Vol. 11 No.10 –June, 2013

The Book of Mark

Mike Johnson

 The writer of the book of Mark is probably “John Mark” who is mentioned several times in God’s Word.  He was a cousin of Barnabas, and his mother was named Mary.  Mary was a faithful Christian in Jerusalem who owned the house where the Christians met for prayer while Peter was in jail (Acts 12)

Mark went with Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey.  While on this journey, Mark turned back and went to Jerusalem.  Paul refused to take him on the second journey.  This caused a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.  After this, they parted ways, and Barnabas then took Mark with him to Cyprus.  Later, it was clear that no animosity existed between Paul and Mark. Paul, asked that Mark be sent to Rome to assist him.  Also, in Philemon 24, he speaks of him as a “fellow laborer.”  Mark may have been associated with Peter during the time that he was not with Paul.

Mark makes no effort in his book to leave out facts about Jesus which, to some, might seem to be negative.  For example, Mark tells us that Jesus was a carpenter, that his relatives thought that he was “beside himself,” and that he had to quickly leave Capernaum.

Mark writes his book with a lot of swift movement as he quickly goes from one event to another.  Also, Mark seems to be given to detail compared to the other accounts.  However, Mark does not emphasize the teaching of Jesus as much as some of the other accounts.  He does, however, tell us a lot about Jesus’ teaching, but mostly, he tells about Jesus.