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).