Be Like Mark! Be Like Barnabas!

Acts 15:36-41
36 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." 
37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 
38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 
39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Review　
 Last time, we learned that the name of Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, appears only in the passage where Jesus called him to be His disciple and in the list of the 12 apostles. This time, let us learn from Mark, who is not one of the 12 apostles but appears in more passages than Matthew.

1. What We Can Know about Mark's Character
Mark is mentioned ten times in the New Testament as follows. (Two of them are in John.)
(1) Acts 12:12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
(2) Acts 12:25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.
(3) Acts 13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
(4) Acts 13:13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,　
(5) Acts 15:37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.
(6) Acts 15:39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
(7) Colossians 4:10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),
(8) 2 Timothy 4:11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
(9) Philemon 1:24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
(10) 1 Peter 5:13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.　　

When the angel led Peter out of prison, his first stop was Mark's mother's house, where a prayer meeting was being held (1). The large house size, the presence of a maid, and the presence of a gate indicate that Mark's family was quite wealthy. Mark, also called John (1),(2),(3),(4)(5), accompanied Barnabas and Saul (Paul) to Jerusalem (2), accompanied Barnabas and Saul on their first mission trip as an assistant (3), accompanied Barnabas on his mission to Cyprus (6), was Barnabas' cousin (7), was considered useful by Paul (8), Paul called him a fellow worker (9), and Peter called him "my son (10)."

 Mark was neither an apostle nor was he a direct disciple of Jesus. How, then, could he summarize the public life of Jesus and write the Gospel of Mark? Mark is said to have been Peter's scribe and interpreter and recorded Jesus' ministry as he heard it from Peter.

Mark grew up in a wealthy family in Jerusalem and was trusted by both Peter and Paul, indicating that he was an outstanding man. Was Mark's life smooth sailing?

 2. A person who seems to be Mark

In the Gospel of John, John inserts himself in three places without mentioning his name.

John 13:23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side,
John 13:25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
John 21:20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”

Similarly, there is a passage that Mark is said to have inserted in his Gospel, with his name withheld.

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. . (Mark 14:51-52)

 If we look at the previous part of this passage, we see the scene where the crowd, led by Judas and with swords and sticks in their hands, came to seize Jesus, leading to the scene where Jesus is taken to the high priest. Verses 51 and 52 are inserted abruptly between the scene where Jesus is captured and the scene where He is taken to the high priest.

This young man went outside with a piece of flax cloth over his bare body and followed Jesus as He was taken away. When Jesus was about to be caught, he took off the flax cloth and fled naked.

This young man is mentioned only in the Gospel of Mark. It is said that this young man is Mark himself, and if he is Mark, the first time Mark appears in the Bible is in the very embarrassing scene of abandoning Jesus and fleeing naked. 

3. Mark Threw away His Assignment in the Middle of the Mission

There was a severe conflict between Paul and Barnabas when they started their second missionary journey. (Acts 15:36-41)

During Barnabas and Saul's first mission trip, Mark, who accompanied them as an assistant, left the team and returned to Jerusalem. He left his companions behind and abandoned his mission. (4) When the second mission trip began, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them (5), but Paul was opposed to taking Mark since he had abandoned the mission in the middle of the trip, and Paul and Barnabas ended up going their separate ways (6).

 It is unknown why Mark abandoned his mission midway and returned home, but there are several interpretations. Some possible reasons are:

a. Because he did not get along with the quick and daring Paul.
b. Because he was homesick.
c. Because of mental and physical weakness that prevented him from enduring the rigors of evangelism.
d. Because the leader changed from Barnabas to Paul.

When the mission trip started, it was "Barnabas and Saul" (until 13:7) with his cousin Barnabas at the center, but when Mark left, it became "Paul's team" (13:13) and then changed to "Paul and Barnabas" (13:43 onward).

 If the young man in Mark's Gospel is Mark himself, he has abandoned Jesus, fled naked, and made a series of mistakes during his first missionary journey that led him to leave his mission halfway through. Mark's life was full of failures and setbacks.

4. Mark's Recovery

We can not find Mark's whereabouts in the Bible after his withdrawal from the mission trip until his reappearance in the letter to the Colossians. Since the second mission trip is said to have taken place around AD 50 and the letter to the Colossians around AD 61, he recovered in about 10 years to be called "my fellow worker" (9) by Paul and "my son" (10) by Peter.

 Mark recovered and grew to the extent that Paul, the greatest missionary in history, said in 2 Timothy, his last letter at the end of his life, "he is very useful to me for ministry" (8).

5. Be Like Mark! Be Like Barnabas!

We have weaknesses, like Mark, who would abandon Jesus and run away naked. Our weaknesses may tempt us to run back home, leaving our mission. But let us remember God recovered Mark and had him regain the trust of Paul and Peter. God can also restore us from our failure and strengthen us to regain His trust!

Even if we have weaknesses in character, physically or intellectually, the Lord will use those weaknesses to advance His Kingdom! No matter what major mistakes you have made in the past, if you turn to God, He will restore you and start working through your weaknesses. 

Marco recovered and regained his trust because of Barnabas (the Son of Comfort). Barnabas knew God wanted to restore and use Mark for His mission, so he gave him a new chance. Let us be another Barnabases who help those who are discouraged and have lost confidence!