JOHN-MARK

JOHN-MARK

"The Beginning of the Gospel."—MARK 1:1.

The Gospel according to Mark is the briefest of the four gospels. In all likelihood it was the earliest written. It was written probably before the death of Paul, but not later than the destruction of Jerusalem. Irenaeus defi­nitely said that it was written after the deaths of Paul and Peter, but more recent investigation would place it earlier, that is before 63 A.D.

Patristic testimony agrees that it was influenced by Peter, that indeed it is the record of the facts concern­ing Jesus as they were told by Peter in his preaching, and recorded by his friend, Mark. This view is strength­ened by modern scholarship.

Mark gives us practically no material other than that which is recorded by Matthew. The difference between the Gospels is that of method, rather than that of matter. The method of Mark is characterized by directness and brevity (almost amounting to bluntness), accompanied by certain circumstantial touches which give us a most vivid sense of the Lord, in many details of look, gesture, and habits of speech.

The history of the writer of this Gospel as it may be traced in the New Testament, is a most interesting one. His Jewish name was John, Mark being his Latin sur­name. His mother, as Luke informs us in the book of Acts 12:12 was a woman of wealth, living in Jeru­salem, evidently a personal friend of Peter, and hostess of the Christian disciples in the early days after Pentecost. By a reference, in the first letter of Peter, we may surmise that Mark was spiritually a son of Peter (1 Peter 5:13), that he was brought to a knowledge of the Lord Christ saving him under the ministry of the great apostle. He was also a cousin of Barnabas. The first appearance of Mark in New Testament history is found in the story of the journey of Paul and Barnabas from Jerusalem to Antioch, upon which journey he accompanied them. He then went with them on the first missionary journey, sud­denly leaving them at Perga. Why he left them, we do not know. It is an interesting fact that almost all ex­positors assume that he was afraid of the campaign, and went home, but there is no shadow of evidence that fear was the reason for his return. Certainly later on, dis­cussion and separation occurred between Paul and Barnabas upon this very subject, for when starting upon an­other journey, Barnabas desired to take Mark with him, and Paul objected, because Mark had “gone back." That may be the reason why it is supposed that Mark turned back from fear. But, though Paul refused to take him, Barnabas desired to do so; and it is quite as possible that Barnabas was right, as Paul. So we may give Mark the benefit of the doubt. It is certain that he went with Barnabas to Cyprus, and subsequently was with Paul in Rome, a "fellow laborer," and a comfort. From a reference in Peter's first letter we gather that he accompanied that apostle to Babylon; and the last glimpse of him is that in Paul's last letter to Timothy, wherein he charged him to bring Mark with him again to Rome.

I named my eldest son after this gospel writer.