What Transformed Mark?

Second Timothy was Paul’s last letter. He wrote it during his second incarceration in Rome. He knew that his life would soon end, and he would depart to be with the Lord. In 4:6-8 he wrote, “…the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is a crown of righteousness…”

In his letter, Paul asked Timothy, for help during his final days, “Do your best to come to me soon…[And] get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (4:9, 11). I love that Paul thought Mark was “very useful” to him and to the ministry. I love that Paul asked for Mark. Mark had incidences of significant failure in his past, and at one time Paul had been done with him. But here we see him restored and serving usefully. Yes, I love that.

What do we know about Mark?

In Acts 12 Peter was set free from jail by an angel. He then went directly to a house where numbers of the believers had gathered and were praying. Many commentators believe that it was in the upper room of this house where Jesus and the apostles celebrated their last Passover together. The owner was “Mary, the mother of John whose other name Mark” (Acts 12:12).

Commentators also believe that this John Mark is the “young man” mentioned cryptically in Mark 14:51-51, “And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.”

In his commentary Mark: The Gospel of Action Ralph Earle wrote, “The ‘certain young man’ is without much doubt, John Mark, the author of this gospel. If the Last Supper took place in the home of his mother (cf. Ac 12:12), it is easy to reconstruct the incident. Judas Iscariot, having left the upper room between the Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper, naturally returned there with the mob to seize Jesus. Finding that the Master had left, he proceeded to the familiar haunt on the slopes of the Mount of Olives (Jn 18:2). Wakened by all the excitement, young John Mark threw a linen cloth over his body and ran to the garden to warn Jesus but arrived just too late. When one the crowd grabbed his shoulder, he slid out of the cloth and rushed home.”

This is the first time we see Mark. He had a good intention. His heart was in the right place. He wanted to help, to serve Jesus. But when faced with danger, like other disciples that night, he was a coward and abandoned the Lord.

The next time we see Mark is in Acts. He is part of the ministry team that goes on Paul’s first missionary journey in Acts 13. Along with Barnabas, they set out from Antioch. But Mark failed to stay the course. Early in the journey, he quit the team and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).

In Acts 15 Paul and Barnabas are putting together a team for a second missionary journey. Mark wanted to go, and Barnabas wanted to take him. Paul said no. “But Paul thought it best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them” during the first missionary journey (Acts 15:37-38). Mark had lost Paul’s confidence. Paul didn’t trust him.

Yet, as we saw above, by the end of his life, Paul had come to not only trust Mark, he was one of the few people he asked for. Incarcerated in Rome, knowing that he was soon to be executed, Paul wanted Mark with him. Paul saw Mark as someone “very useful” for the ministry.

We don’t know much about what happened to Mark between the time Paul excluded him from his ministry team in Acts 15 and Paul telling Timothy to “Go get Mark and bring him with you.” But here is something we do know. Barnabas didn’t give up on Mark.

As we’ve seen, Mark had some significant failures. He showed himself a coward and abandoned Jesus. He deserted his teammates on the first missionary journey. We can probably understand why Paul was done with him, why he didn’t want him on the next missionary team.

Barnabas, however, refused to give up on Mark. In fact, it was Barnabas’s refusal to give up on Mark, and his insistence that Mark be given another chance, that led to Paul and Barnabas parting ways. “And there arose a sharp disagreement [between Paul and Barnabas over Mark], so they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus., but Paul chose Silas and departed” (Acts 15:39-40).

You probably know that Barnabas is not Barnabas’s name. His name was Joseph. Barbabas was a nickname that was given to him by the apostles (Acts 4:36). The leaders of church saw something special in this man. He was an encourager’s encourager. The nickname they gave him means Son of Encouragement.

Barnabas refused to allow Mark’s past failures to be a reason to cut him off. Barnabas was committed to Mark. He kept on encouraging him, even though he didn’t deserve it. In that way Barnabas was like Jesus to the young man.

Proverbs 18:24 tells us that there is a “friend who sticks closer than a brother.” That’s a good friend to have, but Jesus is the greater friend. He is the one that never gives up on us. He never leaves us. He always encourages and supports us. Jesus is always for us.

When Barnabas refused to give up on Mark, he put flesh on that spiritual truth. He incarnated the love and acceptance of Jesus to Mark, and that, I believe, is what made the difference. When Mark experienced the love and acceptance of Jesus in the person of Barnabas he was transformed from cowardly quitter to faithful and influential minister.

We’ve already seen that when Paul was at the end of his life, it was useful-to-the-ministry Mark that he wanted to with him.

Mark also became a well-loved ministry companion to Peter. In 1 Peter 5:13, he called Mark “my son.” And it was under Peter’s guidance that Mark wrote the Gospel that bears his name.

Few men in the first century made more of a ministry mark than John Mark and I have to think that it was because of Barnabas’ example-in-the-flesh of Jesus’ love and acceptance.

Much love, Barry