Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-09-06
Golden text: Whatsoever thy
hand fndeth to do, do it with thy
might Eco. $40.

John Mark was the son OF q
wealthy woman of Jerusalem, whose
name was Mary. She seems to have
been a widow at the time of the
crucifixion, for no mention is made
of her husband Their home was g
large one, large enough for the dis
ciples to use for a meeting place; il
d, was probably in She upper room OF
this house that Jesus ate the Pass
over and instituted the ordinance oil
the last supper. They were wei
enough off to have servants; Rhoda
was the name CT their maid. john
Mark was ,probah;y the young man
who was so badly frightened when
Jesus was arrested that he ran home
naked after his nightshirt was
snatched off him. Judas must have
led the soldiers to that home first
and not finding Jesus there. then led
them to the garden. where he was
in the habit of going. John Mark
was probably walked un by the po-
lice and followed to see what would
happen, just like any young fellow
would de-. He alone of all the
cvangeHsts records this incident, so
he must have been the young man
himself.
When Barnabas and Saul came
down to Jerusalem with the offering
. from the Antioch disciples. they
gathered in John Marks mother
home with the other disciples to pray
for the delverance of Peter. Here
they came in close contact with this
lovable young man, whose love for
Christ made him want to do some
( thing for Him. Mark was the cousin
of Barnabas, so it was very natural
for them to take him with them
when they returned to Antioch.
When they went on their first mis-
sionary journey in obedience to the
direct and personal call of the Holy
Spirit for them, Mark went with
them. Please note that Mark was
not called to this work as they had
been. They just took him along as
Il servant. (The same Greek word
is used in Matt. 1858 and Acts. 5:22,
26) He was not a missionary in
the ordinary sense of the word, but
A lackey-just somebody to be an
attendant, a subordinate, to look
after the baggage, to run errands, to
do any odd jobs that might be nee
cssary.
The Servant Who FAILED
This explanation is necessary so that
we may not misjudge this young
man; for when they reached Perga
in Pamphilia, John Mark left them
and went back home. The journey
from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia led
through one of the most dangerosu
roads in the ancient world. 1t was
infested with highway robbers, it
was through a mountain country
igoing from the coast to the uplands.
In the dangerous passes, these high
way bandits could Turk and seize
upon any company suddenly and
without fear of successful resist
ance. This young fellow was not
seasoned yet and not having been
called to the work as Barnabas and
Saul had been, he preferred not to
risk it.
He may not have been thoroughly
sold on the very free gospel Paul
was preaching now. and preferred
not TO continue with the party-some
think this. but it does not seem very
probable to me. At any rate when
Paul and Barnabas were about TO
start on the second journey this
young man was the cause of the
paroXysm between them, and the
reason for their separation. Barna-
has insisted on Marks going with
them again; and Paul was equally
firm in his decision that he would
not have along a fellow who had
showed a yellow streak. Who could
tell but that he would fail again
at the most critical time; he wanted
some one upon whom they could de-
pend absolutely.
Barnabas had probably talked with
Mark about his former failure and
was convinced that the young fell
low would make good and had
changed. It had always been his
mission to be a son of consolation,
to stand by the man who was down
--he had stood by and for Paul when
the apostles would have nothing to
do, with him when he first came
back to Jerusalem after his CONVEX;
sion-and he was convinced that
Mark could be depended on from
now on. But he couldn't convince
Paul that he was right. So they
parted, Barnabas taking Mark with
I him and going on to Cyprus.
The Servant Who Came Back
Subsequent history proved that
Barnabas was right Mark ''came
back" He made good, and even
Paul admitted tor rather, let us
put it another way, Paul was big
enough to see his mistake and took
pleasure in commencing him. When
he wrote to the Colossians from
Rome during his first imprisonment,
he included Marks greeting to them.
Mark was with him and was evil
IDENTIFY intending to go to Asia for
q visit, for Paul had already sent
some instructions to the Colossians
about him, and now adds: IF he
come unto you, receive him. And
in speaking of him and Aristarchus
and Justus, adds: These only are
my fellow workers unto the kingdom
of God. which have been a comfort
to me-
Later, during his second impris.
onment at Rome, he wrote to Tim
othy at Ephesus to bring Mark TO
him as he was profitable to him IN
the ministry.
One swallow. does not make n
summer, and one failure does not
make a disaster. Mark is not the
only man who has failed once and
made good afterward. Some of the
men who have been nightly used
of God have been men who have
nnsue miserable failures at the start.
Jerry McCauley was one of them.
Gods grace is more than sufficient,
and while the image may be marred,
the Divine Potter can make it over
again. This is not only true of men,
it is true of women also. But it is
much harder for the women who
have failed because of the attitude
taken by other women who profess
to be followers of Jesus Christ. OH,
the shame of it! That these who
ought to be the first to help are the
greatest obstacles to the reclamation
of their unfortunate sisters. May
God forgive them.
We have one more glimpse of
Mark in the epistles. Peter, writ
ing to the Jewish Christians scat
tered abroad, closes his letter thus: