From Mistake to Marty - The Life of Mark (Acts 13-14)

Acts 13:13 (ESV)

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,

What do you know about the failures of others?  In the above story we have the record of John’s failure (actually, John-Mark, later referred to as only, Mark).  John-Mark was the nephew of Barnabas, who was the original leader on this first missionary outreach of the early church.   Barnabas would take Saul (on this journey renamed, Paul) and several others.  He included his nephew.   For some reason John-Mark leaves them.   We are not told why.   Luke, the author of Acts, does not tell us.  He was with them on this trip but does not reveal the “why” behind John-Mark’s departure.  We don’t hear about John-Mark again in this book until after this team returns to Jerusalem and wants to set out, again, on a second missionary journey.  In chapter 15 we we read the following:

Acts 15:36-39 (ESV)

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.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,

Whatever reason John-Mark left them, was enough for Paul to not want him on this next trip.  Uncle Barnabas did.  They end up separating and Barnabas takes John-Mark with him back to their family home in Cyprus.  We never hear about Barnabas again.   But we do hear about John-Mark.  Paul stated it this way, later in his life:

2 Timothy 4:11 (ESV)

Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

John-Mark, now permently referred to as Mark, is eventually profitable and useful to Paul in the ministry.   He will become even more profitable to the church becuase he will write the first gospel (the Gospel of Mark) that Matthew and Luke will eventually use for their gospel record.   Even though John-Mark deserted the ministry, he came back to be a leader in the ministry.    Luke never tells us why he left.  Out of respect for Mark, Luke does not tell us.   Perhaps a lesson here is that the past is not always needing to be detailed.  We don’t need to know what happen, but only that the person has now been restored with God and with God’s people.   John-Mark made a mistake.  But he continued in the faith and became a benefit for the ministry, an author and eventually a martyr for Christ.  He was reportedly dragged through the streets of the Roman city, Alexandria, by a rope around his neck.   His mistake in the ministry in his early life was not important as he eventually lived his life.  Luke gives us no details except that he left and eventually came back.