Nine hikers (six of which were teenagers) were trekking across a mountain range in Scotland this past spring (2012) when a snowstorm suddenly trapped them there. It had been the warmest March on record in that region and they had no indication that the conditions were changing so quickly. The next day, from their trapped location, they called for help and a search/rescue operation was launched to find them. When they were found they were all airlifted to safety.
There are Christians that were once vibrant servants of Christ that were trekking across the mountains of His service, but through discouragement or some type of personal failure became trapped in an avalanche of guilt, regret, shame and/or fear. They are desperately in need of being rescued and restored to their former usefulness for Christ and to His service, which is a task that should interest all of us.
One such young man in Scripture is John Mark who was an assistant to the Apostle Paul on his first missionary journey. His life is an example of the fact that our God is the God of a second chance.
Follow the story of John Mark’s life leading up to the failure that is recorded for us in Acts.
- John Mark was the son of a certain Mary that was apparently a woman of prominence and means in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12).
- He was of Jewish parentage, his mother being a relative of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10).
- When Peter was released from prison he went to Mary’s house to meet with the Christians who had been praying for his release (Acts 12:5).
- He was called Peter’s son in the faith (1 Peter 5:13).
- John Mark was chosen to assist Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25; 13:5).
- During this outreach endeavor John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).
- When Paul and Barnabas began making plans for their second missionary journey a heated debate ensued about including John Mark (Acts 15:36-41).
- This ultimately led to Paul and Barnabas separating and going different directions.
What could have led to John Mark quitting the first missionary journey? Can we better understand what was going on at the time that he departed from them?
Maybe it was the...
1. Diminishing of emotional zeal
When John Mark volunteered for the trip there was great enthusiasm that permeated the church. He may have been on an emotional and spiritual high when this all began, but as the journey unfolded maybe he felt a sense of “buyers remorse.”
Maybe it was the...
2. Demand of daily tasks
He was their assistant and probably had many mundane, as well as difficult tasks committed to his trust (cf. Acts 13:5; 15:38 -- “work”). Sometimes you get tired doing things that are hard and/or don’t challenge you. Maybe the task was different than he bargained for when he volunteered to go.
Maybe it was the...
3. Distraction of homesickness
John Mark had come from a fairly wealthy family (Acts 12:12) and may have missed the comforts of home along this rugged trip. Ask anyone away from home for the first time and they’ll tell you about homesickness. Especially if your present circumstances are more difficult than the ones you left.
Maybe it was the...
4. Danger of future encounters
If he had continued with Paul and Barnabas they were going to have to cross the Taurus Mountain Range. Not only was the terrain of this mountain difficult to traverse, but it was also infested with thieves and robbers. Maybe fear overcame him and he could not go on.
Maybe it was the...
5. Disapproval of Paul’s message
He was a Jewish young man with a rich Jewish heritage. Maybe he had some concerns about Paul’s methods or message as the trip was advancing among the Gentiles. Prejudice is sometimes an unseen condition that many haven’t faced and eliminated from their lives. Maybe that was underlying his decision to leave and go home.
Maybe it was the...
6. Distribution of ministry control
At the beginning of the journey Barnabas had been mentioned first, possibly indicating he was the leader at the outset (Acts 13:2, 7). But, as the journey unfolded Paul became the dominant leader as the one specifically called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. Maybe the change of roles disturbed John Mark and left him discouraged.
Maybe it was the...
7. Detection of physical illness
Paul ultimately became ill at some point on the journey (Galatians 4:13) and maybe John Mark saw the developing of this illness. Because of the dangers inherent with the trip he may have been concerned about his own health and felt it better to return to the safety of his familiar surroundings.
The truth is we don’t know the specific reason(s) why John Mark left. Any of those listed or some we haven’t even considered may have been the motivating factor.
Luke used a Greek word in Acts 13:13 that is a neutral term meaning, “to go away,” to describe John Mark’s departure. In other words, Luke initially records John Mark’s leaving in a general sense without indicating any malice in the term. But, the Greek word Paul used when considering the possibility of John Mark going on the second missions trip is a much stronger one that has the sense of “disloyalty” (Acts 15:38). [Actually, the Greek word Paul used gives us our word “apostate.”] Clearly he had strong feelings about what John Mark had done! Maybe Luke was not led to indicate these feelings originally or maybe they developed as the journey continued to unfold.
Whatever the reason for John Mark’s departure it ultimately led to a division between Paul and Barnabas. The text describes their disagreement as “contention” that was “so sharp” that the two men ended up parting ways. Barnabas took John Mark and headed to Cyprus which was his native home (Acts 4:36) and a safe place for John Mark’s rehabilitation. Paul chose Silas to travel with him to Syria and Cilicia to begin revisiting some of the churches they had planted on their first missionary journey.
I think it is interesting that Luke really doesn’t pass judgment on either of these two men. It is true that Barnabas is not mentioned again in the record of Acts, but I’m not confident that this necessarily indicates that Barnabas chose wrong and Paul chose right. They may have both been right and God used this division of assets to accomplish an even greater purpose than the two men could have accomplished together on a second journey.
Barnabas’ concern was with the welfare of John Mark and Paul’s was with the work. This is a classic example of the conflict that often arises over whether to deal with the interests of the individual first or with the (overall) work first. Men of equally capable abilities and vision will often think differently about some of these matters, possibly dependent upon their own spiritual gifting.
Now, for the rest of the story...
Approximately ten years later:
- John Mark was with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24).
- He seems to have been with Timothy when Paul wrote to him during his second Roman imprisonment and requested that he bring John Mark with him when he came to see him (2 Timothy 4:11).
- Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote the Gospel of Mark, which is likely the earliest of the Gospel records penned.
- Tradition says that Mark was sent on a mission to Egypt by Peter where he founded the church of Alexandria and suffered a martyr's death in the eighth year of Nero’s reign.
Application:
- If you are like Paul...remember that when someone fails it doesn’t mean he/she can never succeed again.
- If you are like Barnabas...remember that trust is something that is lost in a moment and earned over time.
- If you are like John Mark...remember that FAILURE ISN’T FINAL...UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO BE!
