Mark |märk| an Apostle; companion of St. Peter and St. Paul; traditional author of the second Gospel.
This summer, we are reading through the four gospels together to study the life of Jesus here on earth, and I cannot wait to dive into the book of Mark with you. This is the perfect gospel to study with our Equipped by Faith community because of the drama involved in the relationship between the authors.
Allow me to spill the tea…
Mark is the shortest gospel with only 16 chapters, but it is packed with first-hand stories of Jesus’ life through the eyes of Jesus’ disciple, Peter.
You see, the book of Mark was written by John Mark, an apostle, and disciple of Peter. Mark had never met Jesus himself, but he wrote down all of the stories Peter told him about Jesus to share with the Roman Church as they were ministering to them together.
John Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas for missionary work (Acts 13:4) until some kind of moral failure took place in Mark’s life and he had to leave his team for a little while.
The Bible doesn’t tell us what John Mark did, but because of his abrupt departure, Paul refused to have Mark rejoin them from that time on—which caused a big rift between Paul and Barnabas.
The drama!
But Barnabas was an encourager and still decided to take Mark along with him on all of his missionary journeys (Acts 15:36-39), even though he had done something wrong.
What I find incredible about knowing the inner details of the lives of the disciples is that number one: they were human. And number two: God does not give up on us because of our failures.
This truth is made clear through the life of John Mark. God’s mercy restored Mark and used him to write a significant book of the gospels that is read today—and will continue to be read for all of eternity!
God honored and even spotlighted John Mark—even after he messed up. What is even more incredible to me is that we don’t even know what he did! God covers our mistakes and highlights His overwhelming mercy for us. That is love.
But isn’t that what Jesus was doing all along? Showcasing His love for sinners?
“Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Mark 2:17
What’s even more incredible, is that we get to see how God restores this friendship later on during Paul’s imprisonment in 2 Timothy 4:11 when he says, “For he (Mark) is a tremendous help for me in my ministry.”
When I read this, I often think that maybe God used Paul’s quiet time in prison to think about the kind of friend he should have been to John Mark. When our friends mess up, hurt us, or let us down—is our first response encouragement, forgiveness, and love like Barnabas? Or is it exclusion, punishment, and separation?
I hope to be the kind of friend who stands with arms open wide when others fail—because that is who Jesus has been for me. And I believe, love is where salvation begins.
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
Our God is the God of mercy and restoration. He proves it all over His gospel by choosing to use (and spotlight) people who fail in life like John Mark. No matter what you have done to God, to a friend, or to yourself… God’s mercy and restoration are available to YOU.
Our failures do not disqualify us when we continue to love and follow Jesus.
God’s love and mercy triumph over any sin or any judgment held against you. He is the God of restoration and mercy. He is my God—and yours. Choose to believe this truth and to walk in your complete freedom, through Christ’s incredible love for you, today.
XO-
Sabrina