richcathers.com

Supporting Roles #02: John Mark

CCEA School of Discipleship

January 18, 2026

Introduction

Welcome to our second class in our series called “Supporting Roles”

Homework review

I hope you all have at least ordered your Romaine book. You won’t be getting any reading assignments in it for another week.

Our assignment was to read a bit in the book of Acts. We will be looking at all those verses and more in a minute.

Read: Acts 12:1 – 13:13; 15:36-41

Let’s practice our first memory verse. Don’t worry if you haven’t got it down yet. I’ll give you one more week to work on the verse before we add our second verse.

(Mark 10:43 NKJV) Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

John Mark

Looking for John Mark

John Mark is kind of like “Waldo”.

He tends to blend into the background of the stories in Scripture, but he’s there if you look for him. Get used to this little picture of “Waldo”, I’m going to use it to remind you to look for John Mark.

His Name

In first century Israel, it was common for a man to have two names.

His friends and relatives would call him by his Hebrew name.

John is a shortened form of Yehohanan, which means “Yahweh is gracious”.

There are 9 references to various men named Jehohanan in the Old Testament.

Jehohanan gets shortened in English to John.

The business world would know his Greek or Roman name.

Mark (Greek: Marcos) means “large hammer”

Open your Bibles and be prepared to cover a lot of Scripture today as we keep our eyes open for “John Mark”.

The first time we may possibly encounter John Mark is in an obscure passage found in the gospel of Mark (by the way, he wrote this book). It’s an event that took place in the Garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers showed up to arrest Jesus.

(Mark 14:51–52 NKJV) —51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

Why do I think this is Mark? (I may be wrong)

The story is only found in Mark’s gospel.

I think he, like John, wanted to be sure to include something in his gospel about his participation in the life of Jesus, yet keeping himself anonymous.

The apostle John did the same in his gospel, only referring to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.

We now jump forward about eight years …and we will spend some time in the book of Acts.

(Acts 11:27–30 NKJV) —27 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

After meeting Jesus in a blinding light on the road to Damascus, Saul/Paul had eventually settled in at the church that met in Antioch in Syria.

See map video: Jerusalem to Antioch

Antioch in Syria is about 300 miles due north of Jerusalem. Take note where the island of Cyprus is.

It was at this church in Antioch that prophets like Agabus warned of a coming famine.

So the church in decided to send Barnabas and Saul/Paul to Jerusalem with money to help the church in Jerusalem.

This was in AD 41, seven years before Paul and Barnabas would begin their first missionary journey (Acts 13).

Acts 12 starts off with King Herod arresting and killing James the brother of John. Then Herod decides to have Peter arrested as well.

The church decides to do something about Peter’s arrest.

(Acts 12:5 NKJV) Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

They were worried that Peter would be executed next. You’ve probably heard the amazing story of how God used an angel one night to release Peter from prison. Peter must have been a bit sleepy because he didn’t seem to fully realize what was happening.

(show Waldo)

(Acts 12:11–17 NKJV) —11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” 12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” 16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

“James” in vs. 17 is James the half-brother of Jesus and the head of the church in Jerusalem at that time.

:12 John whose surname was Mark

In vs. 12 we have our first mention of John Mark by name.

His mother’s name was Mary, and she owned the house where the early church had at least some of their meetings. Some think this means they might have had some money to own a house large enough for this.

When Paul was in prison much later writing to the Colossians (Col. 4:10), he refers to Mark as “the cousin of Barnabas”.

So John Mark and Barnabas were from the same family.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that Barnabas and Saul/Paul were at that house owned by Mary, and were part of that prayer meeting. Why? Look at what happens next with Barnabas and Saul/Paul after Luke makes some brief parenthetical comments about Herod…

(show Waldo)

(Acts 12:25 NKJV) And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.

After Barnabas and Saul had delivered their financial aid to the church in Jerusalem, they took Barnabas’ cousin, John Mark, with them.

It makes sense they were at Aunt Mary’s house. I’ll share in a moment why this is interesting.

Note: John Mark is now in Antioch.

(Acts 13:1-3 NKJV) –1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

This will be the first “missionary journey” of Paul.

We know that Barnabas is with Paul, but what you don’t know quite yet is that there’s another traveler with them: John Mark.

13:2 they ministered to the Lord

The Greek word here is leitourgeo. It is often translated “serve”, even to “worship”. We get our word “liturgy” from it.

It is a word that is supposed to paint a picture of the Levitical priests “serving”, or performing their duties in the Temple.

They would offer sacrifices. They would burn incense. They would sing and pray.

Verse 3 emphasizes that ministry of prayer (fasted and prayed)

We’ve seen John Mark be a witness to two significant events so far.

Peter’s miraculous prison release.

The beginning of Paul’s missionary journeys.

Both of these had a common factor. Prayer.

Quiz Alert!

Lesson

1. Usefulness and Prayer

At Mary’s house (Acts 12),

The church was offering up “constant” prayer.

It’s happening again in Antioch.

The church “ministered to the Lord, fasted, and prayed”

Things are going to happen when the church prays.

And John Mark is there for both.

I wonder sometimes we can get a little silly and superstitious when it comes to prayer.

Illustration

The Rabbi's Hat

A Rabbi is walking slowly down the street when a gust of wind blows his hat from his head. The hat is being blown down the street, but he is an old man and can’t walk fast enough to catch the hat. Across the street a Gentile sees what has happened and rushes over to grab the hat and then returns it to the Rabbi. “I don’t think I would have been able to catch my hat,” said the Rabbi. “Thank you very much.” The Rabbi then places his hand on the man’s shoulder and says, “May God bless you.” The young man thinks to himself, “I’ve been blessed by the Rabbi, this must be my lucky day!” So he goes to the Racetrack and in the first race he sees there is a horse named Stetson at 20 to 1. He bets $50 and sure enough the horse comes in first. In the second race he sees a horse named Fedora at 30 to 1, so he bets it all and this horse comes in first also. Finally at the end of the day he returns home to his wife. When she asks him where he’s been, he explains how he caught the Rabbi’s hat and was blessed by him and then went to the track and started winning on horses that had a hat in their names. “So where’s the money?” she asks. “I lost it all in the ninth race. I bet on a horse named Chateau and it lost.” “You fool, Chateau is a house, Chapeau is a hat!” “It doesn’t matter,” he said, “the winner was some Japanese horse named Yarmulka.”

I’m not sure that God really works that way.

I don’t think that prayer is some kind of magical, mysterious thing.

Prayer is about communication, about connecting with God.

Yet if you want to grow in being “useful” to the Lord, the first step isn’t in “doing” more things.

The first step is to lay the foundation by learning daily, consistent prayer.

Jesus said,

(John 14:12–14 NKJV) —12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Wow, how in the world could WE do “greater” works than Jesus?

It seems that Jesus answers that question in the next verse…

13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

:14 If you ask …

This is how God’s work takes place. Prayer.

If you are involved in ministry of any kind, you must also figure out the role that prayer must have in your ministry.

I think it’s helpful to create a prayer list. I don’t always remember the things I’ve decided to pray for. I use a list every day.

If you are teaching children on Sunday morning – make a list of the names of your kids and pray for God to work in their lives. Perhaps ask one or two of them how you can pray for them. When you see them the following Sunday, ask how things are going.

Whether you teach children or adults, learn to pray.

I trust that God will have a hand on my mind as I prepare my studies, guiding me what to focus on and emphasize. I think that happens as an answer to my praying for you.

If you are directing traffic on Sunday mornings, ask God to bless each car as it whizzes past you.

If you are in the prayer room, ask God during the week to show up in the prayer room. Ask God to use you in the prayer room. And when someone asks for prayer, make a note of it and don’t just pray for them at that moment, pray for them during the week.

Figure out how prayer can be incorporated into your ministry.

Illustration:

There is a gal who has been coming to our church about six months now. She’s a missionary with some medical skills. Her name is Kris Repp. This is from her book “Missionary First Responder” –

Praying for my patients after I finish their extraction is important to me. After asking for permission, I talk to the Lord in English on their behalf. They don’t understand my words but God does. Unaware of the impact this demonstration of faith can make, I was surprised when a pastor with whom I was working in Bosnia told me, “Your prayers are powerful. Though the people don’t understand what you are saying, they know you are speaking to God on their behalf. They hear you speak to Him as a Person. Many of them have never understood what it means to have a personal relationship with the Father, to be able to talk to Him like we talk to each other. The fact that you relate to God in that way and are asking Him to bless their lives speaks volumes to them.”

then later in the book she writes about a gal she had prayed for...

Pulling her rubber boots over her socks, she leaves the bedside and returns to the audience of those warming the benches in the waiting room who have yet to be seen. With a small piece of gauze peaking out of her mouth, her lips begin to quiver and she lowers her head. A flood of tears falls from her eyes, soaking the scarf tied under her chin. My translator, having left the exam room to call on another patient, finds the babushka in her distress and fears something is terribly wrong, “Are you OK? Was it painful?” She looks up, struggling to speak, “I’m OK. It’s just that in all my life nobody has ever prayed for me like that woman just prayed for me.”

E.M.Bounds (The Possibilities of Prayer, pg.131) wrote:

“And when the records of eternity are read out to an assembled world, then will it appear how much prayer has wrought in this world. Little is now seen of the fruits of prayer compared to all that it has accomplished and is accomplishing.”

Pastor and Educator Adoniram Judson Gordon (1836-1895) wrote,

“You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.”

Do you want to increase your usefulness to God? Work on your prayer life.

Back to Acts 13…

This first missionary journey will begin with Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark traveling to the island of Cyprus.

See First Missionary Journey map video

They are going to travel from Antioch to the coastal town of Seleucia, then across the Mediterranean to the city of Salamis on Cyprus. They will be travelling across Cyprus to Paphos at the other end, where they will eventually take a boat north to Perga.

Here’s where you’ll see that John Mark is also on the journey…

(show Waldo)

(Acts 13:4–13 NKJV) —4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. 6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. 13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

We aren’t told why, but John Mark decides he needs to go home to Jerusalem.

Perhaps he heard news from home that he needed to return.

Perhaps he was just a bit freaked out at this “sorcerer” who was trying to hinder them.

Maybe Paul was just a little too intense for Mark and he began to think, “This isn’t what I signed up for”.

Whatever the reason, John Mark leaves the mission trip. He will go home to Jerusalem, and at some point he makes his way back to Antioch in Syria.

Meanwhile Paul and Barnabas continue on their journey through the cities of Galatia (Acts 13-14), and then they will return to Antioch to report back to the church all that God had done.

(Acts 14:26–28 NKJV) —26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. 27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Paul and Barnabas get a chance to catch their breath and regroup.

They were pretty happy with what God had done among the Gentiles.

In Acts 15, the church’s first big controversy came to a head, and a grand council was called for the church to gather in Jerusalem to discuss how to handle the conversion of the Gentiles. This had been a huge part of Paul and Barnabas’ ministry.

There were some legalistic people in Jerusalem who thought that the Gentiles needed to become circumcised in order to be saved.

Paul and Barnabas didn’t agree with this. After all, they had seen all kinds of people get saved, without circumcision.

So Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to see what the apostles would decide.

The church came to the conclusion that salvation was indeed by grace alone, and that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised to be saved. Paul and Barnabas along with a couple other fellows were sent back to Antioch to deliver the announcement.

It’s possible that John Mark may have come back with them at this time. Possible. He will show up somehow in Antioch.

(show Waldo)

(Acts 15:30–41 NKJV) —30 So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. 32 Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. 33 And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. 34 However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there.

So Silas has decided to stay at Antioch.

35 Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. 36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

Paul has a concern for the young churches they had planted on that first trip about 2-3 years ago. Keep your eyes open here…

37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

15:39 sailed to Cyprus

Barnabas takes John Mark with him and heads to Cyprus, which was the first place that Barnabas and Paul had visited (Acts 13:4).

But there’s also another connection with Cyprus.

(Acts 4:36–37 NKJV) —36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

So Barnabas was actually from Cyprus, and he was also a “Levite”.

Since Barnabas and John Mark are cousins, it’s likely that John Mark may also have been from Cyprus, and also a Levite.

Meanwhile Paul will take Silas and head by land back to the Galatian churches.

Paul did not want to take John Mark …

15:38 who had departed from them

The Greek word Paul uses (aphistemi) to describe what John Mark did means to “stand away from”. It can carry the idea of distancing yourself from someone or something, or to withdraw. It can even carry the idea of “deserting”, “falling away”, or even “backsliding”.

That’s a pretty tough word, pretty harsh language.

Quiz Alert!

Lesson

2. Don’t be a quitter

Good things come to those who don’t quit.

Illustration

If you’re watching online, this next video clip will be found in the comments section – I can’t put it into my online video due to copyright restrictions. Those in class will see it.

At age 12, Thomas Alva Edison developed serious hearing loss, being deaf in one ear and almost deaf in the other ear. Yet he felt his deafness allowed him to concentrate on his experiments.

Play Video: StoryBots: Thomas Edison

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1lKwZTtzIY

When it came to inventing the electric light bulb, it didn’t happen overnight. Edison and his laboratory folks tried over and over. Some say they tried 10,000 different things until they found the right combination.

Edison didn’t quit. He kept at it until he got it right.

In war time

Before the nation of Israel started to conquer their promised land, God gave some guidance as to creating an army. There were certain people who were not allowed to serve in the army, like those who had just built a house, or were newly married. Then God said,

(Deuteronomy 20:8 NKJV) “The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.’

God didn’t want the “fainthearted” to be in the army because their sense of fear would spread to the rest of the soldiers.

An effective army is one that is willing to stand firm against the enemy and not retreat.

We need to be careful that we aren’t entering the “battle” of ministry when we aren’t sure about facing tough enemies.

Your reluctance and tendency to “quit” too soon is contagious.

Counting the cost

Before getting into a ministry, just like beginning a construction project, we need to “count the cost”

(Luke 14:28–30 NKJV) —28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

There are people watching you when you take a step to serve the Lord.

I’m not saying that there’s never a time to “stop” doing a ministry, but don’t quit too soon.

Realize what kind of time commitments are needed for ministry and be willing to “pay” those costs.

Faithful

I think God is looking for people who are “faithful” more than those who are “talented”.

(Philippians 2:19–22 NKJV) —19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.

Years ago at Calvary Chapel Anaheim, we had a middle-age single fellow who decided he wanted to help out in the children’s ministry.

He did this because we kept asking for help with the Children’s Ministry.

He wasn’t really experienced when it came to children.

He was also a bit socially awkward.

But he showed up every week. This big tall fellow would get down on the ground in the preschool room and play with the kids.

Later, when we started Calvary Fullerton, this fellow came along with us.

He still helped with the kids, but he also started working the sound board because … we needed help.

He wasn’t really very good at it. He didn’t have much training in it. He didn’t quite have an ear for music or mixing sound. But he showed up.

Bill Jaberg has always been an example to me of what I as a pastor am looking for when it comes to folks doing ministry.

I want people who will always show up.

Sometimes people who are talented expect the world to be handed to them on a platter. They want to do what they do, whenever they want to do it.

We had young gal who wanted to be on our worship team. She had an amazing voice. I think she had some kind of vocal training. Lots of people were “wowed” at her talent. When it came time to put her into the rotation, our worship leader asked her to help him on Sunday nights. But to be honest, we might only have 20 people coming on a Sunday night, whereas we would average a hundred people in the morning services.

She said “no” to Sunday nights. She said there weren’t enough people. She only wanted to do Sunday mornings. We said “thank you for your service” and let her leave.

Unwilling to quit

Before he was arrested, Paul had several prophetic warnings about what was ahead as he traveled to Jerusalem. He told the Ephesian elders,

(Acts 20:22–24 NKJV) —22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

That’s the heart of ministry. Faithfulness. Perseverance.

I used to warn those men that I was considering to be an elder at our church.

I warned them that as soon as they say “yes”, they could expect difficulty.

I had seen this over the years.

When you say “yes” to serving the Lord, expect that Satan will throw everything at you that he can.

He wants you to quit.

So what do you do about this?

Decide ahead of time that “none of these things move me”.

When the enemy sees that you won’t stop serving because of various troubles, you may see those troubles lessen.

Note: We do not hear from Barnabas again after this.

I wouldn’t make too much of that observation, but simply want to note it.

Christian tradition has it that Barnabas was martyred at Salamis, Cyprus.

He was known historically as the founder of the church in Cyprus.

We do however hear about John Mark, but just not in the book of Acts.

The book of Acts ends around AD 60 with Paul being in Rome, waiting for his first trial before Caesar.

It’s during this first arrest in Rome that Paul writes his “prison epistles”, including Colossians and Philemon, written around AD 61.

We can tend to read Paul’s epistles and think about the great doctrines and practical teachings included in them. But for the Bible detective, you will also find little bits and pieces that tell you about other people.

Keep your eyes open for John Mark. (show Waldo)

Philemon was a wealthy man in Colossae, and he got a letter from Paul along during this time. At the end of this small epistle we read,

(Philemon 23–24 NKJV) —23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers.

Mark is listed as a “fellow-prisoner” with Paul.

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he has a similar list of greetings from those who were with him in Rome.

(Colossians 4:10–11 NKJV) —10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.

John Mark was with Paul in Rome. Paul even had some good things to say about Mark.

Tradition has it that Paul was eventually released from this first Roman imprisonment, but a few years later was once again under arrest in Rome, this time awaiting execution (AD 64)

Paul will send his final letter to his protégé Timothy.

(2 Timothy 4:11 NKJV) Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.

(show Waldo)

Of all people, Paul asks Timothy to bring John Mark. He is “useful”.

Quiz Alert!

Lesson

3. Second Chances

If you had stopped reading and researching John Mark after Acts 15:38, you might have chalked him up as a failure, as a quitter.

But by the end of his life, Mark was anything but a failure.

We’ve found him by Paul’s side during his first imprisonment.

At the end of Paul’s life, Paul had even considered him “useful” for ministry.

The word “useful” in 2Tim. 4:11 (chrestos) means “helpful, beneficial”

“service that has special social value”.

Church history records that Mark wasn’t just with Paul in Rome, but he had also become Peter’s companion in Rome.

The early church father Papias recorded that Mark served as Peter’s interpreter and documented the apostle’s teachings.

The Gospel of Mark was the earliest of the gospels written, written by our friend “John Mark”.

I like to call the Gospel of Mark “Peter’s Story” because we think that Peter was the main source for Mark’s writings.

Mark’s gospel tells us things that only Peter would have known.

I’ll have some samples in my notes. It’s interesting to compare and contrast various stories in the gospels with this in mind.

Here are some samples:

(Mark 9:5–6 NKJV) —5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

Verse 6 is not explained the same in the other gospel accounts.

(Mark 16:7 NKJV) —7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

It’s only in Mark that Peter is singled out. It was personal for Peter.

Peter wrote,

(1 Peter 5:13 NKJV) She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.

Some feel “Babylon” is a reference to Rome, and Mark was with Peter in Rome, and considered a “son” to Peter.

And come to think of it, they had known each other for quite some time.

They were probably there together in the Garden of Gethsemane.

John Mark was likely living in the house where Peter showed up when he was released from prison.

In his “Book of Martyrs”, John Foxe tells us that Mark died in Alexandria Egypt where he was “dragged to pieces” by the crowd who was trying to worship their idols.

Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.^{^[1]}

You too may have failed in the past.

But your time of being “useful” to God is not over.

We serve a God who gives “second chances”.

You’re probably aware that Samson got a second chance.

Samson learned this.

Though he had been consecrated to God from birth, he still had a bit of a rebellious streak in him, a rebellious streak that Delilah took advantage of.

But God wasn’t finished with Samson…

(Judges 16:22 NKJV) However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

As he was “entertaining” the Philistines, you could say he “brought the house down”.

Jonah learned this.

When God told Jonah to go preach at Nineveh, he ran the other way.

But after a whale of an ocean ride,

(Jonah 3:1–2 NKJV) —1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”

John the Baptist’s father Zacharias learned this.

His disbelief at hearing he was going to be a father led to him losing the ability to speak. Yet after John was born

(Luke 1:67–69 NKJV) —67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,

An amazing prophecy comes through this old man.

Even Peter, John Mark’s spiritual “dad”, who “denied Jesus”, got a second chance after the resurrection.

Peter also learned it the hard way.

Having denied Jesus three times when Jesus was arrested, He found forgiveness as Jesus sought him out after the resurrection and told him to “feed His sheep”.

Do you feel that you’ve failed God somehow?

Do you think that God could never use you again?

You need to take a good hard look at the God you follow.

He is a God of “second chances”.

He may not restore you to some ministry you’ve done before, but He still wants to you use.

Ask Him to use you.