Restoration Of John Mark

We know Mark ended up close with Peter (1 Pe 5.13) and wrote one of the four gospels. These two landmarks cannot be ignored. The one who once neglected to serve, wrote a gospel emphasizing Jesus as the Great Servant. But what about his relationship with Paul? What happened there?

We know Paul developed a respect and love for Mark later in life (Col 4.10), and we know Mark worked closely with Paul during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome (Phil 23).

But perhaps the most touching of Paul’s references to Mark comes in 2 Timothy. When Paul wrote his second letter to the young pastor he was literally in the bottom of a pit–a dungeon. This wasn’t like his earlier house arrest in Rome where he could freely wonder about. Here, chains shackled him to the grimy wall behind him and if he could see any daylight at all, it was very little. Paul knew his execution was imminent and he had only a short time left in his earthly body before he would permanently unite with his Savior. He wrote 2 Timothy to set his affairs in order and to give his “last words” to Timothy who would carry on Paul’s ministry after his death. Only Luke was there with him. The letter is highly personal and should be read as such.

Towards the end of the book Paul gives a list of personal instructions–mainly comprised of several people to greet and one person in particular to dodge. Among the names listed, we find a final reference to Mark by Paul in verse 4.11. Paul writes, “Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” In Paul’s final hour he requested only five things: for Timothy to come soon (v 9), for him to bring Mark with him (v 11), and to bring his cloak, his books, and the parchments (v 13).

Despite everything that happened at Pamphylia (Acts 13.13) and the emotionally violent disagreement over Mark in Acts 15.36-41, Paul, at the end of his life, found Mark to be very useful for ministry. The man he wanted to leave behind years before had become highly valuable to him. What a change! And this isn’t a change that would have come lightly. Mark must have undergone significant character enhancement since he had last been with Paul, and Paul had grown in his capacity to forgive and recognize the sanctification process in others. It is a beautiful picture of love, grace, perseverance, and restoration.

Here we have this man, John Mark, who clearly messed up in his abandonment of Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. In many cases, a man like this may have tucked his tail between his legs and never been seen again. How easy that might have been. But instead Mark ends up becoming so much more than a failure. God uses the time Mark has alone with Barnabas to mold him into a champion of the early church and a dear friend of the man who once rejected him. How good is God’s process of sanctification?

What Can We Learn?

Our past mistakes don’t have to define our future. God constantly works within us to make us more like Him. No matter the extent of our failure, we should learn from it, and allow God to continue to work out his sanctification process in us. It’s never too late.

If you mess up in ministry, or in life, don’t ever feel like you can’t get back in the game. Mark was a late bloomer, as are some of us. Sometimes God works in people for years, with many falls along the way, before they are ready for ministry. Be patient.

It’s never too late to reconnect with someone you’ve let down. We’ve all failed someone in our past. Time spent being sanctified can be a powerful healer.

It’s never too late to forgive someone who let you down. Just as we’ve all failed someone else, we’ve also had someone fail us. Sometimes people go years without speaking because of a falling out. Someone hurts us and we assume they’ll always be that type of person–unchanging. But we need to always remember that if we can change over time, so can someone else. Reach out to them. They just might surprise you.

Full Disclosure: I wrote this months ago as a personal study with no intention of publishing and therefore did not mark my sources. Below I have listed the commentaries used for this study:

The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Acts, by John MacArthur

The Acts of the Apostles, by Morgan

Acts: The Expanding Church, by Harrison

The Book of the Acts, by Bruce

Dr. Zolisha L Ware