Learning Daily
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.
Before
reading the Gospel of Mark I read some interesting information about him in the
David Jeremiah Study Bible. Since I have been writing on various men in the
Bible, I thought it would be good to pass on some thoughts about Mark. No, he
was not one of the original disciples, but he was present to see the beginning
of the church of Jesus Christ. Imagine being present (probably as a teenager)
when the church gathered to pray at his house. Acts 12:6-11 give the reason for
this gathering – Peter was in jail, and they were praying for him. Peter went to
this house after the angel released him from his chains and the prison.
Mark is identified as the son of Mary; “John”
is his Hebrew name, while “Mark” is his Roman name. Perhaps his father was a Gentile;
regardless by the time he wrote his gospel, he was a respected member of the
church. Later in Acts 12, Mark travels with Paul and Barnabus to the island of
Cyprus and into Asia Minor. It is when they get to the mainland that Mark and
Paul had a falling out and Mark returned to Jerusalem.
Bible
scholars believe Mark wrote his gospel between AD 65 and 70. It was a time of
tremendous turmoil for the young church. Jerusalem was about to be destroyed by
the Roman army and there was great persecution against those who claimed to be
with Christ. It was at this time both Peter and Paul were martyred. It is in
this background that Mark wrote “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
(1:1). Do you see the encouragement to be strong and to have courage during
this terrible time? “Some scholars think the Gospel of Mark may have been the
first of the four Gospels to be written, serving as an outline and foundation
for the longer accounts written by Matthew and Luke. In any case, it is one of
the earliest records of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ” (DJSB).
1
Peter 5:13, “She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you
greetings, and so does Mark, my son.” Mark did follow Peter and
interpreted for him; the highlighted reference probably refers to Mark being
Peter’s spiritual son, indicating Peter may have led Mark to Christ and helped
him grow in the faith. After Peter’s death, it is thought that Mark wanted to
record what Peter had taught. It is always thought that Christians in Rome
wanted more than Peter’s oral teachings to encourage them.
His writing reflects his Roman culture and since the Roman church
consisted of mostly Gentiles, “Mark did not need to explain a lot of Jewish
traditions or prove prophecies from the Old Testament. Mark explains how the
Son of God used His power to serve others and how Jesus had power over
creation, death, and the devil” (DJSB). If
you read this Gospel pay close attention to Mark’s use of the word “immediately”
and “quickly” to describe what Jesus does as He moves through the area
of Palestine. Mark does not write long explanations on what Jesus does or
teaches; Matthew and Luke give more details of the events Marks writes about.
Mark made sure he wrote about the words Jesus spoke about
suffering for one’s faith because of what the people reading the Gospel were
living through. Rome preserved or sustained their empire with their sword. The
teaching of Jesus challenged that power and authority with a new teaching – “the
greatest leaders are those who serve others”.
His writing came at a time when the church was greatly
persecuted and everything was being challenges by this persecution, destruction
by the Roman armies, and other injustices by Rome. Mark’s Gospel would have
helped his readers to focus on Jesus Christ. It certainly seems appropriate in
today’s world where everything seems divided and chaotic. The more this
happens, reading this Gospel (and the others) should bring “peace in the most unsettled
times because they tell us about Jesus, our Light, our Peace, our Hope in
troubled times” (DJSB).
