possibly in concert with both Paul and Peter. [Colossians 4:10]
At the same time of writing, Mark sends his own greetings in Paul’s letter to Philemon. [Philemon 1:24]
Then five years more (AD 66): In Paul’s very last letter, he tells Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” What a change in attitude! From being a “deserter” to being especially “helpful”. [2 Timothy 4:11]
And the last we hear of Mark (AD 67-68): Paul has possibly been executed by this time, but Peter welcomes Mark as “my son Mark”, who also sends greetings in Peter’s letter “to God’s elect” scattered throughout Asia Minor.
[1 Peter 5:13] — — — — — — — —
A summary of Mark’s record: Now we have come full circle—we started with a young man following the Lord; most scholars believe he was Mark. Fourteen years later he may have met up with Peter at his own mother’s house in Jerusalem. Then we see him helping Paul and Barnabas in evangelism in Cyprus. But he drops out of the work and heads home to Jerusalem. Two or three years later Paul and Barnabas want to retrace their steps to check on their converts—but Paul point blank refuses to have Mark along. The two evangelists split up and Barnabas takes Mark to Cyprus.
Ten or more years pass but now we see reconciliation—Mark is with Paul in Rome (although Paul is a prisoner). And Mark seems to know and be known by the Galatians and by Philemon—people from the very territory that he refused to enter 15 years before.
Five years on, and Paul now wants Mark very specifically to come and help. This is very close to when Paul was beheaded in Rome. Was Mark there in time?
The last we hear of Mark is that he is now with Peter, also in Rome. This is where Mark comes into his own, he shows his great faithfulness. He listens carefully to everything Peter tells him about Jesus. He takes careful note, sorts all Peter’s reminiscences, and produces a Gospel—the Gospel of Mark. What a last-minute tribute to Peter—who within months was crucified! Did Mark witness the martyrdom? Sadly possible!
[Editor’s note: Strictly speaking, we don’t know for sure that the young man at the arrest was Mark. And we don’t know that Mark was at the prayer meeting at his mother’s house, but it could easily have been Mark who told the story to Luke.]
