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Tuesday, April 20, 2021

P2 Introducing John Mark: Author Of The Second Gospel Who Fought To Know Jesus Better - A Crisis Of Faith



Acts 12:24-25 But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.

Acts 13:13 Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 

Acts 13:36-39 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 

Introduction:

    In our last post, we introduced the reader to John Mark, otherwise known simply as "Mark", the author of the second Gospel. The purpose of our biographical sketch of Mark was to draw attention to how he fought to know Jesus better. If we were to summarize what we learned, it would be this:

1. Knowing Jesus better begins with knowledge about Jesus.    Mark 14:51-52

    This is where everyone starts. Whether someone has never heard of Jesus, derived from a Christian home or has heard of His name in passing; pre-conversion life is, at best, "knowing about Jesus" but "not-yet-knowing Him". This was Mark. 

2. Knowing Jesus better requires being born again to know Jesus. Acts 12:24-25; 13:13

    The reader can note the first two passages from Acts which are cited to show Mark's involvement in the early Christian movement. By the time we arrive at Acts 12 and Acts 13, the Christian movement is roughly 12 months old. In between the time we witness Mark fleeing from the scene of Jesus' arrest until the launch of Paul's missionary journey, Mark had experienced conversion in saving faith. It is worth, at this point, to bring in the opening verse of Mark's Gospel, since it speaks of the very Gospel which the Holy Spirit used to win this young man to Christ.

The Gospel which persuaded Mark to go from "knowing about Jesus" to "knowing Jesus"

    Mark begins his Gospel with these words: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The second century church father Origen of Alexandria is cited in the "Ancient Christian Commentary Series" as noting the following of what Mark writes in this opening verse:

"The gospel is primarily concerned with Christ Jesus, who is the head of the whole body of those who are being saved. Mark conveys this point when he says, “The beginning of the gospel concerning Christ Jesus.” … In its unfolding the gospel has a beginning, a continuing middle and an end."

    In the underlying Greek text, Mark's one-verse introduction contains seven words (which turn into roughly twelve words in many English Bibles). Seven is a perfect number, "God's number", corresponding to the Perfect Savior, the focus of this perfect Gospel. What is there about this Gospel, this "Good News", which by the Spirit's doing persuades sinners to trust in Christ? It is worth meditating briefly on the opening verses of Mark 1:1. 

    That first word "beginning" ("Ἀρχὴ" or "arche" in the Greek), delivers the promise of "starting-all-over-again", the new birth. Christian spiritual life has a beginning. Just as time and space had a beginning as a result of God's creation of it from nothing (Genesis 1:1), so too is salvation a work of God wrought in the human soul, which of itself can bring forth nothing. Mark was brought to realize he needed to start anew. As Jesus Himself taught in John 3:3 "you must be born again". 

    Then we see the second and third words, translated "of the Gospel" ("τοῦ εὐαγγελίου" or "too euanggelioo" in the Greek) in our English Bibles, as conveying "Good News". This is what the Gospel is: Good news! You can have forgiveness of sins - Good news! You no longer have to be alienated from God - Good news! You can have abiding hope in Jesus Christ in this life and the one to come - Good news!

    The fourth and fifth words of Mark's introduction (translated in our English text as "of Jesus Christ", Greek "Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ" or "yaysoo Christoo"), brings us to the goal of our salvation: Jesus Christ Himself! There is none better. Our sin promises everything and delivers nothing. Satan claims we can be free but binds us in our guilt. Our own righteousness is but filthy rags. Jesus Christ came to bring everything we need; set us free from our guilt and cloth us in His righteousness - glorious indeed!

    Then we see those sixth and seventh words of Mark 1:1, "the Son of God", ("υἱοῦ θεοῦ" or "hooeeoo theoo"). The name "Jesus" reminds us that He is truly man for us. "Christ" describes the office He occupies as the chosen and only way to the Father, empowered by the Spirit. The phrase "Son of God" reminds us that He is truly God also, granting every believer access to the endless power and life of God. Were He not truly God with us (see Matthew 1:23), then His accomplished work on the cross would not have the infinite value that it has. Were He not truly man for us, then He could not had performed His work on the cross - since only as man could He experience death. These seven, wonderful words of Mark 1:1 are finite in number while bridging us to the infinite excellence of God Himself through Jesus Christ!

When one is born-again to know Jesus, what follows is the battle to know Jesus better    

    It would not take long though for Mark to experience something which caused him to have a crisis of faith. The reader may note on the opening verses above that Mark started out with Paul and his companions in Acts 13. By the time we reach the near-end of Acts 13, Mark leaves Paul and the mission behind. Note once again what we read in Acts 13:36-39

"After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus." 

    This defection by Mark had hurt Paul so deeply that he strenuously opposed bringing Mark with him on his second missionary journey. We read the "falling-out" between Paul, Mark and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-39

"After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus."

    So what might had prompted Mark to abandon the early Christian mission? The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes:

"Why did he turn back from the work (Ac 13:13)? Not because of homesickness, or anxiety for his mother’s safety, or home duties, or the desire to rejoin Peter, or fear of the perils incident to the journey, but rather because he objected to the offer of salvation to the Gentiles on condition of faith alone."

    The details of Mark's leaving of Paul and Barnabas reminds the reader that the Bible is as much a historical book as it is a spiritual one. We must not think of the Biblical authors as men unacquainted with short-comings and frailties. Mark gave into the pressures and rigors associated with a ministry that was confronting evil itself. Thankfully, Acts 15:36-39 is not the last time we hear of Mark. Would this young man recover from this major moment of failure? The next post will answer that question.

More next time....