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| Transforming Intimacy - An Introdution to the Gospel of Mark |
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There are those who make mistakes in life causing others to loose confidence and give up on them. An important thing to always remember about God is that He never gives up on us. His love for us is not conditional. His love for us was completed on the cross when Jesus said “it is finished”. Nothing can change that love. God loves us no matter what our faults are and the mistakes that we have made. He never looses confidence in us and our potential in His Kingdom. We will be utilized to make a difference for Him as we pick ourselves up from our failures and build an intimate relationship with Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark is a part of the synoptic gospels and is the very first written account of Jesus although it is placed second in the New Testament Canon. It was written by Mark approximately 60-65 years after the crucifixion. Mark was the one who accompanied Paul and Barnabas as the very first missionary team sent on the church’s very first missionary journey. They were called by the Holy Spirit and sent out by the church that was meeting in Antioch. Mark did not finish that journey though. He quit and returned home (Acts 13:13).
We are never told why Mark quit and can only assume. Perhaps he was too young and better at starting things than finishing things. Perhaps Mark quit because Paul was now leading the journey instead of his cousin Barnabas. Perhaps it was because the journey was too rough. Perhaps it was because he was having problems with the gentiles receiving the good news of Christ. Perhaps he was just homesick. For whatever reason, he quit and returned to the home of his well-to-do mother in Jerusalem, which was one of the meeting places for the church there. At this stage in his life, the young man was a quitter instead of a leader.
When Barnabas requested that Mark be a part of the missionary team on their second missionary journey, Paul refused (Acts 15:37-40). It was at this point that Barnabas and Paul split up and went their own ways and, as far as it is known, they did not work together again in the ministry.
If the story ended there, it would be sad for Mark. He had failed and Paul had nothing to do with him. But, God still loved Mark and never gave up him. Mark re-emerged 20 years later and was a different man. He had picked up and moved forward as a Christ follower.
- Mark is with Paul and a comfort to Paul when he wrote the letter to the Colossians while in a Roman prison - Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions--if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. (Colossians 4:10-11 ESV)
- In another letter written from prison, Paul refers to Mark as his “fellow worker” - Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. (Philemon 1:23-24 ESV)
- Near death, Paul refers to Mark as “useful” - Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11 ESV)
- Peter considered Mark a son - She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. (1 Peter 5:13 ESV)
Mark had changed. He refused to allow his failures and the opinion of others to hold him back from becoming everything God intended for him to be in the Kingdom. He built an intimate relationship with Jesus that is portrayed in his writing of the Gospel of Mark. That is what made the difference in his life and ministry. It was a relationship with Jesus.
In our study of the Gospel of Mark, we will see Mark present and defend Jesus’ call for all to follow Him and build an intimate relationship with Him that will mold and shape them. Mark had experienced this firsthand although he had never seen Jesus or heard his teachings firsthand. He was a writer for Peter and wrote about Jesus that which He had heard Peter preach. Mark knew by experience that it was all about following Christ and this meant a relationship with Christ that would be life transforming.
Beloved, our relationship with Christ is what transforms us into servants that can be used of God. This relationship will mold and shape us to reach our full potential in the Kingdom of God. It is not about religion, tradition or a code of conduct. It’s about a relationship with Jesus that transforms our mind, our heart, our life and our actions. This relationship includes trusting Jesus, confessing Him as Lord, following His example, following His teaching and being transformed by it. It also includes being prepared to face the same kind of suffering that Jesus faced for the sake of others.
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