SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Mark the Man:
• (1a). His Name.
• (1b). His Family.
• (1c). His Attitude.
(2). Mark the Missionary:
• (2a). He Had Church Support (vs 3).
• (2b). He Had God's Blessing (vs 4).
• (2c). He Had A Smooth Departure (vs 4b).
• (2d). He Had An Idyllic Destination (vs 4b).
• (2e). He Had A Difficult Experience (vs 5).
• (2f). He Had A Crisis Of Faith (vs 13b).
• (2g). He Had A Friend Who Cared (vs 15:26-39)
(3). Mark the Minister:
• (3a). Colossians chapter 4 verse 10:
• (3b). Philemon verses 23-24.
• (3c). Second Timothy chapter 4 verse 11.
• (3d), Mark's Gospel
SERMON BODY
(1). Mark the Man:
(1a). His Name.
The first thing to note about Mark is that he had three names:
(a).
• Latin name: ‘Mark/ Marcus’.
• Which means 'Warlike'
• (and that tells us his family had Roman connections maybe even Roman citizenship,).
(b).
• His Hebrew name, because he was Jewish was: 'Yohanan / John':
• Which means: 'God is gracious'.
(c).
• Tradition gives him another name (Greek): ‘Kolobadattoloss’.
• Nickname and means: 'Stubby-fingered'.
• One day God would use those stubby fingers;
• To write what most scholars now regard as the earliest written gospel.
(1b). His Family:
• His mother was a well-to-do Jewish lady of Jerusalem;
• Her name was 'Mary' in Hebrew 'Miriam'.
• We read about her in Acts chapter 12 verse 12:
• Which tells us the early church used to meet in her house to pray.
• So ‘housegroups’ are not a new thing, they are actually quite old fashioned!
• We have no evidence who his Father was;
• But that of course does not stop people guessing.
• Some scholars have suggested he was the man mentioned in Mark chapter 14 verse 13.
• When Jesus tells two of his disciples to g look for a man carrying the water pot.
(1c). His attitude.
• Mark is mentioned frequently in the New Testament:
• But always as a number two, never the main player.
• He is always someone's assistant.
Ill:
• Leonard Bernstein, the late conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra,
• Was once asked to name the most difficult instrument to play.
• Without hesitation, he replied: “The second fiddle”.
• He went on to say;
“I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm – that’s a problem; and if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”
• TRANSITION: John Mark played the second fiddle;
• For three of the great leaders in the early church:
• Barnabas (His uncle) (Acts chapter 12 verse 25).
• The apostle Paul (Acts chapter 12 verse 25).
• Mark also assisted the apostle Peter:
• He acted as his interpreter when he was in Rome (1 Peter chapter 5 verse 13).
• After all Galilean fishermen were not too hot on their Latin.
Ill:
• In fact we know from historical records outside the Bible,
• i.e. The 2nd century historian Papias:
• Mark was asked by the church in Rome,
• To record Peter's story and teaching of Jesus.
• Now Peter wasn't all that keen, in fact the record says:
• "He (Peter) neither hindered nor encouraged Mark to do this".
• Paraphrase:
• "You can if' you like, I'm not bothered".
• Two thousand years later we have that record, a book in our Bibles:
• Because ‘stubby fingered’ Mark kept a record of Peter's eye-witnessed stories,
Note:
• Now this morning I want to focus in on one incident in the life of Mark.
• You can do that with all these characters who travelled with Paul.
• Focus in on one incident or one characteristic.
• i.e. Aquilla & Priscilla: A Godly Marriage God used them together in Mission work.
• i.e. Barnabas: Encouragement in name and in ministry.
• i.e. Dr Luke: Historian.
• Luke seems to have invented a style of historical writing;
• Which was not commonly practiced in those days.
• John Mark.
• i.e. From failure to success.
Ill:
• If ever you have failed, remember you are in good company!
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/zLYECIjmnQs
• Quote: William Brown.
• “Failure is an event, never a person.”
(2). Mark the Missionary:
Bible Reading: Acts chapter 13 verse 1-13.
• It's very easy when reading the Bible to be idealistic:
• To glamorise, and therefore to lose the reality of a situation:
ill:
Christmas story.
"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head,
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus a sleep on the hay…
…the cattle are lowing the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes….
IN REALITY:
• He had a manger: feeding trough.
• Hotel: wall to wall straw & manure.
• It had cobwebs for curtains,
• Heating system: came from, sweaty beasts, occupied it.
• And the baby Jesus:
• Would have filled his nappy on a regular basis;
• And given Joseph & Mary many a sleepless night with his crying.
• That's reality!
Sadly, some preachers are idealistic:
• i.e. "Come to Jesus and everything will be all right."
• He will solve all your problems and bless you with health & wealth.
• Others say, "Gods, has a wonderful plan for your life."
• Now I believe that, but that wonderful plan;
• Will not somehow instantly, magically unfold.
• It will not mean the absence of difficulties and heartbreak.
• I went to visit someone on Thursday who has a brain tumour.
• He said to me; “It’s hard to describe to friends and family,
• “But I can see all that is happening to me as part of God’s plan!”
• TRANSITION: The truth is life often gets rougher after we trust Christ.
• We feel new tensions between living in the kingdom of heaven,
• And living in this world.
• We begin to see new truths, especially about ourselves,
• And this can make us very uncomfortable at times.
Now the Bible is realistic:
• It shows people as they really are;
• i.e. Oliver Cromwell: "Warts and all".
ill:
• Realistic not idealistic:
• Murphy's laws (pessimistic):
• Nothing is as easy as looks.
• Everything takes longer than you think.
• If anything can go wrong it will.
• Smile, tomorrow will be worse.
• I want us to be realistic today,
• And not pessimistic:
Ill:
In his book: 'Christ in Isaiah', - the writer F.B. Meyer says;
"Think it not strange, child of God, concerning the fiery trial that tries thee, as though some strange thing had happened.
Rejoice! for it is a sure sign that thou art on the right track.
If in an unknown country, I am informed that I must pass through a valley where the sun is hidden, or over a stony bit of road, to reach my abiding place - when I come to it,
each moment of shadow or jolt of the carriage tells me that I am on the right road.
So when a child of God passes through affliction he is not surprised".
• We only kid ourselves as Christians:
• If we try to pretend we won't have days,
• And sometimes weeks, months like that,
• And we kid ourselves if we think people in the Bible,
• Did not have days or weeks like that.
Now if you are wondering what this has to do with John Mark, let me tell you;
• I think John Mark was idealistic and not realistic.
• So let’s read why, from the book of Acts.
• Acts chapter 12 verse 25 and chapter 13 verses 1-3.
“When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem,
taking with them John, also called Mark.”
“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
A GOOD BEGINNING:
• We read Paul and Barnabas were going on a journey,
• And they took along John Mark as their helper.
Ill:
Now it’s easy to be idealistic when it comes to journeys:
• Idealistically:
• Family trip, pleasant time, enjoying company, views, relaxing.
• Reality:
• Traffic jams, or kids arguing & fighting or sick, even getting lost!
• TRANSITION:
• Well for John Mark it was an ideal start, a good beginning:
• He started on his missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas,
• In a way that many missionaries never experience:
(2a). He Had Church Support (vs 3).
"So after they (that is the Church at Antioch vs 1) had fasted and prayed,
they placed their hands on them and sent them off".
• The church at Antioch was a;
• Praying, supportive, encouraging (and I would suggest a giving church).
• So John Mark started on his missionary journey,
• With his local church's support and blessing and good wishes.
(2b). God's blessing (vs 4).
"The two of them (Paul & Barnabas) sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus".
• Now don’t miss the end of verse 5:
• “…John was with them as their helper"
• Notice that even more important than the church's blessing:
• They had the confidence, the assurance, the guarantee,
• That what they were doing was right in the will of God.
Now use your imagination:
• I can picture John Mark dreaming of people queuing up to be followers of Jesus,
• Churches being established and planted wherever they go.
• These men are on a mission backed by the Church and backed by the Holy Spirit.
(2c). He Had A Smooth Departure (vs 4b).
“…went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.”
• Notice no mention of any difficulties.
• i.e. No lost luggage, no illness, no disappointments,
• It was literally all plain sailing (they had a good beginning).
(2d). He Had An Idyllic Destination (vs 4b).
"Sailed from there to Cyprus".
• Now Barnabas was a native of Cyprus;
• And so he knew the island very well.
• "Cyprus" means "Copper":
• A name given because it was a place rich with copper deposits.
• "Cyprus" also had another common name:
• "Makaria" which means: "Happy island".
Quote William Barcley:
"The Happy Isle, because it was held that its climate was so perfect and its resources so varied that a man might find everything necessary for a happy life within its bounds".
• Now that sounds like the Hawaii or Bermuda of the first century.
• A beautiful island.
• I get to go on mission to Moldova (very poor, very cold, very wet & very depressing),
• John Mark goes to the happy island!
Note: Think Back to Why was John Mark idealistic?
• They had Church support.
• They had God's blessing.
• They had a smooth departure.
• John Mark was with his uncle Barnabas (so he has family watching out for him).
• He is with the great apostle Paul (in the company of a spiritual Giant).
• Who wouldn’t be idealistic?
• He must have been expecting revival any day.
• But…then in verse 5 reality breaks in!
(2e). He Had A difficult experience (vs 5)
"When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of the God in the Jewish synagogues".
• Salamis was the largest city on the island:
• And notice: the plural "Synagogues",
• They preached the gospel in many different places;
• And no response, not a single convert to Christ!
Now throughout the book of Acts, Doctor Luke always mentions:
• That whenever the word of God was preached,
• Some people believed, and maybe some people opposed the message,
• But there was almost always some spiritual success,
• But not this time.
• I suggest the fact that he did not mention it,
• Is because there was no response to their preaching.
This is going to prove a very difficult experience for the missionaries:
• They decide to leave Salamis the city,
• And instead they go evangelising in the rural areas.
• Hoping for a better response to their message.
• Verse 6a:
• "They travelled through the whole island. until they came to Paphos ",
• Now don't skip over that verse,
• Because they are not walking down the street,
• Because they have joined the step-counter craze.
• There is not a ‘Fitbit’, ‘Jawbone’ or any other gadget;
• Faithfully recording their every step.
This will be a journey of 150 miles - on foot!
• Now an average days travel on foot in New Testament times was about 10 miles,
• If you made 15 miles a day then you were really shifting.
• And you might get 3 points on your license!
• So when they arrive at Paphos (vs 6a):
• It is after a long, hard, tiring journey,
• And once again notice;
• That there is no mention of any response in the rural areas of Cyprus.
In fact it went from bad to worse; Opposition arose:
• Verse 6b:
• "They met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus".
• Verse 8:
• "Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means)".
• At this point the tired, maybe disillusioned missionaries:
• Encounter this man called: "Bar-Jesus".
• Which means: "Son of salvation."
• He is also named: "Elymas",
• An Aramaic word; which means the "skilled magician".
They are quite formidable titles:
• We are not talking ‘Ali Bongo’ or some other magical cabaret act!
• These titles describe a craftsman of his trade.
• Someone proclaiming himself as having spiritual understanding & special knowledge.
• Notice verse 7 tells us who he worked for,
• He was employed by the proconsul:
• The proconsul, was a representative of the Roman government;
• Much like our authorities today.
Now here is where reality really kicks in:
• John Mark is fresh from Jerusalem,
• He still got those memories of that last commendation meeting fresh in his mind.
• Then suddenly he is in a new culture.
• Among new people.
• After experiencing a long physically tiring journey of 150 mile.
• Where they have seen zero response,
• Not a single convert or any other encouragement to their preaching.
• And now they are 'eye to eye' with spiritual, satanic opposition.
• We would say;
• John Mark is out the playground and in the heat of the battle ground!!!
(2f). He Had A Crises of Faith (vs 13b)
• Now Paul & Barnabas are the more mature experienced, realistic missionaries,
• They seemed to be able to handle the situation,
• But sadly in a moment of crises, it all got too much for John Mark:
• We read in verse 13b:
• "John Mark left them to return to Jerusalem".
• Now that doesn’t seem to bad;
• But if you want the full picture you need to read chapter 15 verse 38:
• Where we are told that John Mark:
• Had actually: "Deserted them" (strong language).
• He let the intimidation and the pressures of that situation get too much for him:
• And he took the only way out he could see.
• He abandoned them and ran back home.
ill:
• We have a saying, that goes:
• "Never get out of a train, when it is still in the tunnel."
• Sadly, John Mark got out of the train while it was still in the tunnel:
• He allowed difficulties & opposition to get the better of him,
• Instead of pressing on with God's help, and waiting for the breakthrough to come.
• John Mark failed, he blew it;
• What a scandal he must of caused back home!
• When he became the Churches very first unsuccessful returnee missionary!
• And don't forget John Mark also had emotions:
• Feelings of fear, failure, shame and guilt,
• That must have crushed his spirit.
(2g). He Had A Friend Who Cared (15 verses 26-39)
Note:
• One of the great and unique things concerning the God of the Bible is this:
• He does not wash his hands off us when we fail him.
• Or when we let others down, or completely blow it.
• And John Mark's story does not end in failure:
• Barnabas gives him a second chance,
• Later on he will take him on another missionary trip back to Cyprus,
• He will give him the opportunity to;
• Confront his fears and grow stronger in the Lord.
Now turn to Acts chapter 15 verse 36-39,
• In time God's work through Paul and Barnabas,
• And they did see a spiritual breakthrough and they saw a number of converts,
• In verse 36 we read:
“Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’”
• The name ‘Barnabas’ means "Son of encouragement"
• And he certainly lived up to his name:
• Verse 37:
• "Barnabas wanted to take John also called Mark, with them".
• Barnabas wanted to encourage,
• Give John Mark a second chance.
• Another opportunity to get things right.
• But in verse 38: the apostle Paul said, "No"
• After all he had deserted them,
• And he had embarrassed them by his actions, he let them and the Lord down!
• Verse 39: So they had a "Sharp disagreement".
• I like that verse because again it is a reminder that these are real people,
• Trying to deal with real problems,
• Unable to agree on John mark;
• They decided to go separate ways (not break friendship).
• Interesting in verse 40:
• That the church commended Paul and not Barnabas to the next mission trip;
“but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord”
• Guess whose side they took to support in the argument?
• But if we are honest we all like winners,
• No one really wants to be with strugglers, losers.
Question:
• How about us; how do we react with those who fail and lets us down?
• Those who disappoint us or even break our hearts?
Notice:
• Because Barnabas stuck with John Mark:
• Because he was willing to invest time and effort in him,
• John Mark's story goes on.
• He does leave the N.T. pages in defeat, and disappointment.
• In fact the opposite is true!
• God works through the care of Barnabas to:
• Pick John Mark up, brush the dust off him and;
• Train and disciple him and make a man of God out of him.
(3). Mark the Minister:
• Mark does not leave the pages of the New Testament as a failure;
• Quote: William Brown.
• “Failure is an event, never a person.”
• Because of Barnabas (and others);
• Mark had a second chance to be a minister of the gospel.
Ill:
• In his book Outliers,
• Malcolm Gladwell tells the strangest story about a guy called Christopher Langan.
• Christopher Langan was a genius with a staggering IQ of 195
• (just to put that in perspective, Einstein was 150).
• During his school years, Langan could get top marks in any foreign language exam;
• Just by skimming the textbook two to three minutes before the test.
• But Langan never made the most of his amazing ability;
• And ended up working on a horse farm in rural Missouri.
• According to Gladwell, Langan never had a second fiddler;
• He never had a person or a community to help him capitalise on his gifts.
• Now as we finish,
• Let’s look at where John Mark gets a few name checks in the New Testament:
(1). Colossians chapter 4 verse 10:
When Paul writes his letter to the Colossians, He is writing from a prison in Rome,
And to our surprise Mark is there with him.
They are friends once again, he says sends greetings from him.
“My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas.”
(2). Philemon verses 23-24.
“Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.”
• In another prison letter, this time to Philemon,
• Paul describes Mark as a "Fellow worker"
• John Mark had won back Paul's· respect.
(3). Second Timothy chapter 4 verse 11.
“Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry”
• At this point in time,
• The apostle Paul is in a prison cell awaiting death,
• This is very near to the end!
• He says to Timothy his right hand man;
• "Get Mark and bring him with you, he is helpful to me in my ministry".
• This is a long way down the road from when:
• Paul contemptuously dismissed John Mark as a quitter,
• At the end of his life Paul wanted John Mark with him!
(4), John Mark went on to write one of the books of the Bible;
• The Gospel of Mark.
• A book read all over the world.
• Translated into English,
• Read and studied even in obscure places like Southampton.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=sKXstbpbPTjkZfOMqIXJgmVY3M3gvv1u
