Mark – Pointing To The Messiah

John Mark could have cowered in shame. Having abandoned his post out of fear, he was reprimanded and rejected from further partnership with Paul in his missionary journeys. But Barnabas showed more grace, and welcomed this young man—a believer since childhood—to a second chance at kingdom work alongside him and the apostle Peter.

Within a short time, John Mark grew to become a great leader in the early church, flourishing under the godly tutelage God had afforded him. Paul, himself, reconciled with John Mark later as he realized the power of God at work in him and the passion John Mark held for pointing others to Christ.

To that end, John Mark penned what many believe to be the first of the four written gospels. Containing only 16 chapters, Mark narrowed his focus to only include the miracles and events that best highlighted Jesus’ deity.

His account opens not with Christ’s birth, but His baptism where both the Father and the Spirit confirmed His position as God’s Son. From there, Mark recounted specific miracles that lent credibility to Christ’s claims of divinity, demonstrating the power of God over sickness, sin, and even death. But the bulk of his focus followed the final eight days of Jesus’ life, the dramatic conclusion to God’s epic story of redemption woven throughout history. Jesus, the Holy One of God would be betrayed. Handed over to heathen men, He would be crucified between two thieves where no rescue would come. Cold death held its grip for three bitter days, leaving His loved ones distraught and lost. But then came the climactic end, the sensational truth of Jesus’ identity revealed: Jesus is alive! God’s promise was true. Hope for humanity lived.

Mark’s eyewitness account of Jesus’ divine heritage painted a vivid picture of what God as man looked like in reality. He walked, talked, ate, and lived just like us. But His true divine nature enabled the perfection and power no mere human could ever attain. Fully God and fully man, Jesus answered God’s righteous demands and our human needs as the ultimate Savior of the world.

Who was Mark and why did Jesus choose him?

What does Mark want you to know about Jesus? Read Mark 10:45

Are you a servant to others? 

Jesus informed His disciples about His sacrifice and victory for us in Mark 8, 9, and 10. What were the concerns of the disciples?